Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth morsels of fall comfort food! Soft, chewy, and studded with chocolate chips, they’ve got everything you love about classic chocolate chip cookies with a tasty pumpkin spice twist.

If you’re looking for more easy cookie recipes to make this fall/winter, check out these snickerdoodles, these peanut butter cookies, or these soft and chewy sugar cookies!

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Want to know what’s even better than a soft chocolate chip cookie made from scratch? A soft homemade chocolate chip cookie that’s full of spiced pumpkin flavor!

I went through six or seven versions of this recipe before I got to the perfect one. And it was all 100% worth it – I am in love with the final product! All it took was some experimentation with the amount of pumpkin, flour, and eggs.

Ultimately, I decided to forgo the eggs and use a little bit of baking soda instead. The pumpkin already does plenty of leavening on its own, but the pinch of baking soda gives your cookies an extra touch of lift without making them denser and adding excess moisture the way an egg does.

Anyway, all of this to say, if you’re looking for the perfect fall dessert that everyone will love, give these chocolate chip pumpkin cookies a try!

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Come fall, I make batch after batch of these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Here’s why I think they’ll be super popular at your house too!

• Soft and chewy. You’ll find that a lot of homemade pumpkin cookies come out cakey, but not these! I didn’t stop tweaking the recipe until they achieved the perfect soft texture every time.
• Rich and moist. Not only does the pureed pumpkin help to provide that drool-worthy, decadent taste, but it also acts a lot like a leavening agent and keeps your cookies moist.
• Cozy and comforting. The classic medley of warm fall spices in these cookies (i.e cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.) will make your kitchen smell AMAZING.

What You’ll Need

These chocolate chip pumpkin cookies require only a few staple ingredients! Here’s a list of what to have on hand (you’ll find the exact amounts and the full set of directions below in the recipe card):

• Unsalted Butter – Make sure to melt this before you begin. If you’d prefer to use salted butter, just leave out the additional salt below.
• Sugar – This recipe calls for both granulated sugar and brown sugar.
• Vanilla Extract – To help the pumpkin flavor stand out. Pure vanilla extract works best!
• Pumpkin Puree – Canned is best. Also, you want to make sure you have pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
• All-Purpose Flour – Spoon the flour into your measuring cup to avoid packing too much in.
• Pumpkin Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger are used for the perfect spice flavor. You could replace the nutmeg, cloves, and ginger with pumpkin pie spice, but the spices are a little different and will give you a different flavor. While it may seem subtle, I truly prefer adding my own spices for the BEST taste.
• Baking Soda – Just a touch for some extra rise and the perfect cookie texture.
• Salt – Feel free to use sea salt, kosher salt, etc.
• Chocolate Chips – I generally use semi-sweet chocolate chips.

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pumpkin cookies are super easy to prepare. Everything combines in a single bowl!

• Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set it aside.
• Combine the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined.
• Add the vanilla and pumpkin. Pour in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree and whisk again until well combined.

• Stir in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Add the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients, and mix everything together with a spatula until well combined. Next, stir in the chocolate chips.
• Chill the dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour. I recommend refrigerating it overnight.

• Form the cookies. Scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough at a time into balls, and place them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Press the cookies down to about the thickness you want them to be, they won’t spread a lot. Use the remaining chocolate chips to place a few extras on top of each cookie before baking.
• Bake. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes, or until they just look fully baked. They should not look underbaked.
• Let the cookies cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet. Move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling after.

Tips for Success

These simple treats are great for busy weeknights when you’re craving something sweet. Be sure to check out the tips below before getting started on the recipe!

• Use canned pumpkin puree. Fresh pumpkin puree would definitely work in these cookies, but it tends to hold a lot of extra moisture. If you’d like to use fresh pumpkin puree anyway, I recommend drying it out with a paper towel first.
• Don’t skimp on the chill time. The cookie dough needs to chill for at least 30 minutes before it’s rolled into balls. This helps it stick together better.
• Avoid overbaking the cookies. Take your cookies out of the oven once the edges are firm, even if the centers still look a little raw. As they rest on the cookie sheet, they’ll finish baking.
• Try freezing the dough. If desired, you can store your balls of cookie dough in the freezer for up to 2 months. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and keep them in a freezer-safe container. Bake the cookies straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the cook time.

Mix-In Ideas & Recipe Variations

As is the case with regular chocolate chip cookies, you can fold anything you’d like into the dough – just be sure not to over-mix it in the process. You could even frost them! These ideas would all make yummy additions.

• Nuts – Pecans or walnuts would both be great choices!
• Fruit – I recommend trying cranberries or dried apricots.
• Sweets – Cinnamon chips, mini marshmallows, or toffee bits would all work well.
• Frosting – Top these cookies with some cream cheese frosting or vanilla buttercream!

How to Store Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies can be stored at room temperature. Just keep them in a single layer in an airtight container and enjoy them within 4 days.

Can I Freeze These Cookies?

Yes! These cookies freeze well in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Their appearance may change slightly after they’re thawed, but they’ll taste the same! Be sure to set them on the counter the night before you plan to eat them.

More Pumpkin Cookie Recipes

You can’t have too many easy pumpkin cookie recipes on hand! You’ll fall in love with each of the following treats at first bite.

• Pumpkin Cookies With Cinnamon Glaze
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches
• Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie Cups
• Pumpkin Butterscotch Chip Cookies

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