by Shriya Manchanda (’25) | October 7, 2022

Fall has officially arrived with the swiftly changing array of colorful foliage and the slight chill in the morning air. With the new season well on its way, I decided to mark the coming of autumn by baking a classic recipe with an autumnal twist: Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies are a staple dessert perfect for any time of year, so what could possibly be more fitting for autumn than a pumpkin edition of this beloved treat? I was extremely eager to try out these cookies, and having baked them, I am confident that I may have found one of my new go-to recipes for this season.

The recipe is as follows:

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar (I used dark brown sugar for a more decadent, chewier cookie)

¾ can of pumpkin purée

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Salt

Chocolate chips

The cookie dough was quite straightforward to make, as it followed the same steps as making chocolate chip cookies with the addition of spices and pumpkin purée. I began by creaming the butter and sugar, just before adding the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin pureé. Next, I mixed in the spices, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Prior to scooping the dough out, I added the chocolate chips. After 15 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, the aroma of this baked delight wafted throughout the kitchen and smelled heavenly. 

The cookies came out quite puffy and mostly held their initial shape. Although slight mistakes on my part, such as over-mixing the dough, led to the cookies having a denser consistency, the chocolate chips remained evenly distributed throughout. While I was originally concerned about the flavor profile of the chocolate and pumpkin together, the flavors combined beautifully. 

I distributed the cookies among four people, who unanimously agreed that they “tasted like fall” and encapsulated the spirit of the season. Additionally, after sampling them with multiple drinks, such as spiced cider and even a pumpkin spice latte, the taste testers concluded that just like the original, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies tasted best accompanied by a cold glass of milk. 

Altogether, I would consider this recipe and these cookies a success, despite having a different texture than I anticipated. The warm, cozy, and familiar flavor combination of pumpkin and chocolate is the true star of the show. I think it is safe to say that these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies truly exude the essence of autumn.