If you have been searching for a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie that is soft and deliciously chewy instead of light and cakey, you are in the right place! These cookies are loaded with real pumpkin flavor, warm autumn spices, and pools of melted semi-sweet chocolate in every single bite.
While my original Chewy Pumpkin Cookies feature crunchy pecans, swapping them for chocolate chips creates the ultimate fall comfort treat. Best of all, there is zero need to blot your pumpkin puree with paper towels. Melted butter, brown sugar, and a splash of molasses keep these cookies rich, chewy, and never cakey!
Table of contents
If you love the classic fall flavor pairing in my moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, these cookies deliver that exact same pumpkin-and-chocolate magic in a soft, bite-sized form. They are such an easy, crowd-pleasing bake to kick off the autumn season, my favorite baking season of the year!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree: Make sure to grab plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. Because of our melted butter and molasses ratio, you can use it straight from the can with zero blotting required!
- Melted Butter: Melted unsalted butter creates those dense, chewy centers and lightly crisp edges. Just let it cool to room temperature before mixing so it doesn't melt your chocolate chips or over-spread the dough.
- Light Brown Sugar & Molasses: Light brown sugar adds deep caramel notes, while a touch of dark molasses locks in rich moisture for that signature chewy texture. Dark brown sugar can be substituted for the light brown sugar if needed.
- Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chips are my go-to here. You can easily swap these for milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, or even mini chocolate chips!
- Spices: A blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves gives these cookies their incredible holiday aroma. If you are short on individual spices, simply substitute 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice blend for all the warm spices combined.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
How To Make Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cozy fall cookies come together in just a few simple steps, no stand mixer required!
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, leaveners, salt, and spices together in a medium bowl.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Whisk the cooled melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and molasses until smooth.
- Combine: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a thick dough forms.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: Gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Scoop & Chill: Portion the dough onto a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes to hold their chewy shape.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F for 14 minutes until the edges are set and centers are puffed.
See the recipe card below for the full recipe.
👉 Sky's Tips
- Cool the Butter: Make sure your butter cools down to room temperature before mixing. Hot butter will melt the chocolate chips and cause the dough to spread too much in the oven.
- Chill for the best texture: A quick 20-minute chill in the fridge gives the flour time to hydrate and firms up the melted butter, ensuring a soft, dense center instead of a flat cookie.
- Measure Flour Correctly: Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly with the cup packs in too much flour, which can alter that chewy texture.
- Add Extra Chips on Top: For that picture-perfect bakery look, press a few extra chocolate chips directly into the tops of the cookie dough before they go into the fridge!
Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezing
Make-Ahead: You can scoop the cookie dough onto a sheet, cover tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking. Bake straight from the fridge (you may need 1 extra minute of bake time).
Storage: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature with a sheet of parchment between layers. They stay soft and chewy for up to 5 days.
Freezing Baked Cookies: Once completely cool, freeze cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Freezing Cookie Dough: Freeze portioned dough balls on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the total bake time.
I hope you love these cookies as much as we do! Happy Baking!
-Sky🩷
If you tried this Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟star rating and let me know how it went in the comment section below!
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📖 Recipe
Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 7 ounces unsalted butter melted
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat (or microwave safe bowl) melt the butter. Once melted, remove from the pan and allow to cool to room temperature before using.
- While the butter is cooling combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and sugar. Mix until fully combined. Whisk in the egg, vanilla, pumpkin purée and molasses until smooth. (You can use a mixer or just a bowl.)
- Stir in the dry ingredients until fully combined. Now fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using a 1-ounce portion scoop or 2 rounded tablespoons scoop the dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet spaced about 2 inches apart.
- Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes. Do not chill longer than 20 minutes. Preheat an oven to 350° F.
- Bake for 14 minutes or until the centers look puffed and slightly underdone and the edges are lightly browned. Enjoy!
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