I have been making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for years, but I have never found a recipe that I loved enough that it was worth sharing with you. That changed today, my friends. After tinkering with several recipes, I found that this one packed the most flavor and, if you have a tender hand, it also has the best texture. Not only that, but with a full cup of pumpkin, I think these cookies may actually be classified as a health food.
This was posted by my blogging friend Sherron at Simply Gourmet Photography. Don’t look at her site. Ever. Because if you do, I may lose you forever as a reader, and that would be so sad. It’s just that her pictures are sooooo compelling. Anyway, enough about her. This is about me you. And these cookies. Let’s get baking. 
Source: Simply Gourmet Photography
These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are less cake-y than other versions. They are my new favorite pumpkin cookie recipe!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine the pumpkin, sugar, butter, and egg into a mixing bowl. Using a mixer, blend together until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix BY HAND just until the dough comes together but still has spots of flour. Add the vanilla and chocolate chips and nuts (if using). Mix in gently until incorporated. DO NOT OVER MIX.
- If baking immediately: Drop by spoonful on a greased cookie sheet or baking stone lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes. They should be firm and lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Or just eat one now, if you insist. :)
- If waiting to bake: Drop by spoonful onto a wax paper lined plate and freeze for 20 minutes or until hardened. Place in a ziplock freezer bag. When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 400. Bake cookies for 8 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 and bake until firm and lightly browned, 6-8 more minutes. I prefer cooking them this way because these cookies are best the day that they are baked.
27 responses so far ↓
1 Heidi / foodiecrush // Oct 22, 2011 at 2:10 pm
I am all over this recipe, I’m with you on preferring a less cakelike texture for pumpkin cookies. Did you use fresh or canned pumpkin? And BTW, sorry lady. I’m checking out your friend’s site. But, I’ll be back
2 Jesica @ Pencil Kitchen // Oct 23, 2011 at 10:49 pm
health food indeed!
Love the amount of pumpkin in this!
3 Deena@StayatHomeFOODIE // Oct 24, 2011 at 5:07 pm
THANK YOU!!
My friend makes pumpkin chocolate chip cookies every year for our potluck Thanksgiving and she won’t give me the recipe.
Now, I don’t need her… I have you!!!
You’ve made me a very happy foodie.
4 Anna // Oct 24, 2011 at 11:36 pm
More than the delicious taste, the nutrients these treats are packed with, what excites me the most is I can have these heavenly cookies in less than an hour! Talk about all the best things in life in a cookie! Thanks for the post!
5 natalie (the sweets life) // Oct 26, 2011 at 11:46 am
i have a favorite pumpkin choc chip cookie but i think i need to try these…for research purposes…
6 Paula // Oct 26, 2011 at 11:50 am
Natalie – if your cookies are better, please do tell me! I have made so many recipes, but these are my favorite so far. I am open to other recipes too, though!
7 Sarah // Oct 26, 2011 at 3:20 pm
So.. this recipe looks amazing.. but you only give an oven temp for baking frozen cookies, not if you’re baking them right away…
8 Paula // Oct 26, 2011 at 5:26 pm
If you want to cook the cookies right away, cook them at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Sorry about the exclusion in the recipe! I simply love making the recipe after the cookies have been frozen.
9 Sarah // Oct 26, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Lol, no worries. Thanks!!!
10 Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 // Oct 27, 2011 at 8:27 am
I’ve been looking for a less cake-y pumpkin cookie recipe. I’m so glad I don’t have to search anymore. (Or try out a bunch of lame ones.)
11 Russell at Chasing Delicious // Oct 27, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Yum! You’re speaking right to my heart. I love all things cookies and these pumpkin cookies look soo good.
12 Alexis // Oct 27, 2011 at 6:35 pm
I just made your cookies! They came out great! I like that they’re more crispy than other recipes. Bringing them to my work Halloween party tomorrow
Thanks!
13 Trina // Oct 28, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Wow! These are delicious! Thanks for sharing!
14 Lexi // Oct 31, 2011 at 12:46 pm
I just baked your cookies–YUM!
Except I definitely baked them at the frozen temperature, not the just made temperature, whoops!
Also, you have milk in the ingredients but never use it in the recipe. I just excluded it because I wasn’t sure if you meant to have it in there…?
Thanks for the yummy recipe!
15 Paula // Oct 31, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Lexi – So glad you liked them!
The original recipe called for 1 tsp of milk, but i thought to myself, “What difference does that make?” and took it out… but forgot to take it out when writing the recipe. Whoops! 
16 Kari // Nov 1, 2011 at 2:02 pm
My son who hates anything with a vegetable in it, loves these cookies (as do the rest of us too)! Thanks.
17 rose // Nov 2, 2011 at 10:42 am
These are exactly what i’ve been searching for! I don’t like “cakey” cookies. I’m going to tinker with it & add some orange zest & some candied ginger & maybe some cardamom.
18 natalie // Nov 5, 2011 at 6:09 pm
I dont see anywhere on here where it says what temp the oven needs to be at if you are baking them right away. I’m assuming 350? I have them sitting here waiting to go in the oven. I’m hoping 350 is t he right temp!!
19 Heather // Nov 6, 2011 at 10:29 am
I made these yesterday and really like how they turned out. Not too cake-y and very pumpkin-y
I’m doing a post on pumpkin choc chip cookies on my blog, and linked it to here… as I used this recipe but modified it just a bit 
Thanks for posting these!
20 Nancy // Nov 7, 2011 at 8:02 pm
Mine came out cakey and plump…what is the secret to crispy and flat?
21 Pediatrician + Baker on the side :) // Nov 24, 2011 at 10:06 am
Yum! Just came out of the oven and cooling before they get devoured at Thanksgiving dinner! Thanks!!!
22 Mel K // Nov 30, 2011 at 1:11 pm
YUM! Mine were a bit cakey too. I made the following changes: used oil (maybe that is why they were cakey?), decreased sugar, added abt. 3TBS Nutella, used only 1c of chocolate chips and used mini ones. VERY yummy!
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24 Gigi // Sep 16, 2012 at 11:07 am
Recommend semi sweet or milk chocolate chips?
25 Gigi // Sep 16, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Just made them with semisweet and they were awesome.
26 Paula // Sep 17, 2012 at 5:46 pm
So glad you came up with an answer! I was away from my computer this weekend, but I am glad you asked this question because now I remember how much I love these cookies and how I need to make them again soon!
27 Jessika // Oct 12, 2012 at 12:03 pm
To make them even more healthy, I substituted the flour for organic whole wheat pastry flour, and the cup of sugar with 1/2 a cup of organic dark brown sugar and only 1/4 cup of sugar. Delicious and good for you!