Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best ever! These cookies are soft and chewy with crisp edges instead of typical cake-like pumpkin cookies.
For cake-like cookies, try these soft pumpkin cookies. These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are another favorite pumpkin cookie recipe!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
While I love the big, soft, cake-y, muffin-top-like pumpkin cookies, nothing compares to these cookies. They’ve got everything you love about regular chewy chocolate chip cookies, but with a pumpkin spice twist.
With actual pumpkin and fall-inspired spices in the dough, these cookies are carefully created to give you a soft and chewy center with crisp edges.
Ingredients In Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Butter: Provides flavor and a chewy texture.
- White and Brown Sugar: Sweetens the cookies and brown sugar also adds a hint of molasses.
- Egg Yolk: Binds the dough and adds richness.
- Vanilla: Enhances the flavor.
- Pumpkin: Gives the cookies a soft texture and pumpkin taste.
- Salt and Spices (Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg, Allspice): Season the cookies with a warm spice flavor.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies puff up.
- Flour: Builds the cookie structure.
- Chocolate Chips: Provide chocolatey bursts in every bite.
Quick Tip
Use only pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix. The ingredient list should only have pumpkin puree.
How To Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Melt the butter, then let it cool to avoid greasy cookies.
- Mix the cooled butter with sugars until smooth.
- Add pumpkin, vanilla, and egg yolk; mix well.
- Stir in spices, salt, and baking soda for flavor.
- Combine with flour and chocolate chips until you have a thick dough.
- Chill the dough for an hour.
- Shape the dough into tall balls and bake.
Tips For Success
- Allow time for the melted butter to cool and for the dough to chill twice. Rushing can ruin the texture.
- Use thick, quality pumpkin puree like Libby’s® to ensure the best flavor and texture.
- After baking, press extra chocolate chips on top for a nicer look and even chocolate distribution.
- Measure flour by spooning and leveling off, to avoid excess that can make cookies cakey.
- Shape dough taller for cookies with crispy edges and a soft, chewy center.
More Fall Desserts
- Pumpkin Creme Brûlée
- Acorn Donut Holes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Thanksgiving Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
With a soft center and just a bit of a crunch on the edge, these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies offer a delightful twist on a classic fall treat!
Equipment
- Sheet pan lined
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg yolk discard whites or save for another recipe
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup pumpkin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Let butter stand until cooled to room temperature. It is very important the butter isn't hot or it will melt the sugars and make greasy cookies.
- Add both sugars to the room-temperature melted butter. Stir until smooth with a wooden spoon. Add in the large egg yolk, vanilla extract, and canned pumpkin. Make sure the pumpkin isn't watery; dab off excess moisture with a paper towel if it is. Stir until ingredients are combined.
- Add salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and baking soda. Stir until spices are well incorporated.
- Spoon and level (see note 1) to measure flour and add to the bowl. Add chocolate chips. Gently stir to form a dough. It will seem dry at first, but continue to stir until you have a thick and sticky dough. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Measure 1-1/2 tablespoons (or 30 grams) of dough per cookie ball. Roll the balls so they are taller rather than wider. Place 6 cookie dough balls on the sheet pan and then place in the freezer for 8 minutes. Remove and bake for 8–11 minutes or until no longer glossy on top. I like them best at 9 minutes, slightly under-baking will yield super-soft and chewy cookies. Remove from the oven and let cookies stand on the sheet pan for 5 minutes. If desired, press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour, you will pack in way too much flour; use a spoon to scoop it into a measuring cup and then level the top with the back of a table knife. If your Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies turn out cake-y, there was likely too much flour added. To be as accurate as possible, use a food scale to measure precisely 190 grams of flour.
Storage: Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to finish cooling. They firm up more as they cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 704IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi there,
I don’t quite understand the stacking process. Could you explain with a tiny bit more detail?
Thanks.
Hey Carol! Check out the 2nd photo in this post: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/best-snickerdoodle-cookies/ that’s the shape and size 🙂
These are so great!!! My husband and I both loved them! Thanks for the great recipe!
So happy to hear it!! Thank you for the comment Mallory 🙂
These are very delicious! I love how all the ingredients like the spices can be adjusted and your encouraged to adjust to your preference! I used the stove top for the butter because i don’t have a microwave any longer. These filled my house with a delicious fall aroma! Thanks for the recipe! Happy Fall Ya’ll!!
I’ve made many cookies but I’ve never found a recipe as good as this one! I’ve already passed on the recipe a couple of times it’s that good! I really love how this is a non-cakey pumpkin cookie. Thank you!
LOVE hearing that! Thank you so much for the comment and passing along my recipe Jenna 🙂
Someone I know made this recipe. The cookies were soo delicious I asked her for the recipe! Her cookies were cakey but still delicious. Please will you post a pic of the rectangle stack or draw it out even? It would be sooo helpful! I see that others have asked the for the same thing. Thank you!
I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed these cookies! 🙂 Here’s a good visual (different cookies I’ve made, but same shape! :)) https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Cookie-Dough.jpg Enjoy!
I made these tonight for my sister’s Halloween party and they turned out perfectly! The detailed instructions helped a lot. Most of my cookies turned out perfectly round, but a couple were a little more oval-shaped because of the way the rectangular stack decided to melt. I was a little confused at first about what the stack was supposed to look like so a picture of that might help. But no complaints, they look and taste great! Thank you.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies and the instructions were helpful 🙂 I’ll work on getting a process picture up on these 🙂 Thanks Renee!
My four year old and I are making them as we speak they are currently chilling. I cannot wait for the final product!! However I feel silly that I do not understand the “stacking” method… any help!?
I could not wait the full hour for chilling these because I was just too excited to eat them!!! I have never been able to get a cookie to be cakey, and I didn’t have that problem with these either. Oh my gosh these cookies are good!!!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment Dana 🙂
Would it be possible to just use pumpkin pie spice in place of the seasonings?
Sure 🙂
These were excellent, wonderful flavor, and simple, although mine still came out cakey on two different batches. The second time I followed the instructions more about chilling, but either way, they were a taller cookie, unlike the photo, still moist and cakey, but delicious! Would have liked to have seen a photo of the stacking method of placing them on the pan. I don’t mind them cakey, I would make them again!
I’m happy you enjoyed these overall Erin! They may have come out more cakey than desired due to too much flour; did you spoon and level the flour when you measured it? Glad to hear you’d make these again though! I’ll be working on getting a video tutorial up for these 🙂
Chelsea, instead of rolling two balls of dough per cookie, what would happen if you just rolled one larger ball of dough per cookie? I haven’t made them yet, but am getting ready to, right now. But, I’m omitting the chocolate chips, I just want a pumpkin cookie. I always omit chocolate chips and usually use raisins and nuts, in chocolate chip recipes, but these will just be pumpkin cookies w/ no added ingredients. Aren’t they awfully sweet, w/ 1 cup of sugar to 1-1/2 cups of flour, plus chocolate chips?
Yes that’s fine; just make sure it’s taller rather than wider 🙂 I don’t find them overly sweet, but if you’re worried you could likely leave out some of the sugar! Enjoy!