Made with pumpkin puree, warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, and a whole lot of chocolate, I promise these are the BEST pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They are soft in the center, crisp on the edges, and perfectly pumpkin flavored. You will not be able to stop at one cookie.
Why these are the best pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
- The texture. The texture of these cookies are super chewy and ultra soft. They are soft in the middle but have crisp edges, and they are loaded with melty chocolate puddles.
- The flavor. The flavor is to die for. It is made with pumpkin puree and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. I suggest chilling these cookies overnight as it makes for the BEST flavor. Chilling the dough overnight gives the ingredients time to fully incorporate into one another.
Key ingredients
- All purpose flour: all purpose flour is the flour of choice for these cookies. It makes for a tender and soft crumb.
- Leavener: baking soda is used to help the cookies spread on the pan. It also adds extra chewiness to the cookies.
- Unsalted butter: unsalted butter is preferred so you can control exactly how much salt goes into your recipe.
- Sugar: brown sugar and granulated sugar are both used in these cookies. Brown sugar adds moisture while granulated sugar leads to those crisp edges we all love.
- Pumpkin puree: adding pure pumpkin to the cookies gives them such a lovely pumpkin flavor. We also add warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves to enhance the pumpkin flavor.
- Chocolate: the preferred chocolate in these cookies are semi-sweet chocolate chunks. I like to use a chocolate bar (like Ghirardelli's semi-sweet) and chop it into pieces. However, if you just have regular chocolate chips on hand, that works just as well!
Steps
- Whisk the dry ingredients. This includes the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Beat the wet ingredients. Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree and beat until combined.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Add the chocolate chunks and fold until evenly incorporated.
- Chill the dough. Cover the dough and chill. Chilling overnight is preferred but if you don't want to wait, chill the dough for 3-4 hours. The flavor will be much better.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 350F and bake for 13-15 minutes until the cookies are set and slightly golden.
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookie baking tips
I have made many cookies in my lifetime and I have some tips and tricks that I do every single time to ensure my cookies come out *mwah* chef's kiss.
Properly measure the flour.
This applies to all baked goods, but especially in cookies. Too much flour and the cookies will be way too dry and not spread. The best way to measure flour is with a kitchen scale - it is the most accurate. If you don't have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife.
Use both brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Two types of sugar are used in this recipe for a reason. Brown sugar has molasses and therefore adds moisture and chewiness to the cookie. Granulated sugar aids in the spread of the cookies and creates those crisp edges. Using both types of sugar gives you that perfect cookie with soft centers but crisp edges.
Don't over bake.
Cookies are actually really easy to over bake. You want to pull the cookies from the oven when the edges are crisp and golden but the centers are soft and slightly underdone. This is because the cookies continue to bake when you take them out of the oven - so that slightly underdone cookie center will turn into a soft and melty center by the time they are ready to eat.
Chill the dough.
I know chilling the dough can be frustrating, because who wants to wait? But chilling the dough allows the flavors to develop and intensify. You get a caramelized butterscotch flavor that is only achieved by chilling the dough. Think of it like marinating a steak - the longer you marinate, the better the flavor in the end.
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The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 grams) brown sugar packed
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 grams) pumpkin puree
- 1 cup (180 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chunks (preferred - see note) or chocolate chips plus more for topping
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree and mix on low-medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl if necessary.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix on low speed until combined, but a few streaks of flour remain. Add the chocolate chunks/chips and fold until evenly incorporated and the flour is fully mixed in.
- Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. Chilling the dough overnight is preferred - it gives the ingredients time to fully incorporate into one another and the flavor is much better. But if you don’t want to wait, chill the dough for 3-4 hours.
- If you chilled the dough over night, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking - this will make it easier to scoop. When the dough has only 10 minutes left to chill, preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into balls, using about ¼ cup (70 grams) of dough per cookie. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the cookies are set and slightly golden. They will still look slightly underdone in the center.
- Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely or enjoy when still slightly warm and the chocolate is all melty. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- For the chocolate chunks, I like to use a chocolate bar (like Ghirardelli's semi-sweet) and chop it into pieces. However, if you just have regular chocolate chips on hand, that works just as well!
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
Chantae
I just finished making these. Great recipe - they were delicious! I did accidentally bake them a little longer, but they are still so so soft. If I do this again, I would reduce the amount of sugar though.
Jess Italiano
Hi Chantae! Thanks so much for making these. I am sorry to hear that it was a little too much sugar for your taste, but I am SO glad you enjoyed them. This is one of my favorite cookie recipes.
Lauren
These cookies are seriously the best pumpkin cookies I've ever had. They stayed soft for a full week and were SO good. Such a perfect recipe.
Jess Italiano
Thank you so so much Lauren!! I am so glad you like them as much as I do 🙂