Perfectly Moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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The most fluffy and moist recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! Simple enough for any baker to make and share.

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For as long as I can remember, my mom and I have made these AMAZINGGG pumpkin chocolate chip cookies together. We’ve made a few adjustments over the years and I can confidently say that these are my FAVORITE kind of cookie. (And a favorite cookie of pretty much anyone who tries them haha.)

The light pumpkin flavor, gooey chocolate bits, and warm center make these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies truly divine!! Eating one feels like being wrapped in a cozy blanket on a fall day. So, I figured it would be a crime to keep this recipe all to myself. To help you enjoy the pure bliss that is these cookies, I’ve included a detailed shopping list, instructions, possible substitutions, and baking tips.

However, I will warm you. These cookies are so light that you can eat 5 of them and still want to go back for more. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience (literally happens every time I make these….whoops!). So, proceed with caution, knowing that you may enjoy these cookies a lil too much. 🙂

Up Close: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies on a Plate

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LET’S GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THESE COOKIES CUZ DANG THEY LOOK GOOOOD

Ingredients for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

One thing I truly love about this recipe is its simplicity. It is a bundle of pretty much all the common baking ingredients you’d find in your cupboard, with the addition of canned pumpkin!

  • Common Baking Ingredients: Sugar, Flour, Egg, Oil, Salt, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Milk
  • Flavorings: Canned Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • Add Ins: Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips, Sea Salt

Another great thing about this recipe, is that there aren’t really any rules. You can add in anything you like to make it your own. The “spiced cake” flavor is pretty subtle (which I prefer), but you could totally amp it up by adding in more of the pumpkin pie spice. Other options include adding pretzel bits, chopped nuts, or other types of chocolate!

How to Make these Delicious Cookies

**Note: I provide all of the necessary instructions for making these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in the recipe card at the bottom. However, this section provides a little more in-depth instruction for bakers who feel nervous or what an explanation behind the steps.

**Baking tip: If you buy an 8 ounce can of pumpkin, it gives you a little less than 2 cups worth of pumpkin. Rather than make a single batch of cookies and throwing the leftover pumpkin out, simply split it evenly and double the recipe. This will help you reduce food waste and enjoy more cookies! 

Cookie Baking Instructions

Prep the Oven

To make these pumpkin cookies, start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. That way, the oven will heat up while you prepare the cookie dough and be ready for baking when you’re finished mixing the ingredients.

Make the Cookie Dough

Next, get out all your ingredients, cooking utensils, and measuring tools. This will help with a smoother baking process. Once that is prepped, move onto creating a wet mix and a dry mix, and then slowly incorporating them into each other. For your wet mix, combine sugar, pumpkin, egg, and oil into a large bowl. For the dry mix, combine flour, table salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking and soda into another bowl. After that’s complete, sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl and mix them together. Sifting isn’t totally necessary. However, it does give the cookie a smoother texture. From there, add in the baking soda, milk, and vanilla and chocolate chips.

Bake Cookies

Using cooking spray, lightly coat a cookie sheet. This will keep the cookies from sticking to the pan. Then, scoop about 2-3 tbsp worth of dough onto the sheet to make each cookie. Leave a bit of space between each cookie dough dollop and try to fit 8-12 cookies on your cookie sheet. Place the filled cookie sheet onto the middle rack of your heated oven and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Be careful not to over bake them. They are meant to be fluffy and moist! Once the cookies are done baking, remove them from the oven, sprinkle them lightly with sea salt on top, and transfer them to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Most people choose to eat their pumpkin chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven with a glass of cold milk, but you can also enjoy them on their own or even refrigerated. They store well and taste great even a few days after being prepared!

Up Close: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Broken in Half

CHECK OUT THAT CAKEY SOFT CHOCOLATEY GOODNESS MMMMMMMMMMMMM

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How strong is the pumpkin flavor in these cookies?
    • The pumpkin flavor of these cookies is very mild. This make the cookies great for picky eaters. However, you can amplify the pumpkin spice flavor by sprinkling flaky salt to the top of the cookies and/or adding additional pumpkin pie spice to the cookie dough. I recommend adding 1/8-1/4 tsp at a time.
  • Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?
    • I’m sure you could, although I’ve never personally tried it. To make it gluten free, I’d try swapping the flour for gluten free flour. To make it dairy free, I’d try swap the milk for almond or oat milk (added moisture) and use dairy free chocolate.
  • What is the texture of these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies?
    • These cookies have a very light and soft texture. They are more like a pumpkin bread or cake texture than your typical chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredient Substitutions

Sugar Substitutes –> Regular sugar can be replaced with honey. However, since honey has moisture and is sweeter in flavor, you’ll want to swap 1 cup of sugar for 3/4 cup of honey. Other substitutes you could try include replacing the sugar with stevia, monkfruit sugar, or maple syrup.

Spice Substitutes –> Don’t have pumpkin pie spice? No sweat. It is simply a mixture of ground cinnamon and ginger. Some recipes add in ground pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice as well.

Milk substitutes –> Pretty much any kind of milk can be used for this recipe, whether it be almond, oat, coconut, or other. This change will slightly alter the flavor of the cookies, but shouldn’t profoundly have an impact.

Storage Tips for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

At least in my experience, these cookies don’t last long. They get eaten up so fast!

However, if you make them ahead of time or have extra that you want to store, here is my recommendation.

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container – Ziploc bag or plastic Tupperware. They can last for 3-4 days on the counter. If you want them to last a little longer, then can be stored in the fridge for a week. Any longer than that and I’d recommend putting them in the freezer. They can last in the freezer for a good while, but they will taste best if stored for 2-3 months time or less.

And when you are ready to indulge in these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies again, simply pull them out of the fridge or freezer and let them come to room temperature! You can even make them feel freshly made again by popping them in the microwave for 30 seconds! This gets the chocolate all gooey and creates cookie perfection!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies on a Plate With a Glass of Milk

GLASS OF COLD MILK WITH MY FRESHLY BAKED COOKIES? ABSOLUTE YES

Perfectly Moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies - Mini
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fluffy and addicting pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Cool Down Time5 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Equipment

  • 1 Baking Sheet
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • 1 Mixer
  • 1 Spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a large bowl, combine your sugar, pumpkin, egg, and oil. Mix until smooth.
  • In another bowl, combine your flour, table salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking and soda. Sift these dry ingredients and then slowly add them to the wet ingredients in your large bowl.
  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients until they are fully combined.
  • Then, add in the baking soda, milk, and vanilla. Mix well.
  • Gently fold the chocolate chips into the cookie dough.
  • Using cooking spray, lightly coat a cookie sheet.
  • Scoop about 2-3 tbsp worth of dough onto the sheet to make each cookie. Leave room for the cookies to spread a little. Fill the cookie sheet with 8-12 cookies.
  • Bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for 10-12 minutes.
  • While warm, sprinkle lightly with sea salt on top and transfer to a cooling rack.
  • Enjoy!!

Notes

Baking tip: 
If you buy an 8 ounce can of pumpkin, it gives you a little less than 2 cups worth of pumpkin. Rather than make a single batch of cookies and throwing the leftover pumpkin out, simply split it evenly and double the recipe. This will help you reduce food waste and enjoy more cookies! 

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