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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 pumpkin purèe 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.
Have you or anyone tried this recipe with a gluten free flour? if so, please share measurements! I don’t love how cakey pumpkin puree cookies can be so I would love to try this recipe with the pumpkin butter!
Hi there! I would just use a 1:1 ratio for gluten free cookies! 🙂 xTieghan
I made these cookies and brought them to a block party. They were such a big hit. The kids and parents all loved them. And I LOVED eating the dough too 🙂
I saw other people say that they aren’t too pumpkin-y, but I thought it was just the right amount. If you like things to be super pumpkin-flavored, just add more of the pumpkin butter.
loved this recipe.. I got so excited I bought apple butter instead of pumpkin, but worked great too. thanks
Hey Sue,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan
I really enjoyed these cookies! The cinnamon sugar on the outside is a perfect touch. I understand how some people don’t taste that much pumpkin. We made homemade pumpkin butter and nearly doubled the amount this recipe calls for, and I used the pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon and still think there could be just a little more pumpkin flavor. However, they still came out phenomenal!
Hey Holly,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan
YUM! My new favorite cookie…especially when they are still warm! I found that you can make the dough ahead and freeze. I skipped the rolling in cinnamon sugar part and just froze the raw dough balls. I still baked at 350 – it just took a few extra minutes. Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes!
Hey Kaki,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great weekend:) xxTieghan
Wow! These are so delicious and I used your pumpkin puree recipe too. Wondering if you have ever tried making the balls and freezing them before rolling in sugar and baking? If that isn’t a good idea, I’m sure my family will not be sad if we HAVE to eat the whole batch right away! 🙂
Hey Kaki,
I am delighted you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! I haven’t tried that, but I’m sure it would work well. xTieghan
love this use of pumpkin butter.
and i veganized the recipe using vegan butter and egg replacer, and the texture is still perfect!
Hey Brittany,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a go, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
turned out amazing! love this use of pumpkin butter
Thanks so much Brittany! xTieghan
My daughters and I made these for a cookie exchange yesterday. The recipe was super easy and the cookies were amazing. Just the right amount of pumpkin and cinnamon to go with the yummy chocolate. We gave almost all of them so we will definitely be making more cookies before Christmas. Just for us!
Hey Kellyann,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
The texture of these cookies is perfect! I wish I could taste the pumpkin a bit more, but overall they are just so delicous!
Hey Patricia,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Just made these for the first time tonight using your homemade pumpkin butter recipe. They are outstanding!! Perfect balance of pumpkin and chocolate flavor. I actually am not a huge chocolate fan so I opted to use 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks with a dash of Lily’s dark chocolate chips, and they are fantastic. My boyfriend just ate 4 in a row and that’s saying something. As always, great HBH recipe!! Thank you!!
Hey there,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I haven’t actually finished baking these yet, but my kitchen smells SO HEAVENLY from the browned butter and the pumpkin smells coming from my oven. I also snuck a little nibble of the dough (I know, I know! I couldn’t resist) and it was just AMAZING. I’m definitely going to eat these cookies still hot from the baking sheet.
Thank you so much Rose! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
These cookies are perfection! I used homemade pumpkin butter. The texture is exactly the way I want my cookies to be. Love how chewy they are! These are making their way onto my Christmas platters!!
Thank you so much Brittany! xTieghan
I think you may have cracked the cakey pumpkin cookie code! YAY! I was VERY NERVOUS to try these, because of the amount of cakey cookies I’ve had to consume trying to find a pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. So much so I served most of the pumpkin butter I made as an app/condiment for Thanksgiving (it was a big hit), thinking there was no way I could do this recipe. But GUESS WHAT!? A chewy cookie with a lovely texture and yummy flavor. Thanks!
I am so happy these turned out so amazing for you, lala! Thank you for trying them! xTieghan
I’m making these today — do you think turbinado sugar will work? PS I made your pumpkin butter to use for these, and its amazing!
Hey Lisa,
I would use granulated sugar in this recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan