This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe is my forever fall favorite! They’re soft and chewy with crisp edges, not cakey or muffin-like.
author’s note
My Forever Favorite Pumpkin Cookie
Growing up, my mom made pumpkin cookies all the time in the fall, and they were always one of my favorite treats. Hers were the big, puffy, cake-like kind, and even though we called them cookies, I always thought of them more like muffin tops. I still love those to this day!
BUT, I’ll almost always choose a traditional cookie over any other treat. Give me crisp edges, a soft gooey center, and a really good chew throughout. That was exactly the texture I wanted for this recipe.
I spent weeks testing and tweaking this pumpkin chocolate chip cookies recipe until I finally got that classic chewy cookie texture while still keeping plenty of pumpkin and warm spice flavor. They’ve become my favorite pumpkin cookies, and I come back to this recipe over and over every fall. I hope you love them too!
And if I can make one suggestion, use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups. It’s so much more accurate and honestly faster. Just pop your bowl on the scale and add everything right in. It takes out the guesswork and helps you get that perfect chewy texture every time. I hope you love these cookies as much as we do!
Ingredients In Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
| Ingredient | Let’s Chat About It |
|---|---|
| Butter | Let it cool before mixing or the cookies can turn greasy. |
| Pumpkin Purée | Use 100% pure pumpkin (like Libby’s). Avoid pumpkin pie mix since it contains added sugar and spices. |
| Spices | You can use pumpkin pie spice if that’s what you have on hand. |
| Egg Yolk | Using only the yolk (not the whole egg) keeps the cookies chewy instead of cakey. |
| Chocolate Chips | I LOVE milk chocolate with pumpkin, but any kind works! Use your favorite, whether that’s semi-sweet, dark, or even white chocolate. |
Featured Comment
“I found your recipe a few years ago (2017)
– Jo
and have been making them ever since. My
Kids and Grandkids ask for these on a
regular basis. These are in my top 5 favorite
cookies to make. I have been baking cookies
for over 65 years! Every time I share them
everyone asks for the recipe. One of the best
cookies ever!”
How To Make This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Melt butter & cool: Start with melted butter for chewy cookies.
- Mix wet ingredients: Combine butter, sugars, pumpkin, yolk, and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients: Stir in flour, spices, soda, and salt.
- Fold in chocolate chips: Mix just until combined.
- Chill & bake: Refrigerate the dough, then shape into balls, and bake!
Chelsea’s Tips
My Top Tips For Success
- Use good canned pumpkin: I have found Libby’s to be the most consistent and to deliver the best texture.
- Shape them tall: Roll dough balls slightly taller than wide to help create thick, chewy centers.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: Bake just 6 cookies at a time so they have plenty of room to cook and spread evenly.
- Finish Them Off: Press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops right after baking. A sprinkle of sea salt is also a great finishing touch!
Storage
This pumpkin chocolate chip cookies recipe is best enjoyed the same day they are made. The moisture from the pumpkin softens the cookies and makes them gooier as they sit.
Instead of storing baked cookies, freeze the dough balls on a sheet pan for 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–3 minutes to the bake time.
More Pumpkin Recipes:
Desserts
Pumpkin Cake Recipe (BEST EVER!)
Desserts
Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe
Desserts
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Sheet pan (15" x 10") lined
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg yolk discard whites or save for another recipe
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup pumpkin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1/2 cups flour see note 1
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt optional, for topping
Instructions
- TIP: If you have a food scale, I highly recommend switching this recipe card to METRIC and using the exact gram measurements for the butter, sugars, pumpkin, flour, and chocolate chips. Measuring spoons work perfectly for the spices, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Let it cool completely to room temperature before continuing. (Hot butter can melt the sugars and make the cookies greasy.)
- Add both sugars to the room-temperature melted butter. Whisk briskly until combined. Add in the large egg yolk, vanilla extract, and pumpkin. Whisk briskly until smooth and emulsified.
- Add salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and baking soda. Whisk until combined.
