It’s almost that time of year when the leaves begin to change and the wind carries the sweet smells of cinnamon and pumpkin. Autumn and Fall are my favorite time of year for good reason: a bunch of seasonal beers are released (my favorites being the pumpkin beers), holiday spice cookies, baking my eyes out, etc. It’s fun to bake with the warming holiday spices. It’s one of my favorite flavor profiles.

When Sean brought home the new Almanac Beer Co.’s Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine I knew it would go perfect with some cakey chocolate chip cookies, but with a pumpkin twist. The beer is 50% brewed with pumpkins and 50% with spices and then aged in brandy barrels and is a heavy 12%ABV. This means a little goes a long way, but I still wanted the beer flavor to shine. These cookies are a pumpkin bonanza because they contain: 1. Pumpkin butter, 2. Pumpkin seeds, 3. Pumpkin pie spices, 4. Pumpkin beer making them my “quadruple pumpkin cookies.”

Ingredients:

2 1/2 AP Flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick of unsalted butter

6 tablespoons of pumpkin butter

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup beer

2 large eggs

1 cup cocoa nibs (optional)

1 cup roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds

2 cups chopped dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together flour and baking soda in a bowl. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and whisk to incorporate.

2. Place both butters and both sugars in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on medium for 2-3 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the salt, then add the eggs and the beer. Add the flour mixture slowly until just combined.

3. Use a spatula to fold in the cocoa nibs, chocolate chunks and pumpkin seeds. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat and bake for 10-12 minutes. Be sure to rotate once in the middle of baking so they get evenly cooked. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tray to cool on a wire rack.

Lasts: 1 week or so

Level: Beginner

Season: Autumn/Fall/Winter

Yield: 3 Dozen

These cookies turned out great. They are cakey, crunchy, chewy, moist, rich and have a nostalgic quality to them. The pumpkin smell really shines and the strong flavor of the beer survived the baking process to give a caramel aftertaste that is so pleasant. I chopped-up a large bar of chocolate so I had huge chunks of chocolate, which was luxurious and indulgently wonderful, but you can use chips or cut your chocolate into smaller pieces to suit your tastes. Enjoy!