Super Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

April 24, 2008

Ok… with this recipe I’ve totally been busted. It’s late April and here I am with a pumpkin post. That can only mean one thing- I’ve had a can of pumpkin in my pantry since last Thanksgiving. Absurd! I know! That little pumpkin gem must have gotten pushed to the back of the line in the past few months. Well, it’s seen the light of day in these most delicious cookies.

These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are a combination of cookie, cake and pancake and quick bread. They’re super soft, moist and cakey. They’re full of pumpkin and spice flavor, and the chocolate just sends them over the top.

I know I can’t be the only one with a lonely can of pumpkin in the pantry. These cookies are a simple and delicious was to celebrate that forgotten can! Throw some vanilla ice cream in, and life has suddenly improved. It’s as easy as that!

The basic recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies allows for creativity. Instead of regular chocolate chips try mini chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips, or (better yet) both!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Big Fat Cookies

Print this recipe!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola or corn oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips, or any chip you like

Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool cimpletely.

Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }

patsyk April 24, 2008 at 11:27 am

Oh, I have a can of pumpkin in my pantry from Thanksgiving as well… I think I’ve found the perfect use for it!

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Deborah April 24, 2008 at 11:50 am

I enjoy pumpkin – no matter what time of year it is!! And yes, I probably do have a lone can of pumpkin somewhere in my pantry!

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Mari April 24, 2008 at 11:58 am

Those cookies look so good, I wish I had some now to go with the vanilla ice cream I just made! Don’t you love getting creative with goodies from the deep dark recesses of your cabinets? LOL!

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Eli April 24, 2008 at 5:48 pm

I agree, pumpkin is fab, even if it is only spring. These look amazing.

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megan April 24, 2008 at 7:12 pm

Pumpkin is my favorite. It’s a shame that it is thought of as seasonal.
These will be pushed to the front of my *must make* list.
Thanks Joy! I can always count on you to deliver a great recipe.

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Cecilia April 24, 2008 at 7:44 pm

These cookies sound fabulous! I LOVE pumpkin-flavored baked goods, so I might run out to the store and get a can of pumpkin puree to make these cookies. Thanks for sharing.

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Kris April 24, 2008 at 10:18 pm

OK so this might sound crazy, but try making the simple cookie recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip bag, only substitute 1/2 cup pumpkin for the brown sugar. The cookies don’t come out pumpkin flavored, but have an incredible, cakey texture that is to die for. Just another suggestion for those of you with that extra can of pumpkin lying around!

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Beth April 25, 2008 at 7:21 am

These are beautiful!! Who cares that it’s April – pumpkin is delicious any time of year — and besides, it’s autumn somewhere in the world! :)

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Sarah April 25, 2008 at 11:35 am

Yes! I have made a recipe very similar to these, except they had white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. They were the best cookies – I still can’t stop thinking about them. You’ve inspired me to bake them again!

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giz April 25, 2008 at 12:35 pm

These cookies just so look like cocaine (not that I would know) but I have this feeling there’s an addictive quality to them

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Sharona May April 25, 2008 at 1:07 pm

Your cookies look great and super moist. YUM

Sharona May

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Mike April 28, 2008 at 4:06 pm

Haha, for what its worth, I still have a bag of cranberries in my freezer, so a happy belated Thanksgiving to you, too! ;-)

These look like excellent cookies and I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like them. I’ll have to remember this when pumpkins come in season again…

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Miri April 29, 2008 at 7:24 am

Dear Joy, these cookies look so wonderful, that they’ve caused me a great cookie-craving! The second photo is simply amazing!

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ButterScotchie May 5, 2008 at 2:56 pm

I make mine with butterscotch chips and craisins. ohmigosh they’re good!

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Sarah May 11, 2008 at 6:06 pm

I made these for my mom today – they are delicious! You aren’t kidding when you say super soft. The cookies are moist and chocolately and smell wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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Jenn May 17, 2008 at 3:50 pm

These are pretty good, although I do suggest semi-sweet chocolate chips. I used milk chocolate and they are almost too sweet. Thanks for the recipe!

