Pumpkin Spice Season is upon us! My stepdaughter and I have a fall tradition; we hit the coffee shop for a pumpkin spice latte (basic, yes, but delicious—we have no shame!) and pick out a new fall-scented candle at the store. That night, we usually watch Hocus Pocus and whip up an autumnal treat—like these Pumpkin Cookies! She’s the baker in our family, and this budget-friendly recipe has been approved! These cookies are super chewy (NOT cakey!), perfectly spiced, and sure to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth. Plus, they’re full of gooey chocolate chips and couldn’t be easier to make!
What Are Pumpkin Cookies?
Think of these pumpkin cookies as a mix between your favorite chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin pie. They have a deliciously chewy center, crisp edges, and every bite is infused with warm pumpkin spice flavors. I also speckle white chocolate and butterscotch chips throughout the dough, adding a rich and creamy sweetness. But if you don’t love super sweet treats, swap out the white chocolate/butterscotch chips for dark chocolate. They’d still be the perfect way to kick off the fall season!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies:
- Brown Sugar: Adds a delicious molasses flavor and extra chewiness.
- Unsalted Butter: Melted (but not hot) butter also helps create a chewy texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and depth of flavor.
- Egg: Helps bind the dough together.
- Pumpkin Puree: Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has added sugars and spices, while pumpkin puree is just that—pure pumpkin. Be sure to strain your pumpkin before using it.
- Hot Water: Adding just a little hot water to the mix makes these cookies extra chewy! When you want a stiffer dough (like with bread), use cold water, but if you want to hydrate your dough for cookies, use warm/hot water!
- Flour: All-purpose flour will do the trick here.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: This leavening duo helps make these cookies rise and spread just enough without getting too puffy or flat.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: A blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves (aka the flavors of fall!). You can use store-bought, but making your own pumpkin pie spice is super simple and means you can adjust the flavors to your liking.
- Salt: A must to balance out all the other flavors. I also sprinkle a little salt over my cookies before baking for a salty-sweet flavor.
- White Chocolate & Butterscotch Chips: I was going to make this recipe with only white chocolate chips, but I had some butterscotch chips on hand, so I added them in. You can use all white chocolate chips, all butterscotch chips, or whatever chocolate chips if you prefer—the total amount of chips needed is ¼ cup.
Strain Your Pumpkin Puree!
This is another secret for chewy pumpkin cookies! Pumpkin puree is naturally very moist, which is great for some recipes… but not so much this one. Moisture creates a soft texture in baked goods—and I don’t want these cookies to be doughy or cakey! Strain your pumpkin puree by adding it to a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer and let it drain over a bowl for 30 minutes to an hour. You can also blot it with paper towels, but I find straining it works best. Use the leftover liquid in pumpkin soup or a pumpkin smoothie!
Tips and Notes
- Add the flour mixture slowly, mix until just combined, and then add a little more. This stops us from overmixing the dough, which can make the cookies tough and dense.
- Let the cookies cool for at least 15 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet. They’ll be very soft and fragile when they first come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.
- Use a cookie scoop to create evenly sized-cookies. I use a 2-oz cookie scoop to make these cookies. You might need to adjust the baking time if you use a smaller or larger scoop.
- Cool the dough for 10-15 minutes before scooping and baking to minimize spreading. Doing this also lets the flour hydrate fully, which creates a chewier cookie!
- To create perfectly round cookies, place a glass or cookie cutter over each freshly baked (still warm) cookie and gently swirl it in a circular motion to even out the edges. Check out our Instagram reel for a visual tutorial! (But if you prefer a more rustic look, that’s totally fine too!)
Storage Instructions
Keep your pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Layer each cookie with parchment paper to stop them from sticking together, and let them thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
As for the dough, I wouldn’t make it too far in advance because the pumpkin might release too much liquid in storage. I’d bake the cookies as soon as the dough is ready for the best results.
Pumpkin Cookies
Servings 24 cookiesIngredients
- 1 ½ cups flour ($0.16)
- ½ tsp baking powder ($0.02)
- ½ tsp baking soda ($0.01)
- 2 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice ($0.47)
- ¼ tsp salt (+pinch for sprinkling, optional) ($0.01)
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted but not hot ($1.06)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed* ($0.82)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.58)
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree, strained ($0.15)
- 1 Tbsp hot water ($0.00)
- 1 egg ($0.31)
- ⅛ cup white chocolate chips ($0.30)
- ⅛ cup butterscotch chips ($0.38)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in medium size mixing bowl. Whisk together to mix thoroughly.
