Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

We can’t really celebrate fall without baking at least one batch of pumpkin–chocolate chip cookies. These are soft, chewy, and moist thanks to a cup of pure pumpkin purée and a 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Use bittersweet chocolate chips or, for an even chocolatier bite, fold in chopped bittersweet chocolate chunks (like the kind we sell in the Food52 pantry!). The bite of the chocolate prevents the cookies from being too sweet. The rest of the ingredients should be easy enough to find in your home pantry—all-purpose flour, ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger), baking powder and baking soda, sugar, vanilla, and one egg. The process of making the dough is about as easy as it gets, and there’s no chilling time necessary, which means that you can snack on a batch in way less time than it takes to rake up all the acorns in your yard. Simply combine the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. The key to achieving a soft, pillowy texture is avoiding overmixing—fold until everything is just incorporated, and not a minute more. Feel free to riff on the recipe, too: One reader swapped coconut oil in place of vegetable oil for a little more sweetness, while another added rolled oats to the dough for a heartier texture and a more toothsome bite. It’s safe to say that co-founder Merrill Stubbs has upped the ante on our fall baking projects—beginning with these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.