Perfectly soft and chewy pumpkin cookies infused with brown butter and warm spices and studded with rich chocolate chips!
I’d say enough time has passed since my last pumpkin treat, wouldn’t you?
Good. Glad we’re in agreement.
With how quickly time flies these days, it’s absolutely crucial to fit in as many pumpkin treats as possible before the season ends. This week I decided to incorporate this fall flavor into some kind of cookie. I’ve already done Pumpkin Sugar Cookies, Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, and even Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies. However, there was one cookie recipe I still had yet to tackle…until NOW.
These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are basically a jazzed up version of your classic chocolate chip cookie. They’re infused with warm fall spices, enriched with brown butter, brimming with rich chocolate chips, and flavored with the perfect amount of pumpkin. Not to mention, they’re incredibly soft and chewy!
Why You’ll LOVE These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Perfectly Pumpkiny: These cookies contain the perfect amount of pumpkin. The flavor is not the least bit overwhelming, and it’s deliciously contrasted with the rich chocolate chips!
Egg-Free: Yep, you read that right! Absolutely no eggs are needed in this recipe since they’re replaced with pumpkin–more on this later! With how unpredictable egg prices can be these days, this recipe is a Godsend!
Perfectly Soft and Chewy: These cookies have soft and doughy centers and deliciously chewy edges. They’re soft-baked, but not at all cakey.
Super Simple to Make and Make Ahead: The dough comes together in about 20 minutes. The great thing about this recipe is you can make the dough up to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to bake, simply take out the dough, shape it into little dough “pucks”, and toss in the oven!
Tips For Making The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown the Butter: In my opinion, brown butter just SCREAMS fall due to its blissful notes of toasty, nutty, toffee-like goodness. Therefore it only seemed appropriate to incorporate it into this autumnal cookie. Brown butter not only adds a divine nutty flavor to the cookies, but it also gives them that beautiful glossy sheen as they bake in the oven.
Replace the Eggs with Pumpkin: It might seem odd to make a cookie without eggs, but in this case, pumpkin works as the perfect replacement. Eggs help to bind the ingredients together, provide structure, and add moisture and tenderness to baked goods. Pumpkin has the ability to all of that PLUS infuse the cookies with extra fall flavor.
Add a Little Cornstarch: To create that soft and chewy bite, add a tablespoon of cornstarch. Along with chilling the dough, cornstarch prevents the cookies from spreading too thin in the oven, so they bake up nice and thick.
Keep the Dough Chilled: Although waiting for cookie dough to chill can feel like a pain in the booty, it’s definitely a crucial step. Not only does it solidify the fat, preventing excessive spreading, but it also allows the flavors to develop (similar to marinating) and improves the overall texture of the cookie. I actually recommend keeping the dough chilled in the refrigerator between baking rotations so that it’s extra cold right when it goes into the oven.
Pucks Instead of Balls: Although it’s standard to roll cookie dough into balls before baking, I prefer to shape them into thick hockey pucks. Flattening them slightly ensures a much more even spread as they bake in the oven, so you don’t end up with that weird mound in the center.
Add More Chocolate Chips: To create that picturesque cookie, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the cookies immediately after the cookies are done baking. Not only does this guarantee a more even distribution of chocolate chips in every bite, but it’s also a great excuse to add more chocolate!
Oh, and one more incredibly important tip…
DOUBLE the recipe!!! Because once you take a bite of one of these warm, ooey gooey, soft, and chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, you’ll be kicking yourself for not making more!
And if you’re a fan of these cookies, you’ll LOVE my recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- 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; set aside to cool.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cornstarch, and spices together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the browned butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth and incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and continue beating until combined, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. Cover, and refrigerate dough for at least two hours, or up to three days.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball, then place them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten each dough ball slightly so that it resembles a little hockey puck.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are puffy but still look slightly underdone. If desired, immediately press more chocolate chips into the tops of each the cookie. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.