Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – classic chewy chocolate chip cookies dressed up for fall with a little pumpkin!  These are thick, chewy and anything but cakey!

I love chewy cookies, I am definitely not in the thin and crispy camp.  These Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies are my go to when it comes to classic cookies.  But when it comes fall, I am all about anything pumpkin.  But I still want my cookies chewy.  

Pumpkin makes for the most tender and moist Pumpkin Cake, but it can be tricky to deal with in cookies and leave them chewy.  But it can be done!  And you still get the pumpkin flavor with the cinnamon that always goes with pumpkin. 

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are super easy to make.  If you can whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, you can handle these.  These start with melted butter, so there is no mixer required, just a couple minutes with a bowl and spatula!

The key to making these cookies chewy is draining the pumpkin and skipping the eggs. When you make traditional cookies the eggs are there to bind everything together, and they add some moisture. The pumpkin does that all on its own, so you don’t need to add more.

Draining the pumpkin is the other key. Getting rid of the excess moisture gives you the concentrated flavor of the pumpkin, without the cakey texture it normally gives baked goods. See the tips below on how to do this.

What You’ll Need

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• Butter – I always use unsalted when baking
• Light Brown Sugar
• Granulated Sugar
• Pumpkin Puree – do not use pumpkin pie filling
• Vanilla Extract
• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Cinnamon – you can use pumpkin pie spice to replace all of the spices in this recipe if desired. Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice or store bought works great.
• Nutmeg
• Allspice
• Salt
• Chocolate Chips – I used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, but any kind works great.

How To Make Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Whisk together melted butter and both sugars until it is well combined, smooth, and there are no lumps.
2. Add in the vanilla and drained pumpkin and mix until it is well incorporated.
3. In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture, and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in chocolate chips until just incorporated.
5. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes to 24 hours before baking.
6. Scoop balls of dough onto a baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until the edges are set.
7. Remove from oven, and let set on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, before removing to a wire rack.

Draining Pumpkin

I know it sounds strange and you are probably confused, but just look at the picture. When you spread the pumpkin onto a paper towel it immediately starts to release moisture onto the paper towel. This will lead to cakey cookies, so we want to get rid of it!

You can put the pumpkin into a clean towel and squeeze out the moisture, similar to how you would zucchini. But I find this method to be a little less messy. Spread the pumpkin onto a paper towel lined plate. Let it set for 10 minutes, then take a paper towel and start blotting the top.

You can mix up the pumpkin and spread into a thin layer again, and repeat blotting. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but getting a decent amount is really going to help your cookies.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Yes, the recipe is written correctly, there are no eggs in this cookie.
• Don’t skip draining the pumpkin. If you want a cookie with the same texture as your classic chocolate chip cookie, but with pumpkin flavor this makes the biggest difference.
• Don’t skip chilling the dough. Because you start with melted butter your dough will be a little softer, so giving it just 30 minutes to chill sets it up and gives you thick and chewy cookies.
• This cookie dough freezes really well, so you can freeze raw balls of dough or you can freeze already baked cookies. See notes below for tips on freezing dough.
• If you want a shortcut, you can use pumpkin pie spice in place of the spices called for in this recipe.

Freezing Cookie Dough

• Start by scooping balls of dough onto a baking sheet.  You do not need to leave any space between the cookies, you are not actually baking them. 
• Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour.  
• Once the balls of dough are hard, place in a freezer storage bag.  Make sure to label the bag with the date and the kind of cookie, so you know what they are later. 
• Then just put in the freezer for up to 4 months.  
• To bake just take however many balls of dough you want to bake out.  Let them sit on the counter for a few minutes while the oven preheats and then bake as the recipe states.  
• Fresh out of the oven cookies any time! 

More Tasty Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin Delight
• Pumpkin Dump Cake
• Pumpkin Crisp
• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes