These are hands down The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies you’ll ever have, just trust me. And that’s for a few reasons, but the first is that this recipe uses a supplemental amount of pumpkin. Not a huge amount, but enough to get strong pumpkin vibes. But, these cookies are not cakey, oily, or puffy like other pumpkin cookies. Perfectly soft and golden, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies will fulfill your pumpkin treat craving!
These cookies are flat, chewy, crispy on the edges and filled with melty chocolate on the inside. The key is to use enough cornstarch to maintain a soft, tender texture, but still cream the wet ingredients to get enough lift and structure for the cookie. The signature crinkly top comes from this being an eggless recipe (accidentally vegan!) where the pumpkin takes the place of the egg. Throw in some pumpkin spice and you have a new fall staple recipe!
Table of contents
What makes these pumpkin cookies unique
These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are unique because they don’t use a large amount of pumpkin, but still pack the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor. They use a supplemental amount of pumpkin so that you still get the right color and flavor, but maintain that chewy, gooey, craveable cookie texture we all know and love.
Plus, these cookies are vegan (minus the chocolate chips) but can be made non-vegan if that’s what you prefer.
I also utilize cornstarch and salt to manipulate the cookie texture, which you can read more about in the next section.
Baking science tip (!)
This recipe uses a lot of salt. Like, a lotta salt.
And we like it like that! Along with water, salt enhances gluten formation. Usually, cooks try to avoid building up gluten in a cookie, but for a cookie as light and tender as this one, we want to add a little bit of chew in any way we can.
This cookie is soft on the inside due to the pumpkin, but chewy and crispy on the edges thanks to all of the gluten-forming hacks we’ve added.
So don’t skimp on the salt – you won’t regret it!
Ingredients you will need to make The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
The ingredients are all your cookie classics. If you are an avid baker you’ll most likely have everything you need for this vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe!
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 150 grams
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 22 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 8 tablespoons, 113 grams butter or vegan butter substitute
- ¼ cup brown sugar, 40 grams
- ½ cup white sugar, 110 grams
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree, 60 grams
- 1 cup chocolate chips
How to make this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe
A classic cookie at its best, this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe follows the wet-then-dry method. Here’s how to bring it all together:
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, pumpkin pie spice and baking powder.
- In a separate larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until the color changes and it is light and fluffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Then add the pumpkin and beat until fluffy. This should take another 2-3 minutes. Make sure to beat on low speed so the emulsified mixture doesn’t break.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until well combined, then add in your chocolate chips.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Once the dough is chilled, form 8 balls that are 75g each. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400F° for 13-16 minutes.
- Take them out before they are completely cooked through – that’s what will keep them soft!
- When they are out of the oven, if they appear puffier than you’d like, immediately smack the pan down on the counter a few times. This will help the cookies flatten and spread to a thin, chewy texture.
- Serve and enjoy!
Looking for other pumpkin recipes to go with this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie?
It’s the season of spooky – so I get it, here are a few of my favorite things with pumpkin included!
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bark Remake
Spicy Pumpkin Flatbreads
Pumpkin Muffies (Muffin Tops)
And that’s about it for The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (trust me, it’s that good!)
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Watch the recipe video here:
Equipment
- whisk
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 150 grams
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 24 grams
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 8 tablespoons butter or vegan butter substitute, 113 grams
- ¼ cup brown sugar, 40 grams
- ½ cup white sugar, 110 grams
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree, 60 grams
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, pumpkin pie spice and baking powder.
- In a separate larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until the color changes and it is light and fluffy. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Then add the pumpkin and beat until fluffy. This should take another 2-3 minutes. Make sure to beat on low speed so the emulsified mixture doesn't break.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until well combined, then add in your chocolate chips.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Once the dough is chilled, form it into 8 balls that are 75g each. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 13-16 minutes.
- When they are out of the oven, if they appear puffier than you'd like, immediately smack the pan down on the counter a few times. This will help the cookies flatten and spread to a thin, chewy texture.
- Take them out before they are completely cooked through– that’s what will keep them soft!
- Serve and enjoy!
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