Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
These sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are just delightful. Made with a thickened mixture of pumpkin puree and brown sugar, as well as tangy sourdough and lots of fall spices, these pumpkin cookies are a one-of-a kind fall treat.
I just picked the first fresh pumpkins of the season from my garden today! I am letting them cure so I can use them in all sorts of soup, casserole, breakfast and dessert recipes this fall and winter.
These sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are a family favorite. They’re moist inside without being cakey, and the flavors of pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla and fall spices make these cookies the perfect fall comfort food. Baking them for the first time each autumn seems to be my way of signaling to the family that pumpkin season has begun. I hope they’ll become one of your new favorite pumpkin recipes!
If you’re new to sourdough, make sure to check out my tips on How to make Sourdough Starter More Active.
Tips for Making Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will also work for this recipe.
- You can substitute 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice in place of the ground cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
- If you’re baking with homemade pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree, then you’ll substitute 2 cups puree for the 15 oz can of pumpkin puree in this cookie recipe.
- To keep your cookie dough firm and easy to scoop, put it in the refrigerator between baking batches.
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Ingredients:
Wet ingredients:
Butter at room temperature
Sugar
Brown sugar or sucanat
Sourdough starter discard
Pumpkin puree
Vanilla extract
Egg
Dry ingredients:
Baking soda
Cinnamon
Ground cloves
Ground ginger
Nutmeg
Allspice
Semi sweet or dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Tools You May Need:
Cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop
Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Non-stick ceramic rimmed baking sheet
Parchment paper
How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
In a medium saucepan, add the can of pumpkin puree and 1 cup of brown sugar. Stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Then, turn the burner to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally so the pumpkin mixture doesn’t burn. Allowing the pumpkin puree to cook helps to remove moisture so the cookies won’t be cakey. When the pumpkin mixture is ready, there should be approximately 1 cup + 2 Tbsp of pumpkin mixture.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, and remaining ½ cup of brown sugar until fluffy. To the butter mixture, add 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture, sourdough starter, vanilla, and egg and mix again at low speed until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.
In a separate large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips. Slowly add the flour mixture to the ingredients in the standmixer and stir just until incorporated. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. This step is necessary in order to achieve cookies that are not cakey. You want the dough to be firm, not sticky, when you take it out of the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease.
Using a cookie scoop, measure out 2 tablespoons of dough at a time. Roll the dough between your hands to form a cookie dough ball. Place on the prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly with your hand because the dough will not spread very much during baking.
Bake cookies at 350 for 9-12 minutes on the middle oven rack just until the tops of the cookies are no longer glossy. For best results, do not overcook them or they will dry out. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
Storage:
Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. These cookies will become more moist and delicious as they sit out. If you can’t eat your cookies fast enough, you can freeze the cookies in ziploc bags.
You can also freeze the dough balls on a baking sheet, then store the balls in a ziploc bag to make sourdough cookies later.
Long-Fermented Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies
If you would like to long ferment these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for the health benefits, simply follow the steps above up to the point where you place the bowl of dough into the refrigerator to chill. Instead of chilling for 1-2 hours, you will allow the dough to ferment for up to 3 days. Just be sure to cover the bowl tightly so the dough doesn’t dry out. The longer you allow the dough to ferment, the tangier your cookies will taste.
FAQ:
Is sourdough discard the same as starter?
Sourdough discard is the hungry, unfed version of starter. On the other hand, active starter is starter that has been fed and has risen to its peak.
What is sourdough discard good for?
Sourdough discard can be used to make any type of food that doesn’t need yeast to help it rise. This includes crackers, quick breads, pancakes, waffles, muffins, pastry crust, cookies, brownies, and cake. The sourdough discard is a great way to give these baked goods a delicious added depth of flavor.
Can I bake with cold sourdough discard?
You can bake with cold sourdough discard when you are making recipes that do not need an active sourdough starter in order to rise. This means you can pull your sourdough discard straight out of the refrigerator and begin baking!
More Fall Inspired Recipes
- Spiced Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Pumpkin Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Sourdough Apple Bread Recipe
- Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins with Chocolate Chips
- Pumpkin Seed Pesto with Kale
- Pumpkin Chorizo Chili
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars!
Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
These sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are just delightful. Made with a thickened mixture of pumpkin puree and brown sugar, as well as tangy sourdough and lots of fall spices, these pumpkin cookies are a one-of-a kind fall treat.
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar, divided
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- ½ cup sourdough starter
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- Dry ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 1 ½ cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
1. In a small saucepan, add the can of pumpkin puree and 1 cup of brown sugar. Stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Then, turn the burner to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally so the pumpkin mixture doesn’t burn. Allowing the pumpkin puree to cook helps to remove moisture so the cookies won’t be cakey. When the pumpkin mixture is ready, there should be approximately 1 cup + 2 Tbsp of pumpkin mixture.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, and remaining ½ cup of brown sugar until fluffy. Next, add 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture, sourdough starter, vanilla, and egg and mix again until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the standmixer and stir just until incorporated. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. This step is necessary in order to achieve cookies that are not cakey. You want the dough to be firm, not sticky, when you take it out of the refrigerator.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease.
6. Using a cookie scoop, measure out 2 tablespoons of dough at a time. Roll the dough between your hands to form a cookie dough ball. Place on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly with your hand because the dough will not spread very much during baking.
7. Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes just until the top of the cookie is no longer glossy. You don’t want to overcook them or they will dry out. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
Notes
- If you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will also work for this recipe.
- You can substitute 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice in place of the ground cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
- If you're baking with homemade pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree, then you'll substitute 2 cups puree for the 15 oz can of pumpkin puree in this cookie recipe.