It's that time of year when we crave all things pumpkin! These soft cookies are packed with that pumpkin spice flavor! So pick up a can of pumpkin puree and whip up a batch of these delicious cookies. You can even throw in some extra chocolate chips! Don't worry, I won't tell…
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- My favorite thing about these is how soft, with more of a cakey texture, they are!
- This is an easy, one-bowl recipe that's great for first-time bakers!
- This recipe is made without olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, or other cooking oils.
- These make a nice surprise in lunch boxes!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chocolate Chips - You can use whatever kind of chocolate chips you like best, whether that be milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or even dark chocolate chips.
- Butter - both salted and unsalted butter works fine. There isn't enough salt in one or the lack thereof in the other to make a difference to the batter or the baked cookies.
- Pumpkin Puree - When purchasing a can of pumpkin puree, be sure to read the label. You want 100% pumpkin. There are cans that say pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix. You do not want those! They have sweeteners and spices already mixed in for the intent of short-cutting, making actual pie filling. Read More: What's the Difference Between Pumpkin Puree vs. Pumpkin Pie Filling
- Flour - must be all-purpose flour, never self-rising.
- Dairy-Free Options - You can use dairy-free chocolate chips, and you may substitute plant butter (I like the almond oil kind) for the regular butter in this recipe.
How to Make Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- Tip: Parchment paper stops these cookies from spreading out too thin. You can use non-stick cooking spray, but your cookies will spread.
- In a mixing bowl or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar.
- Beat in the vanilla and egg.
- Beat in the pumpkin puree, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and stir in the flour and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or at a low speed in a stand mixer.
- Important Tip: This cookie dough is stickier than your average cookie dough. Don't worry, and don't add more flour. You'll end up with dry cookies if you do.
- Scoop out dough with a #40 cookie scoop onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack before eating.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can substitute it cup for cup. Read more - How To Make Pumpkin Puree
The cookies will be puffed up and fluffy. The tops of the cookies will no longer look doughy but also will not have browned.
These cookies are best kept loosely covered. As a moist cookie, if you put them in an airtight container, they become almost gooey. Having just a little bit of airflow won't dry them out and will keep them from getting too moist and sticky. I usually put mine in a Tupperware-type container and then just set the lid on the top without sealing it.
After completely cooling, place the cookies in a freezer container in layers with parchment or wax paper between the layers. Cover tightly with a lid and put them in the freezer. To thaw them, place the container on the countertop and pop the lid off to allow the condensation to evaporate as they thaw. I personally wouldn't freeze them in a ziploc bag because these cookies are such moist cookies I think it would bunch them up, and they would be a mess upon thawing. You can also freeze the cookie dough and then thaw out and bake when you're ready.
If you were looking for those pumpkin cookies with the cream cheese frosting, check out my recipe for them HERE!
Tips for Best Results
- Parchment Paper - For best results, bake these cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. You can just spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray; however, the cookies will spread more as the dough will slide on the grease when expanding during the baking process rather than having some grip.
- Cookie Scoop - Use a #40 cookie scoop to portion dough. Uneven dough amounts make for uneven baking. You'll have smaller ones that end up overdone because you're waiting for the bigger ones to be done or big doughy ones with some smaller ones perfectly done. Uniform sizes work best.
- Don't add too much flour - This cookie dough is a little bit sticky. If you add enough flour to make the dough not sticky, you will end up with dry cookies that bake into round, dense balls.
- Don't overbake - Err on the side of underbaked if you aren't sure if your cookies are done. Do your first batch and 12 minutes. Let them cool slightly before checking for doneness in the middle. Add an additional minute or two to the second batch if necessary.
Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
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Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Butter room temperature
- 1 ½ Cups Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 2 ¼ Cup Flour
- 1 ½ Cups Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar.
- Beat in the vanilla and egg.
- Beat in the pumpkin puree, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and stir in the flour and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or at a low speed in a stand mixer.
- Important Tip: This cookie dough is stickier than your average cookie dough. Don't worry, and don't add more flour. You'll end up with dry cookies if you do.
- Scoop out dough with a #40 cookie scoop onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack before eating.
Notes
- Dairy-Free Substitutions - You can use dairy-free chocolate chips in place of the chocolate chips. You can also use plant butter in place of the regular butter.
- Remember - Pumpkin puree is a canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix.
- Parchment Paper - For best results, bake these cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. You can just spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray; however, the cookies will spread more as the dough will slide on the grease when expanding during the baking process rather than having some grip.
- Cookie Scoop - Use a #40 cookie scoop to portion dough. Uneven dough amounts make for uneven baking. You'll have smaller ones that end up overdone because you're waiting for the bigger ones to be done or big doughy ones with some smaller ones perfectly done. Uniform sizes work best.
- Don't add too much flour - This cookie dough is a little bit sticky. If you add enough flour to make the dough not sticky, you will end up with dry cookies that bake into round, dense balls.
- Don't overbake - Err on the side of underbaked if you aren't sure if your cookies are done. Do your first batch and 12 minutes. Let them cool slightly before checking for doneness in the middle. Add an additional minute or two to the second batch if necessary.
- Nutritional Disclaimer
Maria
Oh pumpkin and chocolate seems like a good combination, maybe I should try this!
Biana
Fall is definitely here, and these cookies look perfect for fall. Pumpkin and chocolate are perfect together.
Shashi
I am so ready for pumpkin season and these cookies have my mouth watering!
Kristen Wood
My kids gobbled these up! We can't wait to make again!