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These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy and celebrate the perfect flavors of fall. Pumpkin puree is placed in these chocolate chip cookies in place of eggs. Pumpkin spice makes these an autumnal favorite! Make these alongside other fall favorites like my Apple Cider Doughnut Muffins, Apple Hand Pies and Cranberry Cake.
Phew! I love a seasonal rendition of a classic chocolate chip cookie. Lemme tell you, these are delicious. I’m really good at buying too many cans of pumpkin puree. This means that it then becomes a full-time job to figure out where to put the rest of it. Well, I found our next recipe to use up that pumpkin puree you have hanging out!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin puree – I like to use canned, Libby’s brand. Be sure to use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree can be very wet so for this recipe I blot away the excess moisture before mixing the dough. This helps avoid spongy cookies and ensures we get that chewy texture we’re looking for.
- Melted unsalted butter – Using melted butter removes trapped air, creating a dense, chewy, and fudgy cookie center.
- White and brown sugar – The white sugar adds chewiness, and light brown sugar adds a little molasses flavor. (Reminder that if you find yourself with rock hard brown sugar, I have a post on How to Soften Brown Sugar. Game-changer!)
- Pumpkin pie spice – A small amount brings warm, autumnal spice to every bite without overpowering the chocolate. It’s a very fall-coded cookie.
- Semi-sweet chocolate – I love Guittard or Ghirardelli. You can use chips or wafers, depending on what you have on hand.
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Drain the pumpkin. Spread the puree over a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
- Mix the wet batter. Whisk the drained pumpkin, both sugars, melted butter, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt until smooth.
- Fold in the flour just until no dry spots remain.
- Finish the dough. Fold in the chocolate.
- Scoop. Place six 2-ounce portions on each parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between them.
- Bake and tap. Bake at 350°F for 6 minutes. Tap the baking sheet to deflate the cookies, then bake for another 6 minutes.
- Finish and decorate. Sprinkle with flaky salt and transfer to a cooling rack. If you’re adding marshmallow webs, skip the salt and let the cookies cool before decorating.
- Warm the marshmallows and stretch “webs” over the cookies. Add some edible eyes for an extra spooky touch.
Quick Tips for the Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Don’t skip draining the pumpkin. It’s a small step that removes extra liquid before it goes into the dough.
Give the cookies room. These spread as they bake, so stick with six cookies per sheet.
Mix just until combined. Once the flour disappears into the dough, you’re ready to add the chocolate.
A little puffiness is normal. The cookies may look puffy when they come out of the oven. They’ll settle as they cool.
Make Ahead & Storage Info
Bake the cookies ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’re adding marshmallow webs, save the decorating for the day you plan to serve them.
To freeze these cookies, follow my post on How to Freeze Cookie Dough!
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Cooling rack
- (2-ounce) cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) pumpkin puree
- 1⅓ cup (300g) white granulated sugar
- ½ cup (96g) light brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, for garnish
- 1 cup mini marshmallows, for decorating (optional)
- Edible eyeballs, for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- Start by removing the excess moisture from the pumpkin puree. Line a small plate or bowl with a paper towel. Place the pumpkin puree on top and spread it slightly over the paper towel. Allow it to sit for about 3 minutes to drain.
- Preheat the oven to 350degreesF. In a large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, white sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
- Then fold in the flour mixing just until you no longer see any speckles of flour. Now, fold in the chocolate chips or wafers until combined.
- On 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, scoop out six (2-ounce) cookie dough balls on each, spacing them about 3 inches apart (they will spread a bit).
- Transfer them to the oven to bake for 6 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully bang it on the counter to deflate the cookies and encourage them to spread then bake for another 6 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt and transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
To Make Marshmallow Web and Decorate:
- This process can be a bit messy but the end result is such a cute, spooky cookie! In a microwave safe bowl, microwave your marshmallows for 10 seconds. Take a peek at them, we want them a bit melty but still tacky! Microwave them for 10 more seconds if needed.
- Carefully use your forefingers and thumbs to grab a melty marshmallow. Gently pull your fingers apart, stretching the marshmallow into a “web” and drape it over the surface of the cookie. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
- For an extra spooky flair, I added little edible eyeballs. They stick right onto the marshmallow web perfectly.
Notes
Quick Tips
Don’t skip draining the pumpkin. It’s a small step that removes extra liquid before it goes into the dough. Give the cookies room. These spread as they bake, so stick with six cookies per sheet. Mix just until combined. Once the flour disappears into the dough, you’re ready to add the chocolate. A little puffiness is normal. The cookies may look puffy when they come out of the oven. They’ll settle as they cool.Make Ahead & Storage
Bake the cookies ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’re adding marshmallow webs, save the decorating for the day you plan to serve them. To freeze these cookies, follow my post on How to Freeze Cookie Dough!Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Breakfast
Pumpkin Waffles
Desserts
Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake
Quick and Easy
Pumpkin Tahini Loaf
Desserts
Superb cookies! You are an incredibly talented baker and your recipes are always reliable! The entire batch was finished within the 1-2 days they were baked.