Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
A few years ago, I posted another recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. And there’s a version in my cookbook, Cooking With Pumpkin. But this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe trumps all. Practice makes perfect when it comes to cookie-making and anything pumpkin. After many trials and lots of cookies, these are my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookies yet because they’re soft, thick, perfectly chewy and not cakey, which is a problem that often plagues pumpkin cookies. I love pumpkin cake, muffins, and bread but I don’t like cakey cookies. To combat the cakiness, there’s no egg in the dough. Eggs make things fluffier but pumpkin puree does that naturally, much like bananas do. I’ve baked plenty of vegan pumpkin cakes and muffins and know from experience that many times when you’re baking with pumpkin you don’t need eggs, and these cookies are a prime example. The cozy and comforting pumpkin flavor just shines. Between the molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin pie spice extract that I used, the cookies beautifully showcase the flavors of fall. And as a bonus, there’s loads of chocolate in every bite.
What’s in These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies?
To make these soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies , you’ll need:
Unsalted butter Pumpkin puree Granulated sugar Light brown sugar Molasses McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice extract All-purpose flour Pumpkin pie spice Baking soda Salt Chocolate chips
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whisk together the melted butter, pumpkin puree, sugars, molasses, and pumpkin pie spice extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough into balls and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 5 days. Once chilled, bake the cookies until the edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center.
Can I Double This Recipe?
This is a recipe I haven’t ever doubled and while sometimes some recipes double great, others don’t. If you do double this easy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe, leave me a comment below letting me know how the cookies turn out!
Can I Make This Recipe Into Cookie Bars?
I’ve never tried baking the cookie dough as bars rather than as individual cookies. However, I have a great recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars that I’ve made many times and know works!
Can I Freeze Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze the cookies once they’ve been baked and have cooled completely. You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Can I Omit the Pumpkin Pie Spice Extract?
If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice extract on hand, you can substitute regular vanilla extract instead. Your soft pumpkin cookies won’t be as spiced, but they’ll still be delicious.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Make sure you’re using pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is neutral in flavor and adds lots of moisture to these easy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Also note that you should use a mild molasses in these cookies. Blackstrap molasses is too strong, so avoid using that. Finally, feel free to add chopped nuts or dried fruit to these pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies. I like them as is, but there are lots of fall mix-ins you can incorporate into the cookie dough.
More Pumpkin Desserts:
ALL OF MY PUMPKIN RECIPES! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars — Super soft and are like biting into a piece of rich pumpkin fudge! Loaded with chocolate and crazy good!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache — One of my favorite cakes of ALL TIME! A must-make!
Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread — Pumpkin bread that’s like having cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing!
Soft Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar Streusel Crust — You won’t miss the eggs or the butter in this fast and easy bread with a great streusel crust!
Soft Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting — Fast, easy cake you’ll never guess is vegan!
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting – Small batch recipe of just 6 cupcakes when you have just a little leftover pumpkin puree to use!
The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread — Super soft, moist, rich pumpkin flavor, and loaded with chocolate chips! Easy, no mixer recipe that’s the BEST!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies — Rich, fudgy brownies topped with pumpkin and chocolate chips!
Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake – A FAST and EASY no-mixer coffee cake with rich pumpkin flavor!! Super soft, tender, and topped with the BEST crumble topping that you’ll fall in love with!
