These easy to make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, moist, and oh so delicious. They make the perfect batch of soft chocolate chip cookies with a hint of pumpkin spice in every bite! The perfect cookie you’ll want to make over and over again every fall season!
The Perfect Pumpkin Cookie Recipe
It’s finally pumpkin season and that means it’s time for fall baking and everything pumpkin spice. I’ve been on a baking frenzy making all kinds of amazing cinnamon and spice recipes like this Apple Pumpkin Spice Cake with Butter Rum Glaze and these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. But if you’re looking for a good pumpkin cookie recipe, then look no more.
These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are a huge hit. I can’t keep these cookies around for more than about 6 hours. My husband, kids, and all their friends snatch these up and leave me with the crumbs. So what do I do? I make another batch! These are super easy to make and yield 12 soft and slightly fluffy pumpkin chocolate chips cookies. Not “cake like” cookies, but more of a soft baked cookie.
How To Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let’s start with the list of ingredients. You’ll need the following:
- All Purpose Flour – don’t use self rising flour because the cookies will become too fluffy. I’m a fan of using King Arthur Flour All Purpose, but I don’t recommend their bread flour for this recipe because the cookies turn out too big and fluffy.
- Pumpkin Puree – the star of the show. It adds a pumpkin flavor to this cookie recipe.
- Vanilla Extract – adds a hint of vanilla flavor and pairs perfectly with the pumpkin flavor from the puree.
- Brown Sugar – along with the pumpkin puree, this is what makes these cookies more moist and chewy.
- Baking Soda – a binding agent and helps the cookies rise.
- Butter – use a softened salted butter to help add a bit of salt flavor. The butter should e softened so it easily mixes with the wet ingredients.
- Ginger – ground ginger is best to use in this recipe.
- Nutmeg – provides a sweet and subtle nutty flavor.
- Cinnamon – another key player and full of spicy sweet flavors.
- Egg – helps act as a binding agent.
- Chocolate Chip Morsels – a required ingredient when making any type of chocolate chip cookies.
Work With Wet Ingredients First
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with a handheld or standing mixer for 1 minute on low.
- Add the brown sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Next, add in the egg and vanilla extract and increase to a medium speed until all ingredients are well combined.
- Then, mix in the pumpkin puree.
Dry Ingredients
- Add all the dry ingredients to a separate bowl.
- With a small whisk, mix well until dry ingredients are blended evenly.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- With a cookie dough scoop, place about 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough on the baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 minute.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire cooling rack.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Tips
- Gluten free version – if you want to make a gluten free version of this cookie recipe, just substitute 1 cup of gluten free flour instead of the all purpose flour.
- Don’t chill the cookie dough – while some cookie dough recipes need to be chilled, this one doesn’t. When you chill cookie dough, the fat becomes more of a solid. When you bake chilled cookie dough, it takes longer to melt the fat. The longer it takes the fat to melt, the less the cookies spread. With this recipe, you want the cookies to spread because these are soft baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
- Use the paddle attachment – if you are using a standing mixer that accommodates different attachments, use the paddle attachment for mixing both the wet ingredients and the wet and dry ingredients together. This method reduces the amount of air that gets into the cookie batter.
- Flatten the dough – once you place the cookie dough, take your fingers and gently push down on the dough. These cookies are going to spread when baking so flattening them before helps keep that cookie shape in place.
- Use parchment paper – it just makes your life easier when baking cookies. Easy clean up and no mess. There is no need to grease a cookie sheet. Plus, it helps preserve the life of your baking sheet. Or, if you have a baking mat, use it.
- Get creative – this recipe is super versatile. Add some nuts or use a white chocolate or dark chocolate morsel. I like to add extra chocolate morsels on top after I’ve flattened the cookie. Have some fun!
- Storage – I don’t like storing thee cookies in tupperware with a tight lid. The cookies tend to get soggy. My preference is storing these on a plate with aluminum foil or in a brown paper bag.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love
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These easy to make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, moist, and oh so delicious. They make a perfect batch of soft chocolate chip cookies with a hint of pumpkin spice in every bite! The perfect cookie you'll want to make over and over again every fall season!
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels
Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with a standing mixer for 1 minute. Your butter needs to be softened just a bit so it mixes easily.
Add the brown sugar and beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat the egg and vanilla into your mixture on medium speed until all ingredients are well combined. Then, mix in the pumpkin puree.
In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together with a whisk. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
With a cookie scoop, place about 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough on the baking pan and flatten with your fingers.
Bake for 15 minute. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- If you want to make a gluten free batch, substitute the all-purpose flour for 1 cup of gluten free all purpose flour.
Update Notes: This post was originally published in September 2015, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in October 2019.
Pumpkin and chocolate, you definitely can’t go wrong with this combo, plus they have a soft texture. Perfect!
Thanks Loreta! So glad to hear you loved the cookies!
It’s hard to go wrong with these cookies as your instructions are so clear. Perfection.
Thanks Jane!! Enjoy!
Would it be the same with pumpkin spice?
Similar enough. If that is all you have, give it a go! Let me know how it turns out for you!