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RavingRecipes May 25, 2008 at 8:53 am

OMG! I think I just died and went to Heaven! I have been looking for months for a delicious pumpkin cookie recipe! And I finally found my treasure at JoyTheBaker’s!! Thank you so much for sharing! I can’t wait to try this recipe out! YUMMY!

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beverlyz July 25, 2008 at 5:12 pm

These cookies made me extra hungry especially with icecream!!

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Sarah September 25, 2008 at 6:22 pm

so my mom went and bought some of these type cookies at city market (our local grocer) and i had never had them before. After one taste i could tell i was hooked.. but 6 cookies for 2.99 seemed a little steep and WAY out of my price range so the hunt was on for the cake like pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe… i googled and found yours the pictures were a dead give away thank you for blessing my family and my taste budds and tummy with your very yummy recipe!!!

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Katie October 9, 2008 at 6:17 pm

These looked so delicious I just couldn’t resist baking them. Being October pumpkin recipes are everywhere, but this one looked too amazing to pass up. These are delicious! I added white chocolate chip which was a perfect combo to the smooth pumpkin. I am definitely making these for years to come! This is a must try!

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Corey October 11, 2008 at 10:22 am

OMGosh! These are delishious. Thank you for the recipe! I’m taking these to a friends house this afternoon…that is, if I don’t eat them all before I get there!

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Uberhappybaker October 12, 2008 at 11:24 am

And I thought my family was the only ones who made these for Halloween. ;) Happy memories, these make my kitchen smell like fall.

Also if you have vegan friends you can substitute extra soft tofu for egg and still have a decent texture. Although carob will never be choc chips to me my vegan friends love this variation on the recipe.

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Evan October 18, 2008 at 1:01 pm

On my list of things to do tomorrow…yep.

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Evan October 19, 2008 at 4:09 pm

Its official: these little cake bites are amazing! Even the hubby approves…and he’s the biggest cookie snob ever! Thanks lady!

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Kari October 26, 2008 at 4:49 pm

These cookies are AWESOME! My husband said that they were the best cookies that I have ever made.

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erin October 28, 2008 at 7:48 am

would be interesting with sweet potato and chocolate. this is a combo i tried once and loved. thanks!

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sophia October 31, 2008 at 2:11 pm

made them today with bittersweet and butterscotch chips…and they turned out great!

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Johanna November 3, 2008 at 3:42 pm

Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I have been in search of the perfect pumpkin chip cookie recipe for the past ten years. Silly I know to be so obsessed with a cookie, but it is my favorite. I have tried many recipes but none have compared. An enormous Thank You.

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Kayla November 12, 2008 at 12:28 am

This recipe was exactly what I was looking for to satisfy my pumpkin craving. These cookies turn out like delicious little muffin tops!

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Grey November 12, 2008 at 5:29 pm

…I don’t know if you realized it, but…nowhere in the recipe does it say nutmeg or cloves, except for in the ingredients list. ;_;

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Grey November 14, 2008 at 11:56 am

Also, I’m in love with these. I ended up adding the cloves and nutmeg after I mixed the flour mixture into the egg mixture, and they turned out great :)

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TJ November 26, 2008 at 1:04 pm

instead of carob could you use dark chocolate chips for your vegan friends?

I assumed “spices” in the recipe meant the cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg..

I’m baking these *right now* and it smells SO good. I love the texture of the dough too.

Great recipe!

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Katie December 2, 2008 at 12:03 pm

These are amazing! Thank you!

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Cris January 28, 2009 at 2:17 pm

I LOVE THESE! Ty so much for sharing this recipe!!!! They are just too good. God Bless

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luvstobake March 22, 2009 at 7:24 am

I am trying these out after seeing pumpkin chocolate cookies mentioned in a book- they sounded delicious so I wanted to try. The batter looks lovely- almost quick-bread like in consistency- they smell great too. I used mini semi-sweet choco chips- thanks for the great recipe!

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Anna March 29, 2009 at 4:08 pm

These are the best cookies on this earth… they’re just heavenly to be exact. Soft, crumbly, melt-in-your mouth goodness. I made them with butterscotch chips, and a few with craisins mixed in. Even the dough is good, I must have eaten a whole cookies worth just waiting for the first batch to come out of the oven. Thank you so much for sharing.

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Maria September 30, 2009 at 7:59 am

These are amazing!! Easy to make, and perfect everytime. This is a fall cookie STAPLE. Brought them to work and everyone loves em. Perfect, perfect, perfect!

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Katie October 10, 2009 at 12:01 pm

I just made these…they are SOOO good. I hardly ever eat what I bake (normally I make things for others) but I have already had two…and I can’t wait to have more. SO GOOD!!

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Jess in MD October 20, 2009 at 5:55 pm

These are amazing! I made half the batch plain with turbinado sugar sprinkled on top and then made the other half w/ semi-sweet choc chips. Curious about how I can store them layered so they don’t stick together. Any suggestions? Thanks!

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Jessica October 25, 2009 at 5:24 pm

DELISH!!

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ShaQuan November 8, 2009 at 1:16 pm

I tried this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe and it was outstanding! I took them to a party and my friends couldn’t stop eating them! My husband suggested putting chocolate covered raisins in with the chocolate chips. We’re going to try that on the next batch.

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Jennifer November 8, 2009 at 3:15 pm

One of the people I follow on Twitter linked to this recipe. I have a batch in the oven now and my kitchen smells heavenly. I used some toffee chips that I had in the back of my pantry. Thinking it will be a killer combination.
Thanks!

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Sara November 9, 2009 at 9:23 am

I made these last week and they were amazing! Thanks for the great recipe :) This would be a great (and healthier) addition to a Thanksgiving dessert table.

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kris November 12, 2009 at 1:37 pm

Yum! My 4 year old and his friend both gave them 2 thumbs up.

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help me! November 27, 2009 at 4:05 pm

i love these cookies. however, i’ve made them 3 times, and they’ve come out differently each time. the 2nd time they came out amazing, soft, moist, but at the same time perfectly dense and and rich. sadly, the other two times they came out much cakier and muffin-like. any advice as to what subtle things i may have done without noticing to make them come out cakier? the batter was runnier the 3rd time than it was the 2nd time. i am a novice baker so i’m really not sure what is making the difference… any advice? do i need to stick to bigger eggs? would the type of flour make a big difference? i’m pretty sure my measurements were right…

thanks!

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saveur December 6, 2009 at 6:17 pm

I wanted to let you know that I made the cookies, with a few modifications. I thought they were great even if I didn’t include the chocolate chips. :)

http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/super-soft-pumpkin-cookies-with-cranberries-walnuts-and-orange-zest/

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AmyEDA February 6, 2010 at 8:34 am

I made pumpkin waffles for breakfast the other day and had a cup of pumpkin left over that I had to use. I looked online for pumpkin muffin recipes. Why do I go anywhere but your site Joy?? I decided to make my kids (& Husband) super happy and make these cookies for breakfast this morning. They were DELICIOUS!!! So light and yummy, easy to make. And, I scored major points giving everyone cookies for Breakfast. You were right though, they are the perfect combo of cookie, muffin, pancake & quick bread. I’ve made so many of your recipes and each one is better than the last. I’m curious if you ever make any flops?? Thanks for your great site, I LOVE it!!!

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Get Ready Dad April 22, 2010 at 12:48 am

These are out of this world… I made these for breakfast this morning and have a very happy wife right now!

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Lyn May 6, 2010 at 5:25 pm

How big are your cans of pumpkin? Being an Aussie, we don’t have canned pumpkin, so I wanted to replace with mashed butternut…

Help?!

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joythebaker May 6, 2010 at 5:50 pm

hi lyn. our cans of pumpkin are 15 ounces. mashed butternut squash would be just lovely! happy baking!

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Liz August 29, 2010 at 9:32 am

I made these last night. I used nutmeg from a spice bottle. Not fresh nutmeg. Maybe that’s what went wrong. I didn’t use enough of it either, I think. I did put in cinnamon. I don’t know. And I could barely taste the pumpkin. It was really old pumpkin, though. I mean, it is August. But they were super soft! I feel like a stalker for commenting so many entries. Oh, no! But I love your blog. I always turn to here for recipes first. *fangurl*

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