Brown the butter over medium heat in a large stainless steel pan. While it cooks, it will foam, pop, and crackle. This is normal! Stand nearby, watch, and stir it occasionally so it doesn’t burn. When the bottom is covered in brown bits of butter and it smells nutty, remove the pan from the heat.
You should have just slightly under 1 cup of browned butter (184 grams). Pour it into a glass measuring cup and chill in the fridge, stirring it every 20 minutes, for about 45-60 minutes, until a thermometer reads 75°F-82°F. It should feel cool and remain completely liquid.
Spread the pumpkin puree onto a plate. Press a stack of paper towels into it and soak up the extra liquid. Then scrape the pumpkin into a pile and re-spread it around the plate. Use a new stack of paper towels to keep absorbing the extra liquid until the pumpkin feels pretty dry, like soft playdough, and now measures roughly 1/3 cup (65-70 grams).
Preheat the oven to 350°F(180°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set them aside.
When the butter is cool, whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla, and dried pumpkin puree.
Fold in the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips until just combined.
Scoop the cookie dough with a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, roll them between your palms, then place them on the prepared baking trays spaced 2-3 inches apart. For pools of melted chocolate, chop the chocolate into larger pieces and press more on top before baking.
Bake one tray at a time for 9-13 minutes or until the edges are golden brown but the middle is slightly underbaked. Straight out of the oven, use a large round cookie cutter to scoot the edges in to make them thicker and perfectly round. Let the pan cool on a wire cooling rack completely, then remove the cookies and enjoy!
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Notes
*Measure your flour properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop flour directly into your measuring cup, as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*Chocolate notes: Chopped chocolate creates better pools than chocolate chips, but they can work if that's all you have on hand.Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can refrigerate or freeze the cookie dough balls; just add 1-3 minutes to the bake time. If the cookies aren't spreading as much, bring them to room temperature before baking. This can take about 1 hour for refrigerated dough and 2 hours for frozen dough.