Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies bring together the warm flavor of pumpkin spice, rich chocolate, and nutty brown butter in a soft, dense cookie. Blotting the pumpkin puree removes excess moisture, so the dough stays thick and the centers stay gooey instead of turning cakey.

This is a one-bowl, no-mixer recipe with a little extra attention paid to the brown butter and pumpkin. Those two steps are what give the cookies their signature texture. The finished cookies have golden edges, slightly underbaked centers, and pockets of melted chocolate throughout.

Why You Will Love This

There are three details that make these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies different from a fluffy pumpkin cookie:

• Egg yolks add richness. Egg whites contain more water, while the yolks contribute fat and richness. Using yolks instead of whole eggs helps the cookies bake up denser and chewier, with fudgy centers.
• Brown butter adds flavor and controls moisture. Browning cooks off some of the butter’s water and adds a deep, nutty flavor. With less water in the dough, there is less steam to make the cookies puff.
• Blotted pumpkin keeps the texture thick. Pumpkin puree is pressed with paper towels until it is much drier and reduced to roughly half its original volume. The pumpkin flavor stays concentrated without adding unnecessary water to the dough.

The method is a little more particular than a typical cookie recipe, especially when it comes to the temperature of the browned butter. Let it cool until it is thickened but still liquid, and do not rush the chilling step. Once those preparations are finished, the dough comes together in one bowl without a mixer.

Ingredients

Gather the ingredients before starting, since the dough is easiest to mix when the butter, pumpkin, and egg yolks are prepared as directed.

• 1 cup cold unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup (160 g) Libby’s pumpkin puree, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon (220 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup (125 g) chopped semi-sweet chocolate bar

For the flour, use the spoon-and-level method: fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level the top instead of scooping directly from the bag. A kitchen scale is another dependable way to measure it accurately.

Instructions

Plan for about 1 hour and 30 minutes of preparation and 11 minutes of baking. The recipe makes 15 cookies. You will need two baking trays, parchment paper, a large stainless steel pan, a glass measuring bowl, a thermometer, paper towels, a wire cooling rack, and a large round cookie cutter. A 3-tablespoon cookie scoop is useful for portioning the dough.

1. Prepare the trays. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set them aside.
2. Brown the butter. Melt and brown the cold unsalted butter in a large stainless steel pan. It will foam, pop, and crackle as it cooks, so stay nearby and stir it occasionally to keep it from burning. When the bottom of the pan is covered with brown bits and the butter smells nutty, remove it from the heat. You should have just under 1 cup of browned butter, about 184 g.
3. Cool the butter. Scrape the browned butter into a glass measuring bowl and refrigerate it for 50–60 minutes. Stir every 10–15 minutes. Continue until a thermometer inserted into the butter reads 70–75°F. The butter should be cool but still liquid; it will thicken as it chills.
4. Blot the pumpkin. Spread the pumpkin puree across a plate. Press a stack of paper towels into the puree to soak up the excess liquid. Scrape the pumpkin into a pile, spread it across the plate again, and repeat with fresh paper towels until it feels fairly dry, like soft playdough. It should measure roughly 1/3 cup (75 g) after drying.
5. Whisk the sugars into the butter. When the butter has reached the right temperature, whisk in the granulated sugar and light brown sugar for exactly 1 minute. The mixture should look like pale, wet sand.
6. Add the yolks, vanilla, and pumpkin. Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and dried pumpkin puree until the mixture is combined.
7. Finish the dough. Fold in the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, fine sea salt, and chopped chocolate until just combined. Avoid mixing beyond that point. Chopped chocolate makes larger melted pools, and you can reserve a few larger pieces to press on top of the dough before baking.
8. Scoop and shape. Portion the dough with a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop. Roll each portion between your palms, then arrange the dough balls on the prepared trays 2–3 inches apart. Press additional chopped chocolate on top if you want more visible pools of chocolate.
9. Bake. Bake one tray at a time for 9–13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers still look slightly underbaked.
10. Shape and cool. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a large round cookie cutter to gently scoot the edges inward. This makes the cookies thicker and more evenly round. Set the tray on a wire cooling rack and let the cookies cool completely before removing them.

