Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies happened by accident in my kitchen three years ago when I was trying to clean out my pantry before moving. Found a random can of pumpkin puree hiding behind some old cereal boxes and thought, why not throw it in cookies? My neighbor Karen still asks me to make these every time she comes over, and my teenage son actually puts his phone down when I’m making them.

The first batch disappeared so fast I thought someone broke into my house. Turns out my family had been sneaking them off the cooling rack all afternoon. Now I have to make double batches and hide half of them if I want any for myself.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

My kids steal these straight from the cooling rack because they can’t wait. The texture hits different – soft centers that practically melt in your mouth, with edges that have just enough bite. I’ve made these for church potlucks, school fundraisers, and random Tuesday afternoons when I needed something good to happen. They’re ridiculously easy (no fancy equipment needed), and honestly, they taste better than anything you’d pay five bucks for at a bakery.

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📝 Ingredient List

For ~18 Cookies:

• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• ¼ cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons (86g) pumpkin purée, blotted to remove excess moisture
• 1½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for topping

Friendly Notes: No pumpkin pie spice? I just mix nutmeg, ginger, and cloves from my spice rack. My neighbor swears by dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet – do whatever makes you happy. I’ve also thrown in white chocolate chips when that’s what I had on hand, and nobody complained.

🔍 Why These Ingredients Work

Here’s what I learned through multiple kitchen disasters: melted butter creates chewy centers instead of fluffy cake-like cookies. Brown sugar adds moisture and this deep sweetness that complements pumpkin perfectly. The granulated sugar? That’s what gives you those golden, slightly crispy edges.

Blotting pumpkin purée was a game-changer I discovered after making soggy cookies one too many times. All that extra moisture makes cookies spread and get weird. The spice combo – cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice – fills your kitchen with this incredible smell that makes neighbors knock on your door. And chocolate chips? They’re not negotiable in this house.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Two mixing bowls (one big, one medium)
• Whisk
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Paper towels for blotting pumpkin
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Cookie scoop or regular spoon
• Wire rack for cooling

👩🍳 How To Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Whisk the wet stuff: Dump the melted butter, both sugars, vanilla, and that blotted pumpkin into a big bowl. Whisk until it’s smooth. My kids always want to lick the whisk at this point.

2. Mix the dry stuff: Grab another bowl and whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. I always forget the salt and have to fish it out later.

3. Combine everything: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones and stir until it just comes together. Don’t beat it to death. Fold in those chocolate chips – I always add extra because life’s too short.

4. Chill the dough: Cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. I’ve left it for three days when I got busy. Still worked perfectly.

5. Preheat your oven: Crank it to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment. I learned this the hard way after scraping cookies off bare pans.

6. Scoop the dough: Roll into balls about the size of a golf ball, space them out on the sheet, and flatten slightly. My youngest daughter insists on helping with this part.

7. Bake: Stick them in for 11-12 minutes. Edges should be set but centers still look soft and slightly underdone. They’ll finish cooking on the hot pan.

8. Cool: Let them sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them. They taste even better tomorrow, if they last that long.

Tips from Well-Known Chefs

My friend Sarah, who went to culinary school, always says room temperature ingredients mix better. Julia Child wrote somewhere that you should never overbake cookies because they keep cooking on the hot pan. I read that Martha Stewart chills all her cookie dough, which is probably why hers always look perfect.

❗ You Must Know

About the pumpkin – you gotta pat it dry with paper towels or your cookies will be mushy. I made this mistake exactly once and ended up with something that looked like orange pancakes. My husband ate them anyway because he’s sweet, but they were definitely not cookies.

Chill the dough. I get it, you want cookies NOW, but trust me on this one. Room temperature dough spreads all over the place and you’ll end up with flat, sad cookie blobs. Twenty minutes in the fridge minimum, even if you’re dying to eat them.

Personal Secret: I press extra chocolate chips on top right after they come out of the oven. Makes them look bakery-perfect and gives you more chocolate in every bite. My husband thinks I’m a genius, but really I just want more chocolate.

