Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the cold butter in a large stainless steel skillet over medium heat. It will foam, sputter, and crackle as it cooks, so stir it often and keep an eye on it until the milk solids turn deep golden brown and the butter smells nutty. Take the pan off the heat and pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl; you should have slightly less than 1 cup (184g). Refrigerate the butter for 50 to 60 minutes, stirring it every 10 to 15 minutes, until it cools to 70°F to 75°F. It should be cool but still liquid.

Spread the pumpkin puree on a plate and press paper towels into it to absorb the excess moisture. Scrape the puree together, spread it back out, and repeat with fresh paper towels until it feels like soft playdough and weighs about 1/3 cup (75g).

Once the browned butter is cool, whisk in the granulated sugar and brown sugar for exactly 1 minute.

Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla, and dried pumpkin puree until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.

Fold in the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt, and chopped chocolate with a flexible spatula until just combined and no flour streaks remain.

Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough, roll the dough balls between your palms, and place them on the prepared baking sheets 2 to 3 inches apart. For extra gooey chocolate pockets, press a few large chocolate pieces onto the tops.

Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers look slightly underdone. Right after removing the pan from the oven, gently swirl a large round cookie cutter around each cookie to nudge the edges into perfect circles. Let the pan cool completely on a wire rack before removing the cookies.