These easy to make homemade chocolate chip cookies are soft, moist, and oh so delicious! Pumpkin cookies made with semi sweet chocolate chips are the perfect fall flavored tasty cookies...so good that you'll want to make these over and over again!
It's finally pumpkin season and that means it's time for fall baking and everything pumpkin spice. I've been working on fall baking recipes 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.
And if you're all about baking right now and looking for a good pumpkin cookie recipe, then look no more. This chocolate chip cookie recipe is easy to make and is a crowd pleaser. I can't keep these around for more than about 6 hours.
Yes, you read that right.
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 cookies. Not "cake like" cookies, but more like soft chocolate chip cookies.
Why This Recipe Works
- They taste exactly like chocolate chip cookies with a subtle hint of pumpkin, cinnamon, and clove,
- This recipe can be made gluten free and no one would ever know that they're eating gluten free cookies,
- They're perfect baked soft cookies,
- These take less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish!
Ingredients You'll Need
These tasty chocolate chip cookies are made with simple ingredients. You can choose to use regular all-purpose flour or a gluten free flour. I've made both versions and you can't taste the difference. Make sure you don't use self rising flour because the cookies will become too fluffy.
The pumpkin puree is the star of the show and adds a pumpkin spice flavor to this cookie recipe, along with ground ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
I use semi sweet chocolate chips because they are my favorite, but you can also use the peanut butter, butterscotch, mint chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white, and dark swirled chips morsels.
Expired Baking Soda
Have you ever made cookies and wondered why they flatten and spread? It could be because the baking soda is no longer active. Laura over at Joy Food Sunshine advises, "even if the date on the container checks out, it still might not be good. Here's how you test if your baking soda is active:
- Combine ½ cup of hot water, ¼ teaspoon vinegar and ¼ tsp of baking soda.
- When you add the baking soda a reaction should take place immediately. If not, then you need new baking soda."
Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
Wet Ingredients
Let's start by working with the wet ingredients first. In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter with a handheld or standing mixer for 1 minute on low speed. Add the brown sugar and mix until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
Next, add in the egg and vanilla extract and increase to a medium speed until all ingredients are well combined, about 30 seconds. Then, mix in the pumpkin puree.
Dry Ingredients
Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
From there, add the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix on low speed with a handheld or standing mixer until all ingredients are well combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips with a large spoon or spatula.
Using a small cookie dough scoop, place a scoop of cookie mix (about 2 Tablespoons) on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 15 minute. Once done, remove from the oven and cool on a wire cooling rack.
No chilling time required; just simple cookies with straightforward instructions that turns out perfectly every single time! Soft and chewy. Perfectly buttery and sweet, with just a hint of pumpkin spice. The best cookies! Perfect chocolate chip cookies!
Expert Tips and FAQs
- 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. And you want these cookies to spread just a little.
- 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. I also like using chunks. Chocolate chunk cookies are divine. Have some fun!
- Storage - I don’t like storing these 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 Sweet Treats
While I do think these are the best chocolate chip cookies, I have some other ones I think you're really going to enjoy. If you like chocolate cookies, check out these Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. You can also make a gluten free version. Homemade cookies are the best so also take a look at these Churro Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese. These are made with cinnamon chips! If you like ice cream, try my Pumpkin Gelato. It the perfect after dinner bite as we move into autumn.
If you made this recipe, leave me a comment and give this recipe a star review! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #recipesworthrepeating and tagging me @recipesworthrepeating.
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix 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 mix 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, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a separate bowl 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.
Notes
- 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. And you want these cookies to spread.
- 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. I also like using chunks. Chocolate chunk cookies are divine. 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.
Nutrition
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 2020.
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli
Pumpkin and chocolate, you definitely can't go wrong with this combo, plus they have a soft texture. Perfect!
Amanda Mason
Thanks Loreta! So glad to hear you loved the cookies!
Jane Saunders
It's hard to go wrong with these cookies as your instructions are so clear. Perfection.
Amanda Mason
Thanks Jane!! Enjoy!
Alice
Would it be the same with pumpkin spice?
Amanda Mason
Similar enough. If that is all you have, give it a go! Let me know how it turns out for you!