5 from 25 votes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 36 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter; 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice ((click the link for instructions to make homemade pumpkin pie spice)); ⅔ cup pumpkin puree ((165 g before blotting/130 after blotting)); 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar (firmly packed ); ½ cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg yolk (room temperature); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour; 1½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon table salt; 1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips (Or substitute white chocolate, or do a blend of both!)

By Sam MerrittUpdated Sep 25, 2026

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61 Comments

Servings: 21 cookies

36 mins

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These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are chewy, tender, full of fall flavor and infused with just the right amount of pumpkin, spice, and chocolate in every bite. They’re made without a mixer and there’s no chilling required!

A plate full of chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with pumpkins in the foreground and background.

Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you’ve made my chocolate chip cookie recipe, you already know what I aim for in a really good cookie. Soft, tender centers, just-crisp edges, and buttery depth of flavor. I wanted that same texture in a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, but pumpkin is notoriously tricky to incorporate into cookie dough, tending to make cookies puffy and cakey rather than chewy.

I’ve revisited this recipe since I first shared it and made a few changes that I think have made it even better. Here’s what to know before you start:

What to Know About These Cookies

Chewy, not cakey. Blotting the pumpkin takes just seconds but removes extra moisture that could make the cookies cakey, while melted butter, an egg yolk, and a little extra baking soda help give the cookies the texture I was after. Save the cakiness for your pumpkin cake!
Deep flavor. The pumpkin spice and pumpkin flavor actually shine through here. I increased the spice in this version and the dark brown sugar adds a richness and depth that work beautifully with the pumpkin flavor.
Milk chocolate is my pick. You have some wiggle room here and can substitute semisweet chocolate, but after testing both my taste-testers and I all preferred the milk chocolate version, it just worked better with the pumpkin and spice.

What You Need

Overhead of labeled ingredients for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Several key ingredients come together to make these pumpkin cookies soft and chewy instead of cakey:

Pumpkin puree. Pumpkin introduces a lot of moisture into the cookie dough, which is a huge drawback, as excess moisture makes cookies cakey and puffy rather than chewy and tender. For this recipe, you’ll need to blot the puree with paper towels before adding it to the dough (just as we do with my pumpkin scones). There are plenty of notes in the recipe card so you’ll know exactly how much to blot the pumpkin.
Melted butter. Many cookie recipes first cream butter and sugar, but this step incorporates air into the dough, which causes puffier, cakier cookies. Using melted butter skips that step and helps give the cookies a chewier texture and better spread (and a more buttery flavor!).
Pumpkin pie spice. I increased the amount in the updated recipe so the spice comes through even with all the chocolate chips. You can typically find this blend of spices in the store (sometimes just called “pumpkin spice”), or you can make your own with my pumpkin spice recipe. It makes a fair-sized batch, so save the extra to make pumpkin muffins!
(Dark) brown sugar. In the earlier version of this recipe, I used light brown sugar or a blend of light and dark. When I went back to tweak it, I tried a version with all dark brown sugar and it was an immediate hit with everybody. The richer, molasses flavor of the dark brown sugar added incredible depth and suited the pumpkin flavor beautifully.
Egg yolk. We use just the yolk, since egg whites contain a lot of moisture and we need to combat the added moisture from the pumpkin already. It’s another small tweak that keeps the cookies tender and chewy.
Chocolate chips. Milk chocolate is my favorite choice here (surprising, since it isn’t what I typically reach for in my cookies!) and what I feel works best with the pumpkin spice.

Sam’s Tip

Don’t try to get every last drop of moisture out of the pumpkin. You want to blot away the excess but not dry it out completely. The recipe card gives you both a volume measurement and a weight to aim for after blotting.

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whisking pumpkin spice into melted butter in a glass bowl.

Using paper towels to blot pumpkin to remove the excess water.

Melt the butter and add the pumpkin spice. Melt the butter, then immediately add the pumpkin spice to the warm butter (which helps “bloom” the pumpkin spice and will ultimately give you a more deeply spiced flavor.

Blot the pumpkin. Pumpkin is mostly water, which can make cookies cakey and bland. In order to include pumpkin flavor but reduce the excess water, we’ll use paper towels to firmly pat the pumpkin and remove some of that water. Blot out the excess moisture with paper towels until you’ve reduced the pumpkin down to about 1/2 cup or 130 g.

Using an orange spatula to stir together the wet ingredients and sugar to make cookie dough.

Stirring milk chocolate chips into pumpkin cookie batter in a glass bowl.

Combine the wet ingredients. Add the blotted pumpkin, sugars, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to your butter then stir everything together until you have a uniform mixture.

Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Whisk the dry ingredients separately and fold them into the wet ingredients in three or four parts. Then fold in the chocolate chips. No chilling required for this recipe (though you could chill it if you want to) so move right on to the next step!

Overhead of 6 baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Scoop and bake. I use a 1 1/2 Tablespoon-sized scoop and do two level scoops for fair-sized cookies. The dough is a bit soft, so while it can be rolled between your palms for a smooth ball, that can be a bit messy and I usually don’t roll the dough. I just drop one scoop on top the other and then gently press the cookies down (to help encourage spread). Bake until the cookies are slightly darker golden around the edges, and the centers still look just a touch underdone.

Sam’s Tip (For Pretty Cookies!)

Reserve a few extra chocolate chips, then immediately after the cookies come out of the oven, gently press a few on top of each cookie, carefully nestling them into the surface. It makes them look like polished, bakery cookies!

Overhead of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on gold cooling rack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to blot the pumpkin?

Yes. Pumpkin puree is full of water and moisture. If you add all of that moisture to your cookies, you’ll end up with cakey (and, ironically, perhaps even dry) cookies that don’t spread and lack flavor. Blotting the pumpkin removes excess moisture and concentrates the pumpkin flavor so you get cookies that spread properly, have just the right chewiness, and have excellent flavor.

Why didn’t my cookies spread?

This recipe is carefully developed to spread some while still remaining tender and soft. If you follow the techniques and use the ingredients listed without substitution or variation, you shouldn’t have any problem. Do make sure you measure the flour properly (preferably with a kitchen scale). Accidentally using too much flour is the most likely way you’ll end up with cookies that don’t spread.

Can I make the dough in advance?

Yes! This dough can be prepared, covered tightly, and chilled up to 4 days in advance. You may also chill and scoop the dough, individually wrap the scoops, and freeze it for up to several months — just note that the cookies typically take a bit longer to bake from frozen and don’t spread as much this way.

A pumpkin chocolate chip cookie broken in half to show gooey soft center stacked on another cookie.

More Recipes for Pumpkin Lovers

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s fairly well documented that I’ve never been the biggest pumpkin dessert person, but these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies have won me over. The pumpkin lovers in my house were already fans of the original, and every one of them loved this updated version even more. I hope you do, too!

Enjoy!