Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are far from cake-like! Thick, chewy and extra crispy pumpkin cookies have never tasted so good!

In the fall, we love all things pumpkin like my tasty Pumpkin BreadNo Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Bread Pudding. These may just be the perfect pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and are sure to become a family favorite. 

Crisp and Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies stacked on brown paper

Perfectly crisp & chewy

It’s been a goal of mine to find the perfect crisp and chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe. Don’t get me wrong, I love those thick and cakey pumpkin cookies, but other members of my family won’t have anything to do with them. I can’t blame them… I’m starting to prefer the tops and edges of my cookies to be golden brown too.

When I was scouring the internet for inspiration, I learned a few things I’m going to share with you about how to create the ultimate pumpkin cookie! 

  • It all starts with fats. I tested a few different combinations of butter and oil and decided that the best way to achieve thin, crispy, chewy cookies was to use melted or browned butter.
  • Eggs: well, we only need a yolk.
  • Bread flour and a little bit of cornstarch goes a long way. I’ve become quite a fan of using cornstarch in my bars and cookies but it really does make a difference! It sucks up any excess moisture and helps keep these cookies extra dense & chewy inside and crisp on the outside!

I hope you’ll give these cookies a try! They’re full of fall spices, chocolate and of course, pumpkin- with ingredients like these you really can’t go wrong! Enjoy & happy baking!

Cookie dough for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies in a mixing bowl

Just mix & bake!

WET INGREDIENTS. In a large mixing bowl of the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the melted or browned butter and sugars for 2 minutes on high. Add the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree and egg yolk, mix on low until just combined.

DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. With mixing speed on low, gradually combine with the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms.

CHILL. Fold in the chocolate chips, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

PREP. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.

BAKE. Scoop balls of dough using a standard size cookie scoop and place on the prepared baking sheet. Gently pat down each ball so that the tops are flat, press a few more chocolate chips in the top of each cookie. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.

The chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies will be slightly puffy but they will flatten as the cool. They will also look a little soft in the centers but should not be doughy! The longer you bake them the more crispy they will become. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, about 5 additional minutes.

A scoop of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie dough in a cookie scoop

recipe tips

  • Be sure to use pumpkin puree or pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling which already has spices added to it.
  • Make your own Homemade Pumpkin Puree to be used in this recipe, it’s easier than you would think!
  • Make your own pumpkin pie spice by combining ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ginger, ⅛ tsp allspice, and ⅛ tsp nutmeg for the 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice called for in this recipe.
half of a Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie

Variations

Want to change it up? Here are a few ideas:

  • Add some chopped pecans or walnuts to your dough.
  • Use white chocolate chips, butterscotch or cinnamon chips instead.
  • Roll in cinnamon sugar before baking.

The options are endless!

tray of Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Storing Info

For best results, STORE chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.

FREEZE in a Ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 3 months.

tall stack of Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

for More fall cookies you’ll want to try:

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Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are far from cake-like! Thick, chewy and extra crispy pumpkin cookies have never tasted so good!
4.88 from 16 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Refrigerate: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
Servings: 18
Calories: 178kcal
Author: Andrea
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter - melted or browned
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 Tbsp pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 1/2 cup bread flour - see NOTES
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (plus a few extra for pressing on the tops)

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl of the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the melted or browned butter and sugars for 2 minutes on high. Add the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree and egg yolk, mix on low until just combined.
  • In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. With mixing speed on low, gradually combine with the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
  • Scoop balls of dough using a standard size cookie scoop and place on the prepared baking sheet. Gently pat down each ball so that the tops are flat, press a few more chocolate chips in the top of each cookie. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. The cookies will be slightly puffy but they will flatten as the cool. They will also look a little soft in the centers but should not be doughy! The longer you bake them the more crispy they will become. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, about 5 additional minutes.

NOTES

-You can use all-purpose flour, but the bread flour makes these more dense, chewy and crispy. You can find bread flour in the bulk section of most grocery stores, just buy the amount you need, or it can be found in 5lb. bags in the baking section.
-I’ve baked these at 375 degrees for 12 minutes and they were just as good!
-If you prefer more spices, add an additional ½ tsp. of ground cinnamon and a ½ tsp. of pumpkin pie spice.
-These cookies should be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days. Though they taste the best the day they are made- nice and crisp!

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 955IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

Please note that the pictures from this post were updated 10/28/2015

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    These chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are truly AMAZING! Thank you for this delicious fall favorite dessert.

  2. 5 stars
    I made my own bread flour, and they did turn out more chewy than cakey, which is just what I love! Next time I’m going to add some toasted pecans. Such a good cookie recipe!