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The best ever Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies…because Fridays in October deserve something sweet. Homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, made with browned butter, pumpkin butter, pumpkin spice, and plenty of chocolate. Each cookie dough ball is rolled through cinnamon sugar for a “snickerdoodle” like finish before baking to perfection. There’s nothing not to love about these cookies. They’re slightly crisp on the edges, but soft and gooey in the middle. Perfect for Halloween night or Thanksgiving dinner…or simply when in need of a deliciously sweet pumpkin chocolate chip cookie.
It’s pretty hard to beat a good classic chocolate chip cookie. I grew up eating my mom’s homemade cookies and to this day, they’re still a favorite. She uses the recipe on the back of the Nestlè Toll House Chocolate Chip bag. But always adds an extra cup of chocolate chips. Because, well that’s mom, the more chocolate the better!
It really was not until the last few years that I started creating (and loving) pumpkin recipes. For the longest time my mom had it ingrained in me to only like chocolate-based desserts. No pumpkin, definitely not anything fruity, and vanilla? No way. It’s was chocolate or nothing growing up…and I will never ever complain an ounce about it.
What I will say however, is that I’m thankful I’ve opened up my horizons a bit…and in turn hers too. We’ve ventured onto the path of desserts beyond the “chocolate only” realm. Chocolate is still a favorite, of course, but I’ve now come to love experimenting with new flavors and desserts that don’t focus so heavily on chocolate…enter my cream cheese swirled pumpkin bread.
But what’s even more fun? When I can combine my serious love for chocolate along with my (relatively) new love for pumpkin.
And in comes these cookies. You have chocolate, you have pumpkin, AND you have pumpkin spice. So the best of all worlds. Cheesy, but true.
My secrets to the perfect pumpkin cookie…
Every time I’ve attempted pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in the past, they’ve come out pretty cakey and much more muffin-like. Not bad, but just not a chewy chocolate chip cookie.
My goal with these cookies was to create a pumpkin cookie not only with amazing pumpkin flavor, but also a texture that’s closer to my mom’s chocolate chip cookies. It took some playing around with the recipe, but I’ve finally landed on a cookie that is so good. I will not say the texture is just as chewy as a classic cookie, but it’s close, and these cookies are so yummy.
Four secrets to these cookies…
Secret #1, brown half of your butter, but leave the other half at room temp. This gives you the flavor of browned butter but leaves you with a cookie that has great texture too.
Secret #2, use spiced pumpkin butter, not pumpkin purèe. This IS KEY. Pumpkin butter is more reduced down than canned pumpkin puree and contains less moisture. Less moisture will give you a chewier, not as cakey cookie. You can use my homemade pumpkin butter or pick some up at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, your local market, or via Amazon…though I am partial to my homemade recipe. Just make sure your pumpkin butter is spiced for best flavor.
Secret #3, roll your cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar, as if making snickerdoodles. So yes, this cookie is actually a cross between a snickerdoodle and a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie.
Secret # 4, bake the cookies, but about halfway through cooking, pull the cookies out of the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter a couple of times. Then return to the oven to finish baking. Remove the cookies from the oven, and again, tap the baking sheet once more. Why? This ensures you have the least cakey pumpkin cookie. Instead, you’ll have a cookie with crisp edges and a gooey center. Tapping the baking pan on the counter deflates the center of the cookie, pushing the edges out. It might seem weird, but it’s a method I learned from the New York Times and it works.
These cookies are…
…easy to make, require no chilling, and take less than an hour.
…full of actual pumpkin flavor – and actual pumpkin.
…rolled in cinnamon sugar, so kind of like a snickerdoodle, but better.
…studded with both chocolate chips and chocolate chunks
…just perfectly crisp on the edges, but soft and gooey in the center.
The very best thing you can bake up this weekend. Because it’s always a good idea to bake chocolate chip cookies, especially when browned butter, pumpkin butter, and cinnamon sugar are involved.
Just one more thing…
Eat these warm, while hot and gooey. And add a glass of milk…just like my mom and I would do!
If you make these pumpkin butter chocolate chip cookies please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 225 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup pumpkin butter, homemade or store-bought
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces semi sweet or dark chocolate chunks
- 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- 1. Add 1 stick butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat, cooking until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stick in the freezer to chill, 10-15 minutes, but no longer. 2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the remaining 1 stick butter, the cooled browned butter, brown sugar, and sugar until combined. Beat in the pumpkin butter, egg, and vanilla, beating until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.4. Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon size balls and then generously roll through the cinnamon sugar and place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 2 times to flatten them down. Return to the oven and bake another 1-2 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges, but still doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten them down again. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Pumpkin Butter: you can use my homemade pumpkin butter or just pick some up from Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, your local market, or via Amazon.
