This post may contain affiliate links.Please read our disclosure policy.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with just the right amount of pumpkin spice and studded with chocolate chips. A soft and chewy pumpkin cookie that’s perfect for fall and quick and easy to make from scratch!
We love baked goods made with pumpkin puree in the fall like our favorite Easy Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Pancakes, and our gorgeous Pumpkin Cupcakes that are topped with an easy brown butter frosting and drizzled with salted caramel sauce.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies make a perfect fall treat and are made with just the right amount of pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. These colorful cookies are soft, and chewy, and are the perfect thing to bake when you have some leftover pumpkin puree.
Making pumpkin spice cookies from scratch without a box mix is easier than you might think. The dough comes together quickly and you can even make it a day in advance and store it in the fridge overnight until you are ready to bake these easy pumpkin cookies.
This pumpkin cookie recipe produces a cookie that has a soft, almost a little cake-like texture on the first day but will get chewier on the next day. These cookies are a MUST TRY this fall!
Expert Tips
- Pumpkin Puree: If you want to use homemade pumpkin puree blot it with kitchen paper towels to remove some of the moisture because homemade pumpkin puree contains much more water
- Chocolate Chips: Add as many chocolate chips as you prefer. I love chocolate chip so I always add a bit more. If you want the pumpkin flavor to come out more reduce the amount of chocolate chips to 1/2 cup
- Spices: Instead of using nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, you can also use 1 tsp pumpkin spice. But don’t leave out the cinnamon!
- Chill the dough: The dough will be a bit soft right after making it that’s why it needs to chill in the fridge. Chill it for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 days
- Flatted them: These cookies don’t spread during baking so make sure to flatten them with your fingers or the back of a measuring cup before putting them in the oven
- Baking: Don’t let them bake too long! They should look a bit undercooked when you take them out of the oven because they will set during cooling
- Decorate after baking: To make them look prettier press a few chocolate chips into the hot cookies after you’ve taken the pan out of the oven
- Use a cookie spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack
- Best the next day: These cookies will taste best if you make them a day in advance and store them in a plastic bag overnight. This way they get chewier and softer
How to make this recipe
Making soft Pumpkin cookies from scratch is really easy. These cookies are made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. The secret to soft, slightly chewy cookies is moisture, using very soft butter and almost a cup of pumpkin puree makes them perfectly balanced – not too chewy and not too cake-like.
Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Combine wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a bowl and a hand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium speed until well blended. Add pumpkin, vanilla extract, and egg. Mix on low speed until combined.
Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients: Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture with a spatula. Don’t overmix. Fold in chocolate chips then cover the dough and chill for at least 15 minutes or longer.
Shape cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into balls, 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Put on baking sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten cookies.
Bake: Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are firm. The cookies will look soft and undercooked. Remove the sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on it for at least 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Like banana bread or many German cakes like my German Apple Cake, these cookies taste best on the second day – they need a bit of time to develop their flavor and to get chewy. The pumpkin flavor and the spices will come out stronger after a day or two – these cookies are perfect to make ahead!
Storage
These cookies keep tasty for days. Store them in an airtight zipper bag at room temperature for up to one week.
Never Miss A Recipe! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more great recipes and all of the latest updates.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a bowl and a hand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium speed until well blended. Add pumpkin, vanilla extract, and egg. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture with a spatula. Don’t overmix. Fold in chocolate chips then cover the dough and chill for at least 15 minutes or longer.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into balls, 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Put on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are firm. The cookies will look soft and undercooked. Remove sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on it for at least 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Pumpkin Puree: If you want to use homemade pumpkin puree blot it with kitchen paper towels to remove some of the moisture because homemade pumpkin puree contains much more water
- Chocolate Chips: Add as many chocolate chips as you prefer. I love chocolate chip so I always add a bit more. If you want the pumpkin flavor to come out more reduce the amount of chocolate chips to 1/2 cup
- Spices: Instead of using nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, you can also use 1 tsp pumpkin spice. But don’t leave out the cinnamon!
- Chill the dough: The dough will be a bit soft right after making it that’s why it needs to chill in the fridge. Chill it for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 days
- Flatted them: These cookies don’t spread during baking so make sure to flatten them with your fingers or the back of a measuring cup before putting them in the oven
- Baking: Don’t let them bake too long! They should look a bit undercooked when you take them out of the oven because they will set during cooling
- Decorate after baking: To make them look prettier press a few chocolate chips into the hot cookies after you’ve taken the pan out of the oven
- Use a cookie spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack
- Best the next day: These cookies will taste best if you make them a day in advance and store them in a plastic bag overnight. This way they get chewier and softer
