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    Eat Love Eat ยป Recipes ยป Baking

    Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Published: Oct 1, 2021, Last Modified: December 8, 2021, By Sasha Hooper ยท This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Pumpkin chocolate chip cookie pin

    These are the best chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies youโ€™ll make. So easy to whip together and the perfect texture - there are no cakey cookies here! The best part is you don't even have to wait to chill the dough - you can bake straight away!

    A stack of pumpkin cookies with a broken cookie on top with gooey molten chocolate chips.

    We know there are loads of pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipes out there BUT we're here to tell you that ours are particularly special! This recipe is adapted from our popcorn chocolate chip cookie recipe, which you also need to try! But these pumpkin cookies are totally perfect for fall. Chewy and soft and full of chocolate chips, what's not to love?!

    We love using pumpkin spice at this time of year, it's just so warming and comforting. And if you're looking for other uses for your pumpkin purรฉe and spices, try this pumpkin gingerbread loaf recipe out - itโ€™s so moist!

    As promised, you won't find any cakey cookies here. We know youโ€™ll absolutely rave over these chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, so don't forget to leave a comment telling us how much you love them and drop us a star rating too.

    Jump to:
    • โญ Why you'll love this recipe
    • ๐Ÿ“‹ Ingredients
    • ๐Ÿ“– Customizations
    • ๐Ÿ”ช How to make pumpkin spice mix
    • ๐Ÿ”ช Step by step instructions
    • ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿณ Expert tips and tricks
    • ๐Ÿ“‹ The secret to chewy cookies
    • ๐Ÿฅ— How to store the cookies after baking
    • ๐Ÿ“– How to freeze cookie dough
    • โฒ๏ธ How to bake from frozen
    • ๐Ÿ’ญ FAQs
    • Related recipes
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe
    • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Comments

    โญ Why you'll love this recipe

    Reasons we know you'll love these easy chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies:

    Accuracy!ย  - Weighing your ingredients provides consistent results. Every. Single. Time. If you don't have them, get yourself some digital scales . Less washing up too!

    Chewiness - chewy cookies are the best! Especially when theyโ€™re still slightly warm from the oven. See the tips for ensuring you get a chewy cookie!

    Freezer stash - we're cookie soul mates if you have a freezer stash of cookies. They are perfect to make ahead and ready to provide you with delicious chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies at a moment's notice.

    No chill! - Weโ€™ve got this recipe down so itโ€™s no frill or faff. You donโ€™t have to chill this cookie dough at all unlike many other recipes out there, which is why theyโ€™re also easier and quicker. Whip it together and bake!

    Buttery - Forgotten to take your butter out of the fridge to get it to room temperature so it will cream easily? No need to worry! This recipe uses melted butter and you donโ€™t have to wait very long for it to cool before using either! Easy peasy.

    ๐Ÿ“‹ Ingredients

    For this easy chewy pumpkin chocolate chip recipe you only need simple ingredients which are readily available at any supermarket - recommended substitutions are included in the tips below too:

    Ingredients in various bowls for cookies, including flour, sugar, eggs and butter.

    Fall spices - Youโ€™ll need pumpkin spice or pumpkin pie spices - if you want to make up your own blend check out our ratio in the post below. Youโ€™ll also use a little fine sea salt which enhances the flavour of everything.

    Sugar - Youโ€™ll need light and dark brown sugar along with granulated sugar. All of the different sugars will have different effects on the texture and structure of your pumpkin chocolate chip cookie (see FAQs below). Most importantly, the brown sugars add lots of yummy caramel flavour.

    Pumpkin ย - You canโ€™t have a pumpkin cookie without pumpkin! We highly recommend using Libbyโ€™s pumpkin puree. We find this to be the most consistent in texture and not overly watery. If you use homemade - see the tips below and be sure to follow them!

    Egg - Youโ€™ll only need the egg yolk, as using the whole egg will produce a cakey cookie. You can whip up a batch of Coconut Tahini Pistachio Granola using the leftover white!

