Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfectly spiced, loaded with chocolate chips, and delightfully soft, yet chewy.
Filled with warming pumpkin pie spice and earthy pumpkin puree, this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe satisfies the craving for both pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies in one easy recipe!
While these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies make a cozy fall treat and pair especially well with a pumpkin spice latte, they are worth enjoying year-round!
Notes on Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to use 100% pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugar: These pumpkin cookies use both granulated sugar and brown sugar. The combination of the two sugars will yield a cookie that is both soft and chewy.
- Spices: Homemade pumpkin pie spice gives these cookies the perfect amount of pumpkin spice flavor.
- Butter: For best results, use softened, unsalted butter for these pumpkin cookies.
- Egg: Just like butter, be sure your egg is at room temperature before making your cookie batter.
- Flour: I have made this recipe using all-purpose flour, whole white wheat flour, and a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, all yielding delicious cookies.
- Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet, dark, milk, or even white chocolate chips all taste delicious in these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. You can use either mini chocolate chips as pictured or regular-sized chocolate chips.
Substitutions
- Using Homemade Pumpkin Puree: You can use homemade pumpkin puree in place of canned pumpkin puree, but you will need to strain off excess moisture in order for it to work in this recipe. Place 1 cup of homemade pumpkin puree into a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl and refrigerate it for 1-3 hours. Once drained, measure out ½ cup of the pumpkin puree and proceed with the recipe.
- Egg-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: If you would like your cookies to be egg-free, you can replace the egg with a flax egg, by mixing together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and letting the mixture sit for 5 minutes before adding it to the pumpkin cookie batter.
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- No Pumpkin Pie Spice? Replace it with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves for a close replica.
∗tips for perfect pumpkin cookies ∗
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Use room-temperature butter and eggs. It is crucial your butter and egg are both at room temperature before preparing the cookies so that the butter and egg will easily cream together to create a light and fluffy batter.
- Don't overmix cookie dough. Use a gentle hand when combining the flour mixture with the butter mixture. I recommend using a wooden spoon or spatula to just fold the ingredients together until you don't see any more pockets of flour. This will ensure your cookies stay soft and tender.
- Chill the cookie dough. Fulling chilling the dough will allow the butter to slowly melt as the cookies bake, keeping the cookies thick and fluffy.
Storing Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
Nothing beats a soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, so if you want to ensure your cookies retain their divine texture even when stored for several days, be sure to follow my tips below.
- Storing: Once your cookies have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container with a slice of white bread and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days. The cookies will absorb moisture from the bread, keeping them soft longer. Just be sure to use plain white bread, so the cookies will not absorb any flavoring from the bread itself.
Freezing Instructions
When it comes to cookies, you can opt to freeze your pumpkin chocolate chip cookies once baked OR freeze the cookie dough and bake from frozen for a freshly baked, warm gooey, chocolate chip pumpkin cookie.
- To freeze baked cookies, bake as directed and cool completely. Freeze the cooled, baked cookies for up to 1 month in an airtight container. Defrost on the counter for a few hours or in the refrigerator overnight and then enjoy.
- To freeze cookie dough, prepare the dough as directed. Roll the cookie dough into 1-½ inch balls and place them onto a rimmed cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Place the tray into the freezer and freeze for 1 hour, or until solid. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer-safe storage bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, bake the frozen cookie pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough balls at 325 degrees F for 12-14 minutes, until just set.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Love
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Cake
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
If you tried this recipe for soft and chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Made with pumpkin puree and warming spices, these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies prove that chocolate and pumpkin are a match made in heaven.
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Servings: 30 cookies
Calories: 130kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix again on medium speed to incorporate.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin spice together until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips into the large mixing bowl with the sugar and butter mixture. Stir the mixture together until just combined. If using a stand mixer, mix on low speed until just combined! If mixing by hand, use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine the wet and dry ingredients together.
- Cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
- Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll the dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each. Place the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart. Using the back of a spoon, very slightly flatten the tops of the dough balls. (Without doing so, the cookies may not spread evenly.)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie dough are just set and beginning to brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and place the baking sheets on a cooling rack. Let the cookies sit on the rack for 2-3 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet and allowing them to cool fully or enjoy warm.
Notes
Pumpkin Puree: Use canned, 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. To use homemade pumpkin puree, it is crucial to drain off some of the liquid, to match the consistency of canned pumpkin puree. Place the pumpkin puree in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Measure out ½ cup of the strained pumpkin puree to use in the cookie recipe.
No Pumpkin Pie Spice? Replace it with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves for a close replica.
Chocolate Chips: Feel free to substitute milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips. Use regular or mini-size chocolate chips.
Egg-Free Modification: Replace the egg with a flax egg, by mixing together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and letting the mixture sit for 5 minutes before adding to the pumpkin cookie batter.
Gluten-Free Modification: Use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.
Storage: Once your cookies have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container with a slice of white bread and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days. Alternatively, freeze the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Freezing Cookie Dough: Prepare the dough as directed. Roll the cookie dough into 1-½ inch balls and place them onto a rimmed cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Place the tray into the freezer and freeze for 1 hour, or until solid. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer-safe storage bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, bake the frozen cookie pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough balls at 325 degrees F for 12-14 minutes, until just set.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 741IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
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Pamela
I was disappointed as I made these for an church meeting (although I will still be taking them), mine look nothing like the picture and just ok tasting. They are fairly flat except for some of the choc chips, I see the picture looks like miniature chips, but I used regular chips as directions did not specify. I was careful to follow directions carefully. I bought new flour (happened to be organic) and several spices new as well as the baking powder. Only thing I can think of is we are in heat wave and we do not use ac much so kitchen temperature was in low 80's when I made up the dough. The baking soda only 1 mo old, but box opened, even pumpkin flavor not very noticeable, I doubt people will even note it is in there...(also opened fresh can of pumpkin, not mix) Also dough very difficult to work with, very sticky even with refrigerating for 12 hours. I wanted them to be great, as I love pumpkin baked anything.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Pamela! I am sorry you were not happy with the results. It actually sounds like you may have used too much butter or too little flour. Is that a possibility? As for the chocolate chips, the recipe states you can use either--that should not cause any issue to the results.
Jen
Made a huge batch of these and have them stocked in the freezer!! SO GOOD.
Kristen Chidsey
LOVE that, Jen! The perfect sweet treat to enjoy when the craving for pumpkin hits 😉
Jessica
Talk about DELICIOUS! There's something about pumpkin and chocolate together that makes my tastebuds swoon! Thank you for this recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing you enjoyed these cookies, Jessica! I love the combo myself!
Michele
Everyone loved these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! We will be making these every fall.