If you want more Pumpkin Spice Flavor: add in 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice with the flour.
This post was originally published on October 18, 2019
Perfect pumpkin treat! My boyfriend is a big chocolate chip cookie guy…as in he eats them everyday. Since it’s pumpkin season, I decided to give these a try as a change from the OG choco chip cookies. I used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin butter, pumpkin pie spice (over cinnamon, when given the option), and did half batch with cinnamon sugar coating / half without. They were a huge hit. I had a few after letting them sit for a couple minutes, and my boyfriend LOVED them once he got home and they were cool. Great recipe, as usual!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you for trying these, Cassandra! So glad they turned out amazing for you guys! xTieghan
Can I freeze the extra dough?
Hey Katherine! Yes, this dough freeze perfectly!! I would freeze into dough bake, then just bake from the freezer! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
These cookies look amazing! Would it be ok to use milk chocolate chunks instead of semi sweet? Thank you!
Hey Leah! Yes! I am sure milk chocolate will be delicious! Great idea!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
Went to make these, and realized I didn’t have regular sugar – only brown sugar or turbinado. Can I use one of those instead? I really want to make these!!!
Hey Jessica!! I would use all brown sugar. The cookies will have a deeper molasses flavor, but I am sure they will still be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
These cookies are so amazing that I can’t imagine only making them a few months out of the year. Any ideas for pumpkin butter substitutes during other seasons?
P,S. I added chopped peanuts and oats to a few of the cookies I made and they were delicious, it added a really nice texture 🙂
Hey Briana!! I actually don’t have another suggestion off the top of my head. Pumpkin butter is so unique in it’s creamy texture and flavor, so I am not sure what would be a good sub. That said, you can omit the pumpkin butter all together and just use an additional egg. That will give you a normal, but delicious cookie! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
Delish! The texture of my dough was a little dry so the “pan drop” method didn’t work for me but manually pushing the cookies down a little with a spatula worked to flatten them out and they still turned out yummy and cute! Will definitely be a new fall staple for us!
I am so happy to hear that you loved these Jamie! Thank you! xTieghan
I just made this they were really good, but adding the 1/2 teaspoon of salt made them way too salty with the already salted butter. Maybe I’m just sensitive though, not sure.
Hi Elise! I am sorry about that! I hope you try these again with less salt! xTieghan
Very delicious – what a fun twist with pumpkin chocolate chip meeting snickerdoodle!
Thank you Megan! I am so glad you enjoyed these cookies! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I tried making this tonight and my cookies are not wrinkly like yours. I tapped more than twice and it won’t go flat. What did I do wrong?
Hi Doris, I am sorry you had trouble. Was there anything you did differently at all? Any ingredients different? Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. It’s hard to know without knowing any details and since most readers haven’t had this issue, I am not sure what might be happening. So any details you can give will be very helpful. Hope I can help you! xTieghan
Just as described…chewy in the center, crispy on the outside and full of flavor. I made a batch with the chocolate chips and a second with no chips….they were equally delicious! They were a big hit, a new favorite!
I am so glad to hear that you loved these Deb! Thank you for trying them! xTieghan
Just made these and they are amazing, but I couldn’t get them to flatten as much as you did! I only had whole wheat flour on hand though so I don’t know if that or using homemade pumpkin butter had anything to do with it! Thank you so much for the amazing recipes!
I am really glad you loved this recipe Devon! xTieghan
So good! My cookies turned out beautiful, and so tasty. Although I would say these made way more than 24 cookies!
So glad you loved these Kelly! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Tieghan,
I made these last night. Multiple friends asked me for the recipe and declared they were THE BEST cookies ever. I subbed apple butter for pumpkin as that is what I had. Delicious!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Mary Kate! xTieghan
Just made these cookies tonight and they are amazing! I used mini chocolate chips because that’s what I had already. I’m sure they would’ve been even better with bigger pockets of chocolate!
Ooo always! I am so glad you enjoyed these Randi! Thank you! xTieghan
Tieghan!!!! These are the BEST cookies I’ve ever had. Literally amazing. The edges are perfectly crispy and the cookies are beautifully chewy. Awesome pumpkin flavor and generous chocolate chips (love the combo of chips and chunks). After tasting the batter I thought the cinnamon sugar might be too much because the flavor alone is so good but NOPE it’s perfect. SO GOOD!
Thank you so much Lauren! I am so glad this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
Delicious cookie!! Next time I’ll add the pumpkin spice to the batter instead of cinnamon as I found the pumpkin flavour too subtle. Otherwise very yummy!!
Thank you Danielle! xT