Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

I combined browned butter and a blondie-style dough loaded with melted chocolate into my Best Ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, and I used a tiny trick that readers always ask me about.

I needed a cookie that was soft not cakey, so I tried a browned butter base folded with pumpkin puree and now I can’t stop. Think Chocolate Chip Cookies With Pumpkin but with a chewy blondie texture, melty pockets throughout and just enough pumpkin to make them sing.

I keep telling friends they’re literally the Best Ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and no one believes me until they bite into one and get that sticky, tender middle. They smell wrong in the best way, like fall but not saccharine, and I promise there’s something a little dangerously addictive about them.

Ingredients

• Browned butter adds nutty depth and rich fat, boosts chewiness and flavor.
• Pumpkin brings moisture, fiber and subtle sweetness, keeping cookies soft.
• Brown sugar gives caramel notes and chew, adds moisture and sweetness.
• Egg and extra yolk add protein, structure and extra richness, for chew.
• All purpose flour provides structure, carbs and that classic cookie bite.
• Cornstarch keeps centers tender and helps cookies stay thick not flat.
• Chocolate chips add melty pockets of sweetness and some fat for balance.
• Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg lift flavor with warm spice, no heat.
• Flaky sea salt finishes with bright salty contrast, makes flavors pop.

Ingredient Quantities

• 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter, browned
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240 g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 3/4 cups (about 300 g) semisweet chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling, optional

How to Make this

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

2. Brown 1 cup unsalted butter in a light colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often until foamy then the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty, about 6 to 8 minutes. Pour into a bowl and let cool until just warm.

3. Whisk the cooled brown butter with 1 cup packed light brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until combined, then stir in 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.

4. In another bowl whisk together 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves and 2 teaspoons cornstarch.

5. Add the dry mixture to the wet and fold until just combined, dont overmix or the cookies will get tough.

6. Fold in 1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, try to keep the chips evenly distributed.

7. Chill the dough 30 minutes to 2 hours in the fridge to firm up and concentrate the flavors; if you are rushed stick the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes. Chilling also helps the cookies stay chewy and not spread too much.

8. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart, and gently flatten each ball so they bake into thick rounds.

9. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underbaked, rotate the pan halfway if needed. Slightly underbaking is the trick to chewy soft centers.

10. Remove from oven, sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you like, let cookies cool on the sheet 5 to 10 minutes so they finish setting, then transfer to a rack. Store airtight for up to 4 days or freeze for longer.

Equipment Needed

1. Oven
2. Baking sheets (2)
3. Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
4. Light colored saucepan for browning butter
5. Large mixing bowl
6. Medium mixing bowl
7. Whisk
8. Rubber spatula and wooden spoon
9. Measuring cups and spoons, plus a kitchen scale if you use one
10. Cookie scoop or 2 tablespoon measure and cooling rack

FAQ

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Unsalted browned butter: Use regular unsalted butter, melted, 1 cup (226 g) 1:1. Cookies will lack the nutty caramel notes of browned butter, so stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extra or 1/8 teaspoon maple extract to help mimic that flavor. For dairy-free, use refined coconut oil 1:1; expect slightly crisper edges and a hint of coconut.
• Pumpkin puree: Swap with canned sweet potato or roasted butternut squash puree 1:1 (equal weight). Both give similar moisture and color but may be a bit sweeter, so cut 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar if needed. Unsweetened applesauce works 1:1 as a binder too, but cookies will be milder and softer.
• All purpose flour: For chewier cookies use bread flour by weight (280 g) 1:1; higher protein makes them a bit more elastic and tall. For gluten free, use a cup-for-cup GF flour blend by weight (280 g) and add 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum if the blend doesn’t include it; texture will be close but slightly different.
• Cornstarch: Replace with arrowroot powder or tapioca starch 1:1 for the same tenderizing effect. Potato starch also works 1:1 but avoid overmixing since these starches can thicken quickly.

Pro Tips

1) Brown the butter in a light pan and don’t walk away — once it smells nutty and looks golden, dump it into a cool bowl right away or set the pan in an ice bath so it stops cooking, otherwise the leftover solids will go from golden to bitter fast. Let it cool until just warm though, if it’s too hot your egg will scramble and the dough gets weird.

2) Weigh or drain the pumpkin if it seems watery. Pumpkin puree varies a lot, so if it looks soupy squeeze some out with a clean towel or measure by grams instead of cups; extra liquid makes the cookies spread and lose chewiness, and a tablespoon or two more flour or cornstarch is an ok fix if you overdo it.

3) Chill the dough — seriously, don’t skip it. At least 30 minutes or pop it in the freezer 15 minutes if you’re rushed. Chilled dough bakes thicker and chewier and concentrates the flavors. Also bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack and keep an eye on darker pans because they brown faster so reduce time or temp by about 10 to 15 degrees if needed.

4) Fold chips gently and save a handful to press on top right before baking, that makes the cookies look bakery-fancy. Sprinkle flaky sea salt right out of the oven for contrast. If you want make-ahead convenience, freeze scooped balls on a tray then store in a bag, bake from frozen with an extra minute or two.