Rich and fudgy brownies swirled with soft and chewy chocolate chip pumpkin cookie dough!
Brookies are definitely the best of both worlds. You get a thick and fudgy, deep dark chocolatey brownie AND a soft and doughylicious cookie all in one bite. You truly can’t go wrong with a good brookie.
So seeing as it’s Fa-la-la-la-FALL, I can’t think of a better time to incorporate one of my favorite autumn flavors into one of the most genius treats ever.
These Pumpkin Brookies are the perfect marriage of pumpkin and chocolate. The brownies are exquisitely fudgy and loaded with melty butterscotch chips, while the cookie dough is kissed with just the right amount of pumpkin and absolutely brimming with rich chocolate chips. It’s no surprise that these brookies were demolished at our Halloween party.
Why You MUST Make These Brookies
The Perfect Fall Brownie – As opposed to mixing pumpkin into the brownie batter, these brookies keep both flavors separate. You get the fudgy chocolatey factor from the brownies AND the soft, chewy pumpkin-spiced factor from the cookies.
Easy to Make – Although you are making two separate components–brownie batter and cookie dough–these brookies can easily be in the oven in less than an hour. There’s also no mixer needed. PLUS, it’s a one pan recipe since you can make the brownie batter in the same pan that you made the cookie dough. No need to wash the pan until after you’ve made both the batter and the dough.
Browned Butter for Optimal Flavor – The butter is browned in the cookie dough, which enhances the flavor of the pumpkin. Brown butter not only adds a divine toffee-like flavor to the brookies, but it also gives them that nice and chewy texture as well as a beautiful glossy sheen as they bake in the oven.
How to Make Pumpkin Brookies
Make the Cookie Dough – You’ll start by browning the butter. Simply place a stick of butter into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, allowing the butter to melt completely. As the butter melts, it’ll start to foam. Constantly stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan. It should have a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove the butter from the pan, and whisk in both sugars. This will halt the cooking process, preventing the butter from burning.
Next, you’ll stir in the pumpkin and vanilla until smooth and glossy. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices, stirring until just combined. If the dough is still pretty warm at this point (from the browned butter), allow the dough to cool a bit so that the chocolate chips don’t melt as you stir them in. Once cooled to room temperature, stir in about 2/3 of the chocolate chips.
Make the Brownie Batter – Transfer the cookie dough to a separate dish. No need to wash the pan! Just place the butter into the saucepan, and heat it over medium heat until completely melted. Turn off the heat, and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth and glossy. Whisk in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in 2/3 of the butterscotch chips.
Assemble the Brookies – There’s really no rhyme or reason when it comes to assembling the brookies. Just plop a few spoonfuls of cookie dough into the bottom of the baking dish, then drop spoonfuls of the batter into the empty spaces. Repeat these steps until you’ve used up all of the batter and the cookie dough. Bake in the oven for 30-33 minutes, or until the edges are firm and golden.
Add MORE Chocolate and Butterscotch Chips – For prettiness purposes, I always like to reserve some of the chocolate chips for the very end by pressing them into the brookies right after they’re out of the oven. Chocolate chips have a tendency to burn if you sprinkle them on top of the brookies before baking them in the oven. That’s why it’s best to wait until after they’ve baked.
ALLOW IT TO COOL – Although it’s pure torture to wait for the brookies to cool when they’ve spent the whole time in the oven tempting you with their heavenly aroma, it’s for your own good. Letting them cool for AT LEAST 45 minutes will allow them to set up properly so that you can get those nice clean cuts. Don’t worry, they’ll still be plenty warm and doughy after they’ve cooled. Just try your best to be patient!
TRUST ME, it’ll be worth it…

Pumpkin Brookies
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Brownie Batter:
- 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 7 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the Cookie Dough:
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it’ll start to foam, then turn a clear golden color. Continue to stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan as it starts to brown. It should have a nutty aroma. Once browned and nutty, remove from the heat and immediately whisk in both sugars.
- Whisk the pumpkin and vanilla into the mixture until smooth. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices, and use a wooden spoon to stir everything together until just combined. If dough is still warm, allow it to cool to room temperature before stirring in the chocolate chips. Reserve a few tablespoons of chocolate chips for the very end. Transfer dough to another bowl.
Make the Brownie Batter:
- In the same saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Turn off the heat, and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth and glossy. Stir in the sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, stirring until fully incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt, followed by the butterscotch chips. Reserve a few tablespoons of butterscotch chips for the very end.
- Alternate spooning the brownie batter and cookie dough into the pan, smoothing out the top. Bake for about 30-33 minutes, or until edges are firm and golden. Immediately after removing brookies from oven, press the remaining chocolate and butterscotch chips into the top. Cool in pan for at least 45 minutes before cutting.