    ๐Ÿ“– Customizations

    We recommend these alternative mix-ins to customize your cookies:

    Chocolate - use white chocolate chips instead of semi sweet chocolate chips to create some pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies.ย 

    Nuts - get a bit nutty and use some chopped walnuts or pecans to add a little crunch.

    Dried fruit - Use some dried cranberries to make pumpkin cranberry chocolate chip cookies.

    ๐Ÿ”ช How to make pumpkin spice mix

    Pumpkin spice is very simple to put together and is made up of 5 spices - these can vary depending on the brand and also vary in quantity but here is a basic ratio for you that you can use in all your fall baking recipes.

    This is the ratio we use: 4 : 1 : 1 : ยฝ : ยฝย ย 

    • 4 teaspoons - ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon - ground ginger
    • 1 teaspoon - ground nutmeg
    • ยฝ teaspoon - ground allspice
    • ยฝ teaspoon - ground cloves

    You can scale this pumpkin spice mix up to make a larger batch, just make sure to store it in an airtight container. We recommend starting with smaller batches as ground spices can get old and lose their flavour after a while if you donโ€™t end up using them all.ย 

    ๐Ÿ”ช Step by step instructions

    These chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies take no time to whip together and this easy step by step guide will lead you to the consistent success you can always expect from recipes here:

    Process steps of making the cookie batter showing the texture of the melted sugars and butter.
    1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Set aside to cool for a few minutes whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients. (donโ€™t let it cool too much!)
    2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose (plain) flour, cornstarch (cornflour), baking powder, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), pumpkin spice and fine sea salt. Stir together using a whisk, to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
    3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown sugars and granulated sugar with the slightly cooled (but still warm) melted butter. Mix on medium speed, just until well combined. (Alternatively use a large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer).
    4. Add the pumpkin puree, egg yolk and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture.
    Process steps of making the chocolate chip cookie dough.
    1. Mix the egg and pumpkin puree in on medium speed until well combined and you get a smooth caramel-like mixture.
    2. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until no streaks of flour remain and you have a nice pumpkin-coloured cookie dough.
    3. Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough. Mix on low speed until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
    4. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop and roll the dough into approximately 2 tablespoon-sized balls (you should get 22-24 cookies from this mixture) and place on the prepared baking sheet.
    Pre and post baking cookies on a tray lined with parchment paper.
    1. You should bake 6-8 cookies on a tray at a time with 2-3 inches space between them.
    2. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden at the edges. They should still feel soft and undercooked in the centre โ€“ thatโ€™s what you want! Theyโ€™ll continue to bake as they cool. Leave them on the tray for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

    ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿณ Expert tips and tricks

    Follow these tips to guarantee that you get the best results for chewy pumpkin cookies:

    Warm butter - make sure your melted butter is still warm as it will help dissolve the sugar; this also helps with the final texture and structure of the cookie.

    Blot - If youโ€™ve got a wetter pumpkin purรฉe or are using homemade pumpkin purรฉe, make sure you blot the excess visible moisture off with a kitchen towel or place a kitchen towel in a sieve and put your purรฉe on top to let it drain for 10 minutes.ย 

    Cover - make sure you donโ€™t leave your cookie dough uncovered between baking for too long as itโ€™ll dry out. Use some cling film to cover the cookie dough whilst waiting to bake them. If they dry out a bit - just roll the cookie dough ball to warm it up between your hands before baking - otherwise they will not get the smooth feel and look you are after.ย 

    Roll - to get a smooth topped cookie, roll them into balls from the scoop. It isnโ€™t essential - it depends on how rustic you want them to look.ย 

    Underbake - Underbaking is best. 8-10 minutes is plenty enough to bake the cookie, ours are perfect after 8-9 minutes in a fan-assisted/convection oven. The longer you bake, the less chewy and more dry the cookie will become.

    ๐Ÿ“‹ The secret to chewy cookies

    The secret to making chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies involves multiple factors:

    1. For this recipe we use warm melted butter to partially dissolve the sugar in the process of making the dough. This does two things, it helps the cookie spread on baking and the melted butter in general makes the cookie softer and chewier once baked.ย 

    2.The blend of sugars in this recipe (molasses that are in the brown sugars) leads to a chewier caramel flavoured cookie. The addition of granulated sugar helps the cookie spread the perfect amount whilst baking - it does this as the sugar melts whilst being baked. No need for cookie cutters to round off your cookies!

