It’s September, which means it’s the perfect time of year to try this chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe! This easy-to-follow recipe creates giant, gourmet-style cookies that are perfectly toasted on the outside, soft & chewy on the inside, and are bursting with fall spices and the perfect touch of pumpkin. And the best part? These pumpkin cookies are not cakey! Truly the best way to ring in the fall season, so let’s get started!

The Secret to Chewy Pumpkin Cookies:

I know what you’re thinking, all of the pumpkin cookies you’ve tried are either cakey or a weird gummy texture! Believe it or not, this is normal for cookies with pumpkin puree as a key ingredient. Naturally, pumpkin puree is very high in moisture, which is why it’s an amazing ingredient to add into pumpkin breads, muffins, or cakes! On the other hand, this isn’t great when trying to nail the perfect thick and chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie!

So how do we fix weird and cakey pumpkin cookies?

I learned the best trick from Sallys Baking Addiction on how to keep that perfect pumpkin flavor, without compromising on texture. The secret is extracting as much moisture from the pumpkin puree as you possibly can. This is an absolute game-changing hack! I simply scooped 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree onto a paper towel sheet, spread the pumpkin with a spoon, and placed another sheet on top. Gently pressing down, the paper towel will quickly absorb the moisture. Repeat the process until satisfied! This process takes a few minutes, but it is so worth it! I went through about six sheets of paper towels before almost all of the moisture was gone. This turned my 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, into a little less than 1/4 cup of pumpkin paste. Ready to be added to our pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

Ingredients for this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:

A Stand Mixer with the Paddle Attachment
All-Purpose Flour (Optional: Sub GF Flour 1:1)
Granulated Sugar
Brown Sugar (light or dark)
Canned Pumpkin Puree (*see notes*)
Baking Soda
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Salted Butter
Vanilla Extract
Eggs
Salt
Corn Starch
Chocolate Chips (Milk, Dark, or Semi-Sweet)
Paper Towels
Cookie Sheet (I love this 3 Piece Set from Amazon, and it’s usually on sale!)
Food Scale (Optional, but highly recommended)
Parchment Paper (Optional)
Oven Thermometer (Optional)

[Related Post: Giant Cookie Monster Cookies]

Tips & Tricks for Gourmet Cookies:

First, whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. This completely eliminates the risk of over-mixing the wet and dry ingredients! Unfortunately, this mistake is common and can cause flatter cookies.
Cold butter! Cold butter helps cookies not spread as much and keeps that giant, bakery-style feel and look we love!
Higher Flour to Sugar Ratio! Adding more flour to sugar in standard cookie recipes helps to keep the cookies thick as they bake! A higher sugar to flour content can cause excess spreading!
Use a food scale to weigh the flour and sugar. It’s SO easy to accidentally add too much flour without realizing it!
Weigh your cookie dough on the same food scale used in Tip #4, this gives a consistent cookie size every time. I weighed these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies at about 160 grams each (6 oz) and formed 6 giant cookies. You can always make them smaller if you’d like, just adjust the baking time as needed!
What is the tall cookie trick? Shaping the dough! Shape the cookie dough into tall mounds. This simple hack keeps the cookies nice and thick as they bake. I’ve included a picture in this post of the domed cookies before they bake, it’s always helpful to have a visual!

[Related Post: Perfectly Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies You Need to Try]

And there you have it—a few tips and tricks and a game-changing hack on the best pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! Now, enjoy ringing in the fall season by baking up a batch of these perfectly chewy pumpkin cookies, you’ll be so happy you did!

Continue below for the easy-to-follow recipe, dig in, and enjoy every bite!

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This easy-to-follow recipe creates giant, gourmet-style cookies that are perfectly toasted on the outside, soft & chewy on the inside, and are bursting with fall spices and the perfect touch of pumpkin. And the best part? These pumpkin cookies are not cakey!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Servings: 6 Giant Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Salted Butter 113 grams
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar 100 grams
1 Cup Brown Sugar 213 grams
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree *see notes* 120 grams
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour 300 grams
2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice heaping
1 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 Tsp Salt heaping
1 1/2 Cups Chocolate Chips Milk, Dark, or Semi-Sweet

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F
Scoop the 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree onto a paper towel sheet, spread the pumpkin with a spoon, and place another sheet on top. Gently pressing down, the paper towel will quickly absorb the moisture. Repeat the process until almost all moisture is gone. This should leave you with a little less than 1/4 cup (40 grams) of pumpkin paste. *See video above for what the pumpkin paste should look like*
Whisk together all-purpose flour, corn starch, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a separate bowl.
Add cold, cubed butter to stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on high for 1 min. Scrape sides, mix again for another 30 seconds.
Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to butter and mix on medium until combined and fluffy.
Add vanilla extract, egg, egg yolk, and pumpkin paste until just combined. (don’t overmix!)
Start adding flour mixture in increments on low until just combined, don’t turn mixer on too high or you could end up with flour all over your kitchen!
Add chocolate chips. I use 1 cup of milk chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of semi-sweet.
Roll each cookie and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. These cookies weighed 165 grams each (6 oz) and I was able to form 6 giant cookies!
Pro Tip: If you’d like to add chocolate chips to the tops before baking, gently press the them upside down into the cookie. This keeps the tips of the chocolate chips from burning!
Bake on middle rack for 10-12 minutes, depending on cookie size. The cookies should start turning light brown on the tops!
Let sit for 10-15 minutes after baking before moving to a cooling rack, this gives the cookies time to set!

Notes

*The moisture must be extracted from the pumpkin puree to get the right texture for this recipe, instructions are listed in the “The Secret to Chewy Pumpkin Cookies” section as well as the recipe instructions*

Keep in mind, all ovens bake differently. I highly recommend an oven thermometer to keep track of the oven temperature!

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