1. Get Everything Ready Heat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I learned the hard way that cookies stick to unlined pans, so don’t skip this step.

2. Blot That Pumpkin This is where the magic happens! Spread your pumpkin on paper towels and press more paper towels on top. I usually do this first thing so it has time to drain while I get everything else ready. You’ll be shocked at how much water comes out.

3. Mix the Dry Stuff Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a big bowl. I like to use a really large bowl because the next step gets messy.

4. Combine the Wet Ingredients In another bowl, whisk the melted butter with both sugars until it’s smooth. Then add the egg yolk, your blotted pumpkin, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix until it looks creamy.

5. Bring It Together Dump the wet ingredients into the dry bowl and fold everything together gently. Don’t overmix – just until you can’t see dry flour anymore. Then fold in the chocolate chips.

6. Scoop and Bake I use a cookie scoop to make them all the same size, about 1½ tablespoons each. Flatten them slightly with your fingers – they won’t spread much on their own.

7. Bake Until Perfect Bake for 13-14 minutes. They’ll look slightly underdone but trust me, they’ll finish cooking on the hot pan. I always press extra chocolate chips on top while they’re still warm for that bakery look.