Tips

• Watch the butter closely. The foam and crackling are normal, but the butter can burn if it is left unattended. The nutty smell and brown bits on the bottom are the cues that it is ready.
• Do not use warm butter. The butter needs to reach 70–75°F while remaining liquid. If it is too warm, the dough will not have the intended consistency; if it is solid, it will not whisk smoothly with the sugars.
• Take time with the pumpkin. Keep pressing and re-spreading it with fresh paper towels until it is dry enough to resemble soft playdough and measures about 1/3 cup. This is the step that helps prevent fluffy, cake-like cookies.
• Mix only until combined. Once the dry ingredients and chocolate are incorporated, stop folding. Overmixing can make cookie dough tougher.
• Use the center as your doneness cue. The edges should be golden brown while the middle remains slightly underbaked when the tray comes out of the oven. The cookies will finish setting as they cool.
• Measure smaller cookies carefully. A standard 2-tablespoon cookie scoop makes smaller cookies. Start checking them 2–3 minutes earlier, while the centers still look slightly underdone.

Variations

For the best chocolate pools, use a chopped semi-sweet chocolate bar. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers that help them hold their shape, while chopped chocolate melts into larger, gooey pockets. Chocolate chips can still be used if that is what you have available.

For a smaller cookie, use a standard 2-tablespoon scoop rather than the 3-tablespoon scoop. The smaller portions bake more quickly, so begin checking them 2–3 minutes before the main bake time.

The dough can also be portioned and frozen for later. Freeze the dough balls on a baking tray until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container. Bake them from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the baking time, or bring frozen dough to room temperature first if it is not spreading as much.

Storage

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days.

Cookie dough balls can be refrigerated or frozen. Add 1–3 minutes to the bake time when baking chilled dough. If the cookies are not spreading as much as expected, bring refrigerated dough to room temperature for about 1 hour or frozen dough to room temperature for about 2 hours before baking.

Serving Suggestions

Let the cookies cool completely on the rack, then serve them as a fall dessert or snack. Their soft centers, golden edges, warm pumpkin spice, and melty chocolate make them especially suited to a seasonal bake list.

This recipe does not use a whole can of pumpkin puree. Save the extra puree for another fall bake, such as pumpkin spice cheesecake cookies or pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes.

FAQ

Why are these pumpkin cookies not cakey?

The recipe reduces excess moisture in two ways: the butter is browned, and the pumpkin puree is blotted until it is much drier. Egg yolks are used instead of whole eggs, which also keeps the dough richer and denser.

How do I know when the browned butter is ready?

As it cooks, the butter foams, pops, and crackles. It is ready when brown bits cover the bottom of the pan and the butter smells nutty. Scrape it into a glass measuring bowl and cool it until it reaches 70–75°F but remains liquid.

Can I use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate?

Yes. Chopped chocolate creates larger, more fluid melted pools, but chocolate chips work when that is what you have on hand.

Can I freeze the cookie dough?

Yes. Freeze shaped dough balls on a tray until firm, then move them to a freezer bag or airtight container. Bake from frozen with 1–2 extra minutes, or bring the dough to room temperature first if it is not spreading as much.

Why did my cookies not spread?

Chilled dough may need time to warm before baking. Bring refrigerated dough to room temperature for about 1 hour or frozen dough to room temperature for about 2 hours, then bake as directed.

Nutrition

Per cookie: 246 calories, 25 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 16 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 3 g polyunsaturated fat, 6 g monounsaturated fat, 26 mg cholesterol, 295 mg sodium, 73 mg potassium, 1 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 2,271 IU vitamin A, 0.5 mg vitamin C, 19 mg calcium, and 1 mg iron.

The calorie information is an estimate, and the accuracy of the listed calories is not guaranteed.