    3. We're only using an egg yolk in this recipe, instead of the whole egg. The protein in the egg yolk helps to make the cookies fudgy and chewy whereas the relatively watery whites would cause them to become more cakey.

    4. Cornstarch - the use of cornstarch makes for a softer thicker cookie and it also helps with the absorption of some of the moisture from the pumpkin purรฉe.

    5. Raising agents - The mix of baking powder and soda will give lift and help the cookie spread. We personally believe that it helps the texture to have the correct level of raising agents.

    6. No chill - Chilling dough for this recipe will mean the middle of the cookie will not get warm enough before being overbaked. Being chilled, the dough will not spread as much either. This dough is soft yet manageable to scoop (without the risk of breaking your scoop with the dough straight out of the fridge).

    ๐Ÿฅ— How to store the cookies after baking

    We recommend storing your chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container and they will keep just fine for up to 3 days as long as they were slightly underbaked.

    ๐Ÿ“– How to freeze cookie dough

    Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out the pumpkin cookie dough and place it on a parchment lined quarter baking sheet. You can then place this tray directly in the freezer for 2-3 hours.

    Once frozen, remove the tray from the freezer and place the uncooked frozen dough balls in a freezer bag. These cookies will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer and are a great way to have a stash to bake up with no effort in the kitchen!ย 

    Prepared tray of scooped out cookie dough ready to go into the freezer.

    โฒ๏ธ How to bake from frozen

    There are two ways to bake the frozen cookie dough: 

    1. Place the desired number of frozen cookie dough balls onto a lined baking sheet and place in a preheated oven at 180oC/350oF for 8-12 minutes (you may need to increase it by a few minutes to get it baked just right, it depends on your oven). You may find that the cookies don't spread as much when baked straight from frozen but they'll still be delicious.
    2. Get the frozen cookie dough balls out of the freezer and place on a lined baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF for 10-15 minutes and bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes.ย They'll spread a bit more using this method.

    Enjoy your soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! They are to die for!

    ๐Ÿ’ญ FAQs

    Why are my cookies not spreading out?

    This will be because of one of two reasons; either the dough is too dry from not enough liquid or too much flour which will only happen if you scoop your cup into your flour to measure it out. The other reason would be that the dough is too cold. This is more likely to happen if you cook the dough from frozen if following the guides above.

    Also - the best way to avoid these issues and mistakes is to follow the accuracy rule - using digital scales to create the best cookie. Itโ€™ll be the best decision you make for baking in the kitchen!

    Why are my cookies flat and thin?


    Usually the dough is too wet either from melted butter or a form of liquid sugar, such as maple syrup. But this could also come from excess liquid in your pumpkin purรฉe. It could also be down to using too little flour - which if you use digital scales you would avoid the risk of having these inconsistencies in your results.

    A tray of chewy cookies with cinnamon sticks scattered amongst them.

    Related recipes

    Love this chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe? Then you definitely want to check out more of ourย bakingย recipes. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

    • Plum and almond cake sliced up into portions with spices, plums and almonds around
      Almond Plum Cake (Gluten Free)
    • Chocolate covered rice krispie treats cut into squares on parchment with a knife and cinnamon sticks.
      Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats
    • stack of cashew butter cups with a jar of cashew butter in the background
      Dark Chocolate Cashew Butter Cups
    • a tray of popcorn chocolate chip cookies with popcorn scattered around
      Popcorn Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Love this recipe? Leave us a 5-star โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ rating in the recipe below and don't forget to leave a review in the comments section underneath the recipe. We love hearing from you!

    Why not follow along with us on our social media channels @Instagram @Facebook and @Pinterest and tag us with #eatloveeats when you've tried one of our recipes!

    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    A tray of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon sticks scattered amongst them.

    Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

    The BEST chewy and soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies you'll make - They're so quick and easy to make and you don't need to chill the cookie dough either!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe โญ๏ธ Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 22 cookies
    Author: Sasha Hooper

    Equipment

    • Stand Mixer (optional)
    • Baking Sheet
    • Cookie scoop

    Ingredients 

    • ยพ cup unsalted butter, 170g
    • 2 ยพ cups all-purpose (plain) flour, 330g
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch, (cornflour)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda, (bicarbonate of soda)
    • 1 ยพ teaspoons pumpkin spice
    • ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ยฝ cup packed light brown sugar, 100g
    • ยฝ cup packed dark brown sugar, 100g
    • ยผ cup granulated sugar, 50g
    • โ…“ cup pumpkin puree, 85g
    • 1 egg yolk, see notes for uses for leftover white
    • 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 cup chocolate chips, plus a few extras for the tops, if desired, 200g

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 180ยฐC/350ยฐF. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper or a silicone mat.
    • Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Set aside to cool for a few minutes whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
      ยพ cup unsalted butter
    • In a medium mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose (plain) flour, cornstarch (cornflour), baking powder, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), pumpkin spice and fine sea salt. Stir together using a whisk, to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
      2 ยพ cups all-purpose (plain) flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 ยพ teaspoons pumpkin spice, ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown sugars and granulated sugar with the slightly cooled (but still warm) melted butter. Mix on medium speed, just until well combined. (Alternatively use a large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer).
      ยฝ cup packed light brown sugar, ยฝ cup packed dark brown sugar, ยผ cup granulated sugar
    • Add the pumpkin puree, egg yolk and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture and continue to mix on medium speed until well combined.
      โ…“ cup pumpkin puree, 1 egg yolk, 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until no streaks of flour remain.
    • Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough. Mix on low speed until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
      1 cup chocolate chips, plus a few extras for the tops, if desired
    • Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop and roll the dough into approximately 2 tablespoon-sized balls (you should get 22-24 cookies from this mixture) and place on the prepared baking tray. You should get 6-8 on a tray at a time. Add a few extra chocolate chips to the tops, if desired.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes (mine are perfect after 8 minutes in a fan-assisted/convection oven) until lightly golden at the edges. They should still feel soft and underbaked in the centre โ€“ thatโ€™s what you want! Theyโ€™ll continue to bake as they cool. Makes 22-24 cookies.
    • Leave to cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (or for as long as you can bear to wait!) Enjoy!
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Notes

    • We highly recommend using the gram measurements for the consistent success we have had with baking these cookies. Using digital scales to do this is the easiest way.
    • The cookies can be frozen pre or post baking for a freezer stash.ย 
    • Use up the leftover egg white in this chunky coconut tahini granola recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.1g | Protein: 2.2g | Fat: 8.5g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.8g | Cholesterol: 22.9mg | Sodium: 104.1mg | Potassium: 73.4mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 15.3g | Vitamin A: 78.7IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 0.8mg
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below with how you got on and don't forget to give the recipe a rating โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ. You can also tag @eatloveeats on Instagram - we love to see your creations!
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    Comments

    1. Kate says

      October 05, 2021 at 10:18 am

      5 stars
      If I could give this 6 stars I would! I love the taste of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and grew up eating them every autumn. But I haven't had one in over 10 years. I stopped making them mostly because, while I love the taste, I hate the cakey texture. This recipe is the only one I will ever make again! It has the perfect flavour to take me back to my childhood, but has the texture of a beautiful chocolate chip cookie. The only problem was that when I shared the cookies with my children, my youngest try to hide all the cookies so she could eat them all and wouldn't have to share with anyone else. Mass panic ensued. We have already made three batches.

      Reply
    2. Sally says

      October 02, 2021 at 11:57 am

      5 stars
      Oh my! These were perfect! so chewy and gooey. The kids loved these. Definitely making them again!

      Reply
    5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Hi there, Iโ€™m Sasha and Iโ€™m excited that youโ€™re here! At Eat Love Eat, I work with my husband Jacob to create modern and approachable recipes that highlight the magic in simplicity; itโ€™s our passion.

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