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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.Â
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.Â
If using unsalted butter, how much salt should I add?
Hey Monica,
I would add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I just made these last night. They’re delicious, except I can barely taste the pumpkin flavor. I want it to taste more pumpkin. If I want more pumpkin flavor, can I add more pumpkin butter? If so how much? If I add more pumpkin butter, do I need to add more flour?
Hey Cheryl,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! I wouldn’t add more pumpkin butter as that will affect the recipe, you could try adding some pumpkin spice. Have the best day! xTieghan
I don’t know why I used milk chocolate, but dark chocolate would have been perfect. Milk chocolate made them crazy rich. The texture of these cookies is divine though!
Hey Miranda! Thanks for trying out this recipe! xTieghan
Just made these following the recipe to a T! So good! Unbelievably good!
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, I really appreciate it! Happy Thursday 🙂 xTieghan
These were so delicious with the slow cooker pumpkin butter! They are soft and have so much flavour.
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, I really appreciate it! Happy Thursday 🙂 xTieghan
5 stars and my new favorite cookie. I LOVE pumpkin and these had just a hint of pumpkin flavoring. I used your pumpkin butter (amazing). The real star to me was the depth of the browned butter. Between that and the pumpkin these cookies have it going on!! The banging on the counter was clutch to these being flatter and crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. I froze my extras after I rolled in cinnamon sugar. I don’t see why you can’t…. And maybe I roll them again just before baking. Thanks Tieghan.
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I came across your blog a few months ago and love all of the recipes I have tried. You have such a gift when it comes to approachable, delicious food. I made these cookies for the first time a little over a month ago and have made them four times since. Everyone that has tried them has either asked for the recipe, or requested that I bring more cookies the next time I see them 😉 I love that they don’t have the muffin-like texture of other pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and are still soft and delicious days later. Do you have any other favorite holiday cookie recipes?
Hi there! Thank you so much, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
I first made the homemade pumpkin butter and then made these cookies with it. EXCELLENT! Will make again 🙂
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
These were delicious! The texture came out more as a cakey cookie vs. gooey — was that intentional? If not, tips for getting it closer to the latter?
Thanks as always! XO
Hi there! They’re supposed to be a mix of gooey and fluffy! xTieghan
I’ve made these twice within a week because we ate them! Delicious! Make them!!
Hey! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I hope you loved it! Happy Halloween Weekend! xTieghan
These are SO FREAKIN GOOD!! I made and used your pumpkin butter recipe, and these cookies are perfect. Everyone loves them and they have just the right touch of pumpkin flavour. Thank you!
Hey! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it out! xTieghan
I made these amazing cookies on Friday and every single cookie was gone by Sunday morning. These were so easy to make and absolutely delicious! I’ve already had numerous requests to make another batch!
Hey! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan
My family loved this recipe. My boys are not big fans of pumpkin and pumpkin spice, but they didn’t mind the flavor in these! Thanks!!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week! xTieghan
Really nummy and perfect for fall and Halloween. I recommend dark chocolate chips to complement the spices and cut the sweetness.
Hi Minnie! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
really good! the chocolate hides the pumpkin flavor though. i made a few with white chocolate chips and the pumpkin flavor really came through. both delicious, though!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, and thanks for the feedback on it as well! I really appreciate it. xTieghan