Pumpkin Patch Cookies

These Pumpkin Patch Cookies are a fun and delicious treat that's perfect for Halloween! Soft, rich dark chocolate cookies are topped with a layer of homemade chocolate pudding, finely crushed Oreos, and adorable candy pumpkins.

The cookies are made with black cocoa for that delicious rich chocolatey taste that compliments the pudding nicely. And the pumpkins on top of each cookie can be arranged slightly differently to give each its own look. They're a fun way to create your own little edible pumpkin patch!

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that your butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Eggs: You'll want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your pudding and your cookies. If you forget to leave them out before you start, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients:
  • I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.

Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt together in a 2.5 quart saucepan. Cook on low heat, gradually streaming in the milk a little at a time and ensuring that the cornstarch does not clump. Continue to cook over low medium heat, whisking occasionally and scraping the sides of the pot as the mixture continues to warm.

Meanwhile, in a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and egg yolks. Once the cocoa mixture on the stove has started to bubble a little, prepare to temper the heavy cream and egg mixture.

While constantly whisking the heavy cream mixture, carefully pour in a little of the hot milk mixture to temper it for a few seconds.

Pour all of the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly until the pudding thickens and begins to boil up like hot lava. Be sure to scrape the sides of the pot and keep a close eye on the pudding.

Remove the pudding from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and vanilla extract.

Transfer pudding to a large heat safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap by placing the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to avoid a skin from forming. Chill for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and melted chocolate on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, form cookies into balls and place each cookie a few inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. If the dough becomes difficult to work with, pop the bowl in the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes.

Bake for 10-11 minutes or until cookies are firm around the edges. Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully moving them to a cooling rack.

Transfer chilled pudding to a piping bag with a large round piping tip. Pipe a circle of pudding on each cookie, being careful to leave a small border of cookie free. Use an offset spatula to spread the pudding so it is level.

Top each cookie with finely crushed Oreos and two pumpkins. Chill until ready to eat. Enjoy!

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