Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made with deep, perfectly spiced pumpkin flavor and plenty of chocolate in every bite. Blotting the pumpkin is a quick step that keeps the cookies chewy rather than cakey, and there's no mixer needed and no chilling required!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 11

Total Time 36

Servings cookies

Calories 293kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (click the link for instructions to make homemade pumpkin pie spice)
⅔ cup (165 g) pumpkin puree (165 g before blotting/130 after blotting)
1 ½ cups (300 g) dark brown sugar firmly packed
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ¼ cups (405 g) all purpose flour
1½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups (255 g) milk chocolate chips Or substitute white chocolate, or do a blend of both!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl, heat the butter in 20-second intervals (stirring in-between) until completely melted. Immediately add the pumpkin spice and whisk to combine. Set aside for butter to cool slightly so it is no longer hot (about 10 minutes).
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Blot the pumpkin. While the butter cools, blot the pumpkin. Spread the pumpkin puree on a plate and press folded paper towels into the pumpkin to absorb the extra moisture. Continue to blot until you have reduced the pumpkin puree to ½ cup (130 g).
Add the blotted pumpkin, sugars, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the butter/pumpkin spice and whisk until well-combined.
1 ½ cups (300 g) dark brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅔ cup (165 g) pumpkin puree
In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt until well-combined, then gradually stir these into the wet ingredients.
3 ¼ cups (405 g) all purpose flour, 1½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon table salt
Fold in chocolate chips until well distributed.
1 ½ cups (255 g) milk chocolate chips
Scoop dough by 3 Tablespoon-sized scoops and, if desired, roll between your palms to form a smooth round ball. Place on prepared baking sheets and bake in center rack of preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are still soft.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

Blotting Pumpkin

Blotting the pumpkin is an important step that keeps these pumpkin cookies nice and chewy and not cake-y. If you skip this step, the cookies will be more cakey and less flavorful.

Chocolate chips

Use your favorite chocolate in these cookies. I like milk chocolate chips, but chopped milk chocolate bars are even better. My sisters prefer white chocolate.

Storing

Cookie dough can be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days before scooping and baking (cookies may take a bit longer to bake when cold). To freeze, see my instructions on how to freeze cookie dough.

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Recipe updated

This recipe was originally published in the fall of 2022. I wanted to give it a better flavor, chewier texture, and slightly better spread and have updated it to achieve this. If you are looking for it, you can find the original recipe here.

Nutrition