💡 Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Don’t overbake these – seriously. The centers should look slightly underdone when you pull them out. They’ll finish cooking on the hot pan. I learned this the hard way after making hockey pucks instead of cookies.

Use a kitchen scale if you have one. My measuring cups are probably different from yours, and flour measurement can make or break cookies. Let that melted butter cool for a few minutes before mixing – learned that lesson when I accidentally scrambled everything together. Roll the dough balls the same size so they bake evenly. If your oven has hot spots like mine, rotate the baking sheets halfway through.

🎨 Flavor Variations / Suggestions

My sister-in-law loves the white chocolate cranberry version – just swap the chocolate chips for white chocolate and dried cranberries. I’ve tried maple pecan by adding chopped pecans and a tablespoon of maple syrup. My coffee-obsessed brother begged me to add instant espresso powder, which was actually incredible.

Sometimes I make a simple cream cheese glaze for special occasions. The pumpkin spice latte version (add instant coffee to dry ingredients) is dangerous – I ate six cookies in one sitting. Don’t judge me.

⏲️ Make-Ahead Options

I make the dough on Sunday and keep it in the fridge for busy weeknights. Fresh cookies in twelve minutes when the kids get home from school? I’m basically mom of the year. You can freeze the dough balls too – just bake them straight from frozen and add one extra minute.

The baked cookies stay good for a week in an airtight container. I’ve frozen them for up to three months, though they never last that long in my house. My mother-in-law learned to hide them from her husband because he’d eat the entire batch in one day.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The melted butter trick took me years to figure out. Creamed butter makes fluffy cookies – melted butter makes chewy ones. Chilling the dough isn’t optional if you want the right texture. I tried skipping it once and ended up with flat, sad cookies.

They should look slightly underdone when you take them out. Trust me on this – they’ll finish cooking on the hot pan. Overbaked cookies are just expensive disappointments.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

My dad dunks these in his coffee every morning, which drives my mom crazy because he gets crumbs everywhere. The kids like them with milk, obviously, but I caught my daughter eating one with ice cream for breakfast last week. Can’t say I blame her.

They’re great for school lunches – much better than those store-bought cookies that taste like cardboard. I’ve brought them to book club, PTA meetings, and potluck dinners. Last month I made them for my coworker’s birthday party and three people asked for the recipe. My sister takes them on road trips because they don’t fall apart in the car like other cookies do.

🧊 How to Store Your Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Keep them in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. I use an old coffee tin that belonged to my grandmother. For longer storage, throw them in the freezer for up to three months. To warm them up, microwave for 10-15 seconds or stick them in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes. My kids prefer them slightly warm with a glass of milk.

⚠️ Allergy Information

These have gluten from the flour and dairy from the butter. My chocolate chips don’t have eggs, but check your bag to be sure. For gluten-free, I’ve used Cup4Cup flour and they turned out great. For dairy-free, solid coconut oil works instead of butter – just don’t melt it first. Always double-check your chocolate chips for allergen info.

❓ Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?

Sure, but you’ll need to cook it first and mash it up. Then blot it really well because fresh pumpkin has even more water than canned.

Why are my cookies spreading too much?

Your dough is probably too warm. Chill it longer, or your butter might have been too hot when you mixed it in.

Can I make these cookies vegan?

I’ve done it with vegan butter and dairy-free chocolate chips. They’re a little different but still good.

How do I know when they’re done? Edges should be set and golden, centers should still look soft. They’ll look underdone but that’s what you want.

Can I double the recipe?

Absolutely. Just make sure you have enough room in your fridge to chill all that dough.

I hope these become your new favorite fall cookies! There’s something magical about baking cookies that fill your whole house with warmth and make everyone gather in the kitchen. These particular cookies have gotten me through countless potlucks, school events, and random Tuesday afternoons when I needed something good to happen.

Tried this recipe? Tell me how it went! I love hearing about your baking adventures – did you add extra chocolate chips? Try a different spice combination? Did your kids steal them from the cooling rack like mine do? Share your stories in the comments below!