These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Are:
These cookies aim for a familiar chocolate chip cookie texture with clear pumpkin flavor. They are soft baked, chewy, buttery and well spiced, with soft centers and edges that look set. They contain no egg, so the dough is egg free while still holding together.
Homemade pumpkin pie spice can be used, or a store bought blend works just as well for a warm fall flavor.
- Soft baked and chewy, not cake like
- Buttery with warm pumpkin spice flavor
- Egg free, with pumpkin taking the place of egg
- Ready after only 30 minutes of dough chilling
That short chill and simple method make this a reliable fall cookie for beginners and experienced bakers alike. The warm spice stays clear, and the centers stay tender without turning into cake.
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This is Not a Cakey Pumpkin Cookie
Many pumpkin cookies turn out soft and cake like, with a texture closer to a muffin top than to a cookie. This recipe takes a different path. It aims for a dense, chewy cookie that still tastes clearly of pumpkin and spice.
The goal is the denser chew of an ordinary chocolate chip cookie, not a soft cake in cookie shape.
The main problem is moisture. Pumpkin puree is approximately 90 percent water by mass. That moisture is welcome in pumpkin bread, where it helps create a moist crumb.
In cookies, the same moisture can make the dough wetter and push the result toward cake. Cake batter and muffin batter are much wetter than cookie dough, so a sturdier, drier dough is needed for a denser, chewier cookie.
Blot the pumpkin well, and you get soft centers with set edges instead of a cakey bite.
Think of cookie dough as sturdier and drier by design. When pumpkin adds too much water, that design breaks down. Removing water before mixing, choosing melted butter over creamed butter and leaving out egg all help the dough stay on the cookie side of that line.
My 4 Tricks to Apply in this Recipe
Four simple tricks keep these cookies chewy. Each one tackles moisture or softness in a different way. Together, they turn a wet pumpkin dough into a cookie that holds its shape, bakes with set edges and stays soft in the center.
- Blot the pumpkin. Press pumpkin puree with a paper towel to remove some moisture while keeping the flavor. Use only the blotted pumpkin in the dough. This step is optional, but it is very useful, and it also helps other pumpkin cookies stay less cakey.
- Use melted butter. Start with melted butter and whisk in the sugars instead of creaming butter and sugar. This method is linked with very chewy chocolate chip cookies, and no mixer is needed.
- Skip the egg. Omit egg completely because pumpkin takes its place. Eggs normally bind ingredients, tenderize texture and add moisture, and all three effects are unwanted here.
- Give the cookies time. The cookies are good warm, but chewiness and flavor increase as they rest. Leave them uncovered on a rack, sometimes overnight, for a cookie that is even chewier and more flavorful the next day. That rest also makes them a useful make ahead dessert.
Use these tricks together, not one at a time, for the best chance at a chewy result. Blotting alone helps, but melted butter, no egg and a patient rest work with that drier pumpkin to build texture through the whole bake and cooling time.
Chill for Only 30 Minutes
The dough is a little sticky, so chilling is part of the plan, not an extra step to skip. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it into balls and baking. That short chill makes the sticky dough easier to handle.
Before baking, slightly flatten each dough ball with the back of a spoon. The cookies spread only slightly in the oven, so that gentle press helps them bake into a proper cookie shape.
Keep the baking sheets ready while the dough chills, so shaping can start as soon as the dough is firm enough to roll.
More Pumpkin Favorites
For more pumpkin baking, try Brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or Pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies. Each one keeps pumpkin and warm spice at the center, so you can pick the version that fits the day.
These favorites are listed here as ideas to explore next, each with pumpkin at the center and a different shape or texture.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
A pumpkin oatmeal cookie with brown butter flavor.
Classic Pumpkin Scones
A classic pumpkin scone for pumpkin spice baking.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
Pumpkin and chocolate chips in an oatmeal bar form.
Simply Pumpkin Muffins
A simple pumpkin muffin for everyday baking.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients before you start, and measure the pumpkin only after blotting. Spoon and level the flour for an accurate measure, and keep the butter melted and slightly cooled.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 Tablespoons pumpkin puree, blotted
- 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, plus a few extra for the tops
Keep a few extra chips ready for the tops, so the finished cookies look as good as they taste.
Instructions
Follow the steps in order, and keep the dough chilled until you are ready to shape it.
- Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and blotted pumpkin until smooth, then set the mixture aside.
- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips. The chips may not stick well because of the melted butter, so combine them as well as possible.
- Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Chilling is imperative for this recipe.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll each portion into a ball. Arrange the balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Slightly flatten the tops with the back of a spoon or the bottom of a cup, because without this step the cookies may not spread.
- Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until the edges appear set. The centers will look very soft. Remove the cookies from the oven. If the cookies did not spread much, flatten them with the back of a spoon while they are warm. If desired, press a few chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies for looks only.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. The longer the cookies cool, the stronger the flavor becomes and the chewier the texture becomes. Let them sit uncovered for several hours before serving if you can. Chewiness and pumpkin flavor are even stronger on day 2.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Check doneness by the edges, not by the centers. The centers will still look soft when the cookies come out, and they will firm up as they cool on the sheet and rack.
Notes
A few notes make the recipe easier to plan ahead and to adjust.
- Refrigerate dough for up to 3 days, and return it to room temperature before continuing at step 4.
- Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Unbaked dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen balls for 1 extra minute, with no thawing.
- Blot pumpkin puree with paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible, then measure 6 Tablespoons after blotting. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
- Pumpkin pie spice may be store bought or homemade. It can also be replaced with 1/4 teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and ground allspice, in addition to the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
- Dough chilled for longer than 30 minutes becomes cold and firm, so rest it at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before scooping, or about 30 minutes after about 24 hours of chilling.
- For a larger batch, double every ingredient and chill the dough for 45 minutes.
- Chopped pecans can replace the chocolate chips, or roll the dough in cinnamon sugar for pumpkin snickerdoodles.
Planning ahead is simple because the dough, baked cookies and frozen balls all have clear storage times in this recipe. Choose the option that fits your week, and keep the cookies covered once they are baked.
These quantities and steps follow the original recipe.
Recipe details
- Prep time: 45 minutes
- Bake time: 11 to 12 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies
Chill time is listed separately in the instructions, and the cookies also need cooling time after baking.
Yield is 18 cookies when each cookie uses about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough.
FAQs
Why are my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies cakey instead of chewy?
Pumpkin puree is about 90 percent water, and that extra moisture makes cookie dough act more like cake batter. Blot the 6 tablespoons of pumpkin puree with a paper towel before mixing to remove excess water. Using melted butter instead of creamed butter and skipping the egg also keep the cookies denser and chewier.
Can you use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree in pumpkin chocolate chip cookies?
No, pumpkin pie filling is not a direct substitute for pumpkin puree in this recipe. Puree is plain cooked pumpkin, while filling already contains sweeteners and spices that change the sugar level, spice balance, and moisture. Use plain pumpkin puree so the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice stay in proportion.
Do you need to chill pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough before baking?
Yes, chilling is imperative for this recipe and takes at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days in the refrigerator. The dough is very soft from the melted butter, and chilling firms the butter, hydrates the flour, and makes the sticky dough easier to scoop and roll. Slightly flatten the dough balls before baking at 350°F for 11 to 12 minutes, because they spread only a little.
How long do pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last, and can you freeze them?
Covered at room temperature, the baked cookies stay fresh for up to 1 week, and their chewiness and pumpkin flavor are even stronger on day 2. Baked cookies and unbaked dough balls both freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls without thawing, adding about 1 extra minute.
Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Are: These cookies aim for a familiar chocolate chip cookie texture with clear pumpkin flavor. They are soft baked, chewy, buttery and well spiced, with soft centers and edges that look set.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 Tablespoons pumpkin puree, see note
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, store-bought or homemade
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus a few extra for the tops
Instructions
1-Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and: Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and blotted pumpkin until smooth. Set aside.
2-Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking: Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine.
3-Cover the dough and chill for 30: Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Chilling the dough is imperative for this recipe.
4-Remove dough from the refrigerator: Remove dough from the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5-Scoop the dough, about 1: Scoop the dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and roll each into balls. Arrange cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a spoon or the bottom of a cup/measuring cup, slightly flatten the tops of the dough balls. (Without doing so, the cookies may not spread.)
6-Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the: Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the edges appear set. The cookies will look very soft in the center. Remove from the oven. If you find that your cookies didn’t spread much at all, flatten them out with the back of a spoon when you take them out of the oven. If desired, press a few chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies. This is only for looks.
7-Cool cookies on the baking sheets for: Cool cookies on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The longer the cookies cool, the even better they taste! The flavor gets stronger and the texture becomes chewier. I usually let them sit, uncovered, for several hours before serving. Chewiness and pumpkin flavor are even stronger on day 2.
8-Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Last Step:
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- Cook Time: 10 min
- Method: bake
