The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Made with pumpkin puree & warm pumpkin spice, milk & semi-sweet puddles of melty chocolate, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are incredibly tasty, flavorful, and addicting! They are soft & chewy in the center, crisp on the edges, and perfectly pumpkin flavored.
Why you’ll love these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
- Perfectly pumpkin flavored. If you like pumpkin, you will love these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! Made with pumpkin puree & pumpkin spice, these cookies have all the warm flavors we love in Fall baking!
- Gooey centers & crisp edges. These cookies are super soft & gooey on the inside with melty milk & semi-sweet chocolate, but the edges are golden and crispy. This makes for the perfect cookie!
- Two types of chocolate. If you’re a chocolate lover like me, then you will appreciate that these cookies have two types of chocolate. Both milk & semi-sweet chocolate are used, and they turn into the biggest puddles of chocolate!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) should be used in the batter. We squeeze out the water in the pumpkin before adding it to the batter to get rid of extra moisture. This will lead to super soft & chewy cookies (not cakey!).
- Good quality vanilla extra or vanilla bean paste can be used to add flavor to the cookies.
- Chocolate: I used two types of chocolate in these cookies for even more flavor and versatility. Chopped chocolate bars should be used to get those big puddles of melted chocolate; chocolate chips have an additive ingredient (like soy lecithin) that helps them keep their shape while baking.
- Pumpkin spice: you can use a store-bought pumpkin spice mix or make your own at home! Check out the recipe notes for an easy pumpkin-spice mix you can make on your own using ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Step by step instructions
See the recipe card at the end of this post for the FULL ingredient list and recipe instructions.
STEP 1: Squeeze out the liquid from the pumpkin puree. Spread the pumpkin puree into a smooth layer on a plate. Take a stack of paper towels and gently press against the pumpkin puree so the paper towels absorb the liquid from the pumpkin. Scrape the pumpkin puree into a pile, spread it out again, and repeat this process until the pumpkin feels pretty dry. There should be around 75-80 grams of pumpkin after drying it out.
STEP 2: Mix together the dry ingredients. Whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice until combined. Set aside.
STEP 3: Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together the room temperature butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamed & combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the dried pumpkin puree and mix until fully incorporated.
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate to the wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Cover the bowl and let the cookie dough chill for at least one hour.
STEP 5: Bake! After the dough has chilled and is a bit firmer, scoop the dough using a large cookie scoop (approximately 80-85 grams or 1/4 cup of dough per cookie!). Space them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes until set & golden on the edges but the centers are still soft. Let cool & enjoy!
Expert baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a kitchen scale is more accurate than cup measurements, and it’s easier cleanup!
- Don’t skip the chill time! Chilling the dough gives the ingredients a chance to emulsify and develop flavor while also reducing spread.
- I love using a cookie scoop – it makes the process of scooping cookies much easier and cleaner!
- Cookie scoot for perfectly round cookies. Take something circular and gently scoot the cookies after they are removed from the oven. This makes the cookies the perfect circular shape. You can use a cookie cutter, mug, a glass storage container, etc.
- Squeezing out the pumpkin moisture is a key step to ensure chewy cookies. They can turn out cakey and/or spread in the oven if the moisture is not removed!
Recipe FAQ
YES! This step is key to ensure chewy cookies. If the pumpkin moisture is not absorbed, the cookies will turn out cakey.
Over-measuring the flour is most likely the culprit here. Make sure to use a kitchen scale to accurately measure the flour, or use the spoon & level method if you do not have one. Additionally, check to make sure the baking powder/baking soda are not expired.
No! Pumpkin pie filling & pumpkin puree are completely different. We want pure pumpkin puree in these cookies.
The cookies will be set on the edges & golden brown, puffy in the center & still soft!
If the butter is too warm or your oven runs hot, the cookies may spread faster. Make sure you chill the dough for at least one hour before baking.
Other pumpkin recipes to try
Have you tried this recipe?
I would love to know how it turned out! Leave a star rating & review below and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram so I can see photos & videos of your yummy bakes!
Want to save this recipe for later? Tap the heart button on the right side of your screen!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 160 grams (2/3 cup) pumpkin puree
- 219 grams (1 ¾ cups) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 113 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) light brown sugar
- 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 90 grams (½ cup) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 90 grams (½ cup) milk chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Spread the pumpkin puree into a smooth layer on a plate. Take a stack of paper towels and gently press against the pumpkin puree so the paper towels absorb the liquid from the pumpkin. Scrape the pumpkin puree into a pile, spread it out again, and repeat this process until the pumpkin feels pretty dry. There should be around 75-80 grams or roughly 1/3 cup of pumpkin after drying it out.160 grams pumpkin puree
- In a bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice until combined. Set aside.219 grams all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- Separately, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamed & combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the dried pumpkin puree and mix until fully incorporated.113 grams unsalted butter, 150 grams light brown sugar, 100 grams granulated sugar, 1 egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate to the wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Cover the bowl and let the cookie dough chill for at least one hour in the fridge.90 grams semi-sweet chocolate, 90 grams milk chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough using a large cookie scoop (approximately 80-85 grams or 1/4 cup of dough per cookie). Space them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes until set & golden on the edges but the centers are still soft.
- Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy! Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
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.
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.
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.
Thank you so so much Lauren!! I am so glad you like them as much as I do 🙂
These cookies are amazing and such great spice flavor without being overpowering! A hit with my husband who doesn’t even like pumpkin!
Yay!! Thanks Lindsay!
I just made these. Very tasty! However, mine turned out very tick and cakey like a traditional pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, not crispy outside and gooey inside like the picture. Not sure where I went wrong. I even weighed the flour. Nonetheless, they are very good and I would make them again.
Oh no! I am sorry that they were still cakey – did you happen to measure the pumpkin after squeezing out the liquid? Maybe it was still full of moisture? I am glad you enjoyed them anyway 🙂