Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe tastes like a cozy slice of pumpkin pie collided with a soft chocolate chip cookie, in the best way possible. It suits busy bakers who want a fall dessert on the table in about 30 minutes from start to finish. I have baked some version of these cookies every October for a decade, usually while wearing fuzzy socks and ignoring the laundry.
Why You Should Try This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies bake up soft, thick, and slightly cakey with melty chocolate in every bite. Warm spices and pumpkin puree give them that classic fall flavor without turning them into muffins in disguise.
The recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and comes together in one bowl with no mixer if you feel lazy. Kids, neighbors, and coworkers usually inhale them before they cool, so you might want to double the batch.
“These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies taste like fall in every bite and disappear from the cookie plate in minutes. ★★★★★”
Ingredients You’ll Need
Dry ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (optional but tasty)
I like King Arthur or Gold Medal flour because they measure consistently. You can use a pumpkin pie spice blend instead of the individual spices if that already sits in your pantry.
Wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or light olive oil)
- 3/4 cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180 g) canned pumpkin puree, blotted (not pumpkin pie filling)
Use 100% pure pumpkin puree like Libby’s or the store brand as long as the can says “pumpkin” only. I blot the pumpkin with paper towels to remove extra moisture so the cookies stay chewy and not too cakey.
Chocolate and mix ins
- 1 1/4 cups (215 g) semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
- 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped toasted pecans or walnuts (optional)
- Extra chocolate chips for topping
You can use milk chocolate chips if you like a sweeter cookie or dark chocolate chips if you prefer more contrast with the pumpkin. Mini chocolate chips spread more evenly through the dough and give you chocolate in every bite.
Optional flavor boosters
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top right after baking
Espresso powder does not make the cookies taste like coffee; it just deepens the chocolate. A tiny pinch of flaky salt on top makes the flavors pop and balances the sweetness.
Equipment list
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoon size works well)
- Cooling racks
You can mix this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe by hand, so you do not need a stand mixer. A cookie scoop helps keep all the cookies the same size so they bake evenly.
Tips & Tricks
- Blot the pumpkin puree with paper towels until it loses that glossy, wet look so the dough stays thick.
- Melt the butter, then let it cool until just warm to avoid greasy cookies.
- Chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes if it feels very soft or sticky so the cookies hold their shape.
- Use a kitchen scale for flour and pumpkin to avoid dense or dry cookies.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gently and stop as soon as no dry streaks remain to keep the cookies tender.
- Reserve a small handful of chocolate chips and press them on top of the dough balls before baking for that bakery style look.
- Bake one test cookie to check spread and adjust with a bit more flour if it spreads too much.
- Pull the cookies from the oven when the edges look set and the centers still look slightly soft so they stay chewy as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes so they firm up before you move them to a rack.
- Add nuts, white chocolate chips, or dried cranberries if you want a twist on the classic Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Break up any little clumps of spice so they mix evenly into the dough. Set this bowl aside.
Prep the pumpkin
Spoon the pumpkin puree onto a double layer of paper towels. Gently pat the top with more paper towels to soak up excess liquid until the pumpkin looks thicker and less shiny. Measure 3/4 cup of this blotted pumpkin and set it aside.
Combine the wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted, cooled butter with the oil until they blend. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk until the mixture looks smooth and slightly thick. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla until the mixture looks glossy.
Add the blotted pumpkin puree to the bowl and whisk until everything looks fully combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled at first, but it smooths out as you mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Bring the dough together
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold the mixture together with gentle strokes until no dry flour streaks remain. Add the chocolate chips and nuts if using, then fold again until they spread evenly through the dough.
If the dough looks very soft or loose, cover the bowl and chill it in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes. The dough should feel scoopable and hold a mound on the spoon. During this time, line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Portion the cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each mound. Gently flatten the tops just a touch with your fingers so they bake evenly.
Press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of each dough ball if you want a bakery style finish. Work quickly so the dough stays cool and thick. If your kitchen runs warm, keep one tray in the fridge while the other bakes.
Bake the cookies
Place one baking sheet on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges look set and the tops lose their raw shine but still look soft in the center. The cookies should puff up and may crack slightly on top.
If your oven heats unevenly, rotate the pan halfway through baking. Avoid overbaking or the cookies turn dry and cakey. Pull them while they still look a little underdone in the middle since they continue to cook on the hot pan.
Cool and finish
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes so they firm up. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you like a sweet and salty contrast, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on top while they still feel warm.
Once cool, taste one cookie and adjust your next batch if needed, such as a pinch more cinnamon or a different chocolate chip blend. This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe stays flexible, so you can tweak it to your perfect fall cookie.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies pair beautifully with a cold glass of milk or a mug of hot chocolate. A warm chai latte or spiced herbal tea also matches the cinnamon and nutmeg in the cookies. I like to serve them on a platter with sliced apples, grapes, and a small bowl of vanilla yogurt for dipping.
You can turn them into an easy dessert plate with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream and a drizzle of warm caramel sauce. Pack them into lunchboxes, send them along to school events, or stack a few in a tin as a simple fall gift.
Storage Success
- Let cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days with a sheet of parchment between layers.
- Add a slice of sandwich bread to the container so the cookies stay soft and chewy longer.
- Freeze baked cookies in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 months, and thaw them at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Freeze unbaked dough balls on a tray until firm, then store them in a freezer bag for up to 2 months and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
- Reheat cookies in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 4 to 6 minutes or in the microwave for about 10 seconds so the chocolate softens again without drying the cookie.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, breaking up any clumps of spice. Set aside.
- Spoon the canned pumpkin puree onto a double layer of paper towels and gently pat the top with more paper towels to remove excess moisture until it looks thicker and less shiny. Measure out 3/4 cup of the blotted pumpkin and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted, slightly cooled butter with the neutral oil until combined.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk until the mixture looks smooth and slightly thick.
- Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla until the mixture looks glossy.
- Add the blotted pumpkin puree and whisk until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Sprinkle the dry ingredient mixture over the wet ingredients.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture together gently until no dry flour streaks remain.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using, until evenly distributed. If using espresso powder, fold it in at this stage as well.
- If the dough looks very soft or loose, cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes until the dough feels scoopable and holds a mound on the spoon.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each mound.
- Gently flatten the tops of the dough mounds slightly with your fingers so they bake evenly.
- Press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of each dough ball if desired for a bakery-style look. If your kitchen is warm, keep one tray in the refrigerator while the other bakes.
- Place one baking sheet on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges look set and the tops lose their raw shine but still look slightly soft in the center.
- Rotate the pan halfway through baking if your oven heats unevenly. Avoid overbaking so the cookies stay soft and chewy.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, if desired, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt over the warm cookies.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Approximate per 1 cookie (about 24 cookies total): 160 calories; fat 8 g; saturated fat 4 g; carbohydrates 21 g; fiber 1 g; sugars 13 g; protein 2 g; sodium 95 mg. Values are estimates and will vary based on specific ingredients, add-ins, and cookie size.