- Cream together melted butter and brown sugar.
- With the mixer running, add vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, hot water, and egg.** (Read note.)
- Add flour to the wet mixture little by little, mixing until just combined.
- Be careful not to overmix the dough. Stop mixing once the flour is fully incorporated.
- Scrape down mixing bowl and fold in white chocolate chips and butterscotch chips by hand.
- Chill in fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes so it’s scoopable and not too soft.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop balls out onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each with a little salt if you like a salty sweet flavor. I like to push a couple extra chocolate chips on top too, so they look extra pretty when they come out of the oven.
- Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before handling. Enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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how to make Pumpkin Cookies – step by step photos
Preheat oven to 375. Combine 1 ½ cup flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 2 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice, and ¼ tsp salt in medium size mixing bowl. Whisk together to mix thoroughly.
Cream together 8 Tbsp melted unsalted butter and 1 cup brown sugar.
With the mixer running, add 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ cup strained pumpkin puree, 1 Tbsp hot water, and 1 egg. (Read note.)
Add flour to the wet mixture little by little, mixing until just combined.
Be careful not to overmix the dough. Stop mixing once the flour is fully incorporated.
Scrape down mixing bowl and fold in ⅛ cup white chocolate chips and ⅛ cup butterscotch chips by hand. Chill in fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes so it’s scoopable and not too soft.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop balls out onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each with a little salt if you like a salty sweet flavor. I like to push a couple extra chocolate chips on top too, so they look extra pretty when they come out of the oven.
Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before handling. Enjoy!
I suggest making a double batch of these pumpkin cookies—they’re just that good!
I love the sound of these cookies but I also love a crunchy cookie. What would I do differently to achieve this? Thank you!
I used the recipe but I forgot the eggs and hot water, so I’ve made mini pumpkin breads with choco chips in them 😂 Fantastic recipe, I love how easy and how simple it is especially when it comes to the ingredients and how much they cost
Oooh. Sounds awesome. Sometimes “mistakes” end up being the best discoveries! Nice work!
My new favorite pumpkin cookie recipe! Perfect and flavorful. Thank you so much for sharing this!
How much liquid are you draining from 1/4 cup pumpkin puree? I’m in another country and the canned pumpkin we get is pretty thick compared to the libby’s i’d get in the States (and is just pumpkin, no worries on accidentally getting pie filling). Wondering if I can forego the straining and the 1 tbsp of water and just go with it as canned.
I think you should be fine to just add your canned pumpkin as is with no straining. Our pumpkin puree is quite wet and I often strain it and even let it chill on a paper towel to absorb even more of the liquid. I would still add the hot water, though!
Is it really only supposed to be one quarter cup total of chocolate/butterscotch chips for 24 cookies? I have these chilling in the fridge now but I think I tripled or quadrupled that amount to get them to look right- but maybe I just like extra chips!
1/4 cup is correct! Just enough to add a pop of sweetness but not overpower the pumpkin. I’m sure yours will be delicious though! I few extra chip never hurt anyone!
Perfect texture!!! If you hate pumpkin cookies that end up like little dry cake domes this is the best alternative!! They come out just like chocolate chip cookies but better because PUMPKIN! I had mine with my PSL and it was a match made in fall heaven!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Meghan!
I loved these Pumpkin Cookies! I will make more again soon and sharing the recipe! Yummy!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them.
I really love these cookies! I doubled the recipe since it is my favorite fall flavor. I did some with the salt on top and some without. I do love the sweet and salty flavors! And of course I added more white chocolate and butterscotch chips too! Yummy!
My cookies are currently in the oven so I don’t know how they will taste but the recipe is missing directions for when to add the vanilla and pumpkin spice. I’m sure experienced bakers will know when to add these things anyways but I’m a newbie and need specific directions.
I hope they turned out okay! We’re fixing the recipe now, thank you for the head up! :)
The recipe instructions are missing when to add the pumpkin pie spice and the vanilla extract
Thanks for letting us know! Fixing it now!
Recipe calls for vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice but doesn’t have a step where they are added 😉
They fixed it.