- Add flour and gently stir through. Add chocolate chips. Gently stir through until you have a thick and sticky dough. Scrape edges with a spatula if needed. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Measure 1-1/2 tablespoons (weigh: 30 grams) of dough per cookie ball. Roll the balls so they are slightly taller rather than wider. Place 6 cookie dough balls on the sheet pan and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Remove and bake for 8–11 minutes or until no longer glossy on top. Remove from the oven and, if desired, press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies and a small sprinkle of sea salt. Let cookies stand on the sheet pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi there,
I don’t quite understand the stacking process. Could you explain with a tiny bit more detail?
Thanks.
Hey Carol! Check out the 2nd photo in this post: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/best-snickerdoodle-cookies/ that’s the shape and size 🙂
These are so great!!! My husband and I both loved them! Thanks for the great recipe!
So happy to hear it!! Thank you for the comment Mallory 🙂
These are very delicious! I love how all the ingredients like the spices can be adjusted and your encouraged to adjust to your preference! I used the stove top for the butter because i don’t have a microwave any longer. These filled my house with a delicious fall aroma! Thanks for the recipe! Happy Fall Ya’ll!!
I’ve made many cookies but I’ve never found a recipe as good as this one! I’ve already passed on the recipe a couple of times it’s that good! I really love how this is a non-cakey pumpkin cookie. Thank you!
LOVE hearing that! Thank you so much for the comment and passing along my recipe Jenna 🙂
Someone I know made this recipe. The cookies were soo delicious I asked her for the recipe! Her cookies were cakey but still delicious. Please will you post a pic of the rectangle stack or draw it out even? It would be sooo helpful! I see that others have asked the for the same thing. Thank you!
I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed these cookies! 🙂 Here’s a good visual (different cookies I’ve made, but same shape! :)) https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Cookie-Dough.jpg Enjoy!
I made these tonight for my sister’s Halloween party and they turned out perfectly! The detailed instructions helped a lot. Most of my cookies turned out perfectly round, but a couple were a little more oval-shaped because of the way the rectangular stack decided to melt. I was a little confused at first about what the stack was supposed to look like so a picture of that might help. But no complaints, they look and taste great! Thank you.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies and the instructions were helpful 🙂 I’ll work on getting a process picture up on these 🙂 Thanks Renee!
My four year old and I are making them as we speak they are currently chilling. I cannot wait for the final product!! However I feel silly that I do not understand the “stacking” method… any help!?
I could not wait the full hour for chilling these because I was just too excited to eat them!!! I have never been able to get a cookie to be cakey, and I didn’t have that problem with these either. Oh my gosh these cookies are good!!!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment Dana 🙂
Would it be possible to just use pumpkin pie spice in place of the seasonings?
Sure 🙂
These were excellent, wonderful flavor, and simple, although mine still came out cakey on two different batches. The second time I followed the instructions more about chilling, but either way, they were a taller cookie, unlike the photo, still moist and cakey, but delicious! Would have liked to have seen a photo of the stacking method of placing them on the pan. I don’t mind them cakey, I would make them again!
I’m happy you enjoyed these overall Erin! They may have come out more cakey than desired due to too much flour; did you spoon and level the flour when you measured it? Glad to hear you’d make these again though! I’ll be working on getting a video tutorial up for these 🙂
Chelsea, instead of rolling two balls of dough per cookie, what would happen if you just rolled one larger ball of dough per cookie? I haven’t made them yet, but am getting ready to, right now. But, I’m omitting the chocolate chips, I just want a pumpkin cookie. I always omit chocolate chips and usually use raisins and nuts, in chocolate chip recipes, but these will just be pumpkin cookies w/ no added ingredients. Aren’t they awfully sweet, w/ 1 cup of sugar to 1-1/2 cups of flour, plus chocolate chips?
Yes that’s fine; just make sure it’s taller rather than wider 🙂 I don’t find them overly sweet, but if you’re worried you could likely leave out some of the sugar! Enjoy!