Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are cake like and sweet cookies packed with pumpkin flavor and loaded with chocolate chips. A simple and delicious cookie everyone you know will love!
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This post was originally posted on 9/14/2020 and updated on 10/25/2024.
Why We Love These Cookies
- An easy drop cookie recipe that requires no chilling
- Soft cakey cookies that melt in your mouth.
- A recipe with the perfect combination of flavors for a fall cookie.
- Cookie dough and baked cookies are freezer friendly.
- These cookies are family approved!!
Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Salted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Pumpkin Puree
- Large Egg
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Substitution Suggestions
- Salted Butter: Feel free to use unsalted butter, however I suggest adding an extra ½ teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough.
- Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to buy 100% pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. The pure pumpkin puree is just straight up pumpkin nothing else added to it. Pumpkin pie mix is already sweetened and spiced. You can use fresh pumpkin too. Fresh pumpkin holds on to water and could add too much moisture to the cookies, so I would suggest squeezing out some of the excess liquid with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Pure extracts are the best to use because they give a natural flavor. Imitation extracts can leave an unwanted after taste in your cookies and other baked goods.
- All Purpose Flour: You can use entirely whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour. If you use all whole wheat flour the cookies will be a bit darker and a little more dense but still good.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Use your favorite chocolate. Dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips are all delicious options.
How to Make Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- First, preheat the oven to 350°F and line some cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.
- Next, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with hand mixer and large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes
- Now add the egg, and vanilla extract. Beat together until smooth.
- Then beat in the pumpkin puree.
- Next, add the dry ingredients: baking soda, cinnamon, salt and all purpose flour. Mix just until the flour is all incorporated.
- Lastly, fold in chocolate chips. The cookie dough is a bit sticky, so don't be alarmed.
- Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop or 2 level tablespoons and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake cookies in preheated oven on center rack for 10-12 minutes and no longer glossy looking.
- Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Variations of Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Sub walnuts or pecans for the chocolate chips.
- Do a combo of nuts and chocolate chips.
- Try cinnamon chips instead of chocolate.
- If you like pumpkin pie spice, use that in place of the cinnamon.
- Add a simple glaze on top.
Pumpkin is one of the most popular fall flavors! Here are some more delicious pumpkin recipes to try!
Storing Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Storing: The best way to store these soft pumpkin cookies so they stay cakey is to keep them in an air tight container or zip top bag between layers of wax paper or parchment paper. They will stick together if there is no paper between layers of cookies.
Freezing: These cookies freeze perfectly! Place the baked and cooled cookies in a freezer safe airtight container or freezer bag in single layers, between pieces of wax paper. Label, date and freeze. Cookies will last 3-4 months in the freezer.
Thawing: When you are ready to enjoy the cookies, simply let them thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Freezing Cookie Dough
Freezing Cookie Dough: To freeze the cookie dough: place the cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then freeze the dough for at least an hour or more. Once frozen, place the frozen dough balls in a freezer-safe container or zip top bag. I like to freeze them between layers of wax paper. Label, date and keep frozen until ready to use.
Baking Frozen Cookie Dough: To bake the frozen cookie dough, place dough scoops on parchment lined cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Then bake frozen dough at 350°F and increasing bake time to 12-14 minutes or until edges are set and the centers no longer look glossy. Bake time will vary on how cold your cookies are when placed in the oven. Cool cookies on pan for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- I don't think I could live without my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It's the best tool ever for making cookies, frostings and so many other things.
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. Their cookie sheets are the only ones I use for cookies. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to a set.
- A medium sized cookie scoop that holds about 2 tablespoons is great for these cookies. Again I use the pampered chef one but this medium scoop from OXO on Amazon is a great one.
- Pre-cut parchment paper is a life saver and so easy. No cutting my fingers!
- I like using a can opener that doesn't leave a sharp edge. I currently use the Pampered Chef one but this can opener from The Good Cook is great too.
Tips for Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gather all the ingredients before you start preparing cookie dough. It is so much easier to bake when all the ingredients are ready. There is also less room for error, like forgetting an essential ingredient. I'm not saying I've done this, however, I am speaking from experience!
- Read the recipe from start to finish before you start. Again, I am speaking from experience.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It helps the dough come together better, and also helps with even baking.
- Always fluff your flour and then spoon and level it to measure. Doing this will prevent too much flour being added and ultimately making the cookies too dry and crumbly. To fluff your flour, just scoop it and dump it a few times and then measure it out, or give it a fluff using a whisk.
- Use a cookie scoop to get the same size cookies, that way they will all bake evenly. I like to use the Pampered Chef medium size scoop which is equal to about 2 tablespoons.
- If using cookie sheets more than once during baking, make sure the cookie sheet is completely cooled before adding scoops of cookie dough on it.
- For best results don't over bake the cookies. Over baking will cause the cookies to be more dense and hard. The center should look set and not glossy and the edges set.
More Drop Cookie Recipes:
- Italian Almond Cookies
- Frosted Pumpkin Drop Cookies
- Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Cookies and Cream Cookies
- Churro Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Rate it!
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Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1½ cups packed brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 15 oz can 100% pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with hand mixer and large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.
- Now add the egg, and vanilla extract. Beat together until smooth.
- Then beat in the pumpkin puree.
- Add the dry ingredients: baking soda, cinnamon, salt and all purpose flour. Mix just until the flour is all incorporated.
- Fold in chocolate chips. The cookie dough is a bit sticky, so don't be alarmed.
- Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop or 2 level tablespoons and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake cookies in preheated oven on center rack for 10-12 minutes and no longer glossy looking.
- Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
mamab says
The cookie is ok. Definitely not a good pumpkin cookie. Very bland. I do not recommend.
Joyce says
Excellent version of my favorite fall cookie for years. I cut back slightly on white sugar (good to do for high altitude and I like less sweet). I just use an ungreased cookie sheet, no parchment necessary IMHO. Added a little nutmeg and cloves. Love the soft texture!
Heather says
So glad you liked them and were able to adapt them for your altitude! Thank you for sharing!