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The BEST Chewy Pumpkin Chip Cookies

September 30, 2014 by thedomesticrebel | 32 Comments

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chewy pumpkin chip cookiesCan you believe there was a time when I disliked pumpkin?

I know. It’s like I was abducted by aliens or under some terrible influence of pumpkin-hating hallucinogens or something. Thank goodness I found my way down the appropriate pumpkin-loving path because had I not, I would have never discovered the joy that are these cookies.

A couple weeks ago, a reader named Holly wanted to know if I had a recipe for a chewy pumpkin cookie. Pumpkin cookies are notoriously soft and cakey since pumpkin tends to have the tendency to fluff and cake-ify things once its baked inside. While cakey pumpkin cookies are good, they’re more muffin-tops than cookies and it’s kind of a let-down when you want something soft and chewy… a real deal cookie.

So with my personal challenge ahead of me, I sought to create the perfect chewy pumpkin cookie. And folks, I have a winner!!

chewy pumpkin chip cookies arranged on a baking sheetThis cookie has the texture of a chocolate chip cookie: soft and chewy, with slightly crispy edges that’s packed with buttery goodness in every bite. It has the perfect chips-to-cookie ratio and is the perfect size and plushness.. you won’t even get cookies this perfect in a bakery, I promise you that! And the pumpkin flavor, while present, isn’t overpowering — this would be a great “intro to pumpkin” cookie for a skeptic. Sweet, buttery, spicy and rich, these cookies fit the bill of perfection.

Easily enough, they’re adapted ever-so-slightly from my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. Since my Chocolate Chip Cookies are my favorite (and the best, in my oh-so humble opinion), I knew I’d be able to tweak this base recipe to make a perfect pumpkin cookie as well. Here are the main differences:

* this recipe has no egg, simply because eggs tend to fluff things up, too. The pumpkin has plenty of moisture, so it replaces the egg in this recipe.

* there’s a higher sugar to brown sugar ratio. Why? Brown sugar tends to soften and moisten cookie dough which is why I adore it in my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, but why I switch up the ratios for this particular cookie. Don’t get me wrong; these cookies are soft and chewy — but by using more granulated white sugar, it helps cut down how cakey and chewy they may be had I used all brown sugar.

* the butter is melted rather than softened. Softened butter tends to lend to a creamier (read: moister!) cookie, so melted butter helps cookies with spreading. While these don’t spread much, I was aiming in that direction since I wanted them to be flatter (read: crisper!) than puffy and cakey. It worked! However, you do still need to chill these for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to baking.

chewy pumpkin chip cookies stacked on blue and white plateAnd a family friend deemed these the best cookies she’s ever tasted. Ever. And has already requested me to make another batch. So clearly, these cookies are awful 😉

So, friends. The wait is OVER! Cakey pumpkin cookies no more. Introducing the BEST Chewy Pumpkin Chip Cookie. You’re welcome!

chewy pumpkin chip cookies arranged on a blue and white plate

*adapted from my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe

4.8 from 5 reviews
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The BEST Chewy Pumpkin Chip Cookies
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel
Recipe type: Cookies
Prep time:  1 hour
Cook time:  10 mins
Total time:  1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 24
 
Nothing says "fall" quite like pumpkin, but pumpkin cookies tend to be cakey and more muffin-top like than cookies... until now. These soft and chewy cookies have a cookie texture you'll LOVE and are packed with pumpkin flavor and sweet white chips for contrast and flavor. They've been deemed a friend's FAVORITE cookie EVER, and I know they'll be yours too!
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup white granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ⅛ tsp nutmeg
  • Pinch cloves
  • Pinch ginger
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips (may also use cinnamon chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, seasonal pumpkin chips, or semi-sweet chocolate chips if desired)
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with the paddle attachment, beat together the melted butter, white sugar and brown sugar until combined. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin to combine. Lastly, add in the spices, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and flour until a soft dough has formed. Stir in the chips.
  2. Refrigerate the cookie dough for AT LEAST 30 minutes, up to 1 day, until chilled. (I typically refrigerate mine for at least an hour). Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with silicone liners or mist the baking sheets with cooking spray.
  3. Drop rounded Tablespoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheets, about 1" apart. Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time. Cookies may appear slightly puffy and underdone, but do NOT overbake! Absolutely do not cook them longer than 10 minutes; the cookies will continue to cook slightly on the baking sheets as they cool.
  4. Remove the cookies from the oven. If cookies are puffy, slightly flatten them with the bottom of a glass. Top with a couple of remaining chips, if you'd like (to make them look pretty). Let them sit on the baking sheets for about 10-15 minutes before carefully transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
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chewy pumpkin chip cookies stacked on white background

chewy pumpkin chip cookies stacked up close to show textureI love how easy and versatile this recipe is! Who knew pumpkin cookie dough could be a new staple cookie dough base?! Feel free to substitute other flavored chips to change up the flavor, or add in chopped nuts or dried fruit for a different texture. Cranberry + white chocolate chips would be festive for Christmas, even — or peanut butter chips and chopped honey roasted peanuts! Even chopped candy, like Butterfinger or candy corn, would make an excellent and delicious mix-in for this one-of-a-kind, perfect pumpkin cookie!

chewy pumpkin chip cookiesHave a fantastical day!!

xo, Hayley

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Comments

  1. Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says

    September 30, 2014 at 6:48 am

    Woah these look seriously YUMMMY! Gotta try this recipe

    Reply
  2. Faith @ Pixie Dust Kitchen says

    September 30, 2014 at 6:50 am

    Pumpkin + white chocolate is one of my favorite combos! I love that these are soft and chewy rather than cakey!

    Reply
  3. LauriM says

    September 30, 2014 at 10:25 am

    I don’t know if I’ve ever had a chewy pumpkin cookie so I’m really excited to make these! I think I am going to use cinnamon chips for even more spicy goodness.

    Reply
  4. Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says

    September 30, 2014 at 11:08 am

    Finally a chewy pumpkin cookie! These look perfect!

    Reply
  5. Teresa says

    September 30, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    These look so wonderful. I really need to put these on my Christmas cookie list.

    Reply
  6. Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says

    September 30, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    So these totally TOTALLY look like the best pumpkin cookies ever. Duhlishious!!!

    Reply
  7. Jill @ KitchenFunWithMy3Sons says

    September 30, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    These look fantastic!

    Reply
  8. Stephanie @ Back For Seconds says

    September 30, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    These really do look like the perfect pumpkin cookies! I was the same way about pumpkin for a looooong time. It was never my favorite, but now I kind of love it!

    Reply
  9. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says

    September 30, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    These look perfect!!!

    Reply
  10. Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says

    October 1, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    I distinctly remember not liking pumpkin when I was little simply because the inside of a pumpkin looks super gross when you are like, 7, and trying to carve a jack o lantern. Thank goodness I got over that. 🙂 These cookies look AWESOME, Hayley! Chewy chip cookies are a classic, and pumpkin just makes them even better.

    Reply
  11. Jan says

    October 15, 2014 at 11:52 am

    Just curious….Why can’t the pumpkin pie mix be used?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 16, 2014 at 11:53 am

      Hi Jan! Pumpkin pie mix often has sugar and other ingredients mixed into it, lending it a runnier and different consistency than regular, straight pumpkin puree. I don’t know that the end product would work out well with the pie filling, and it would be super sweet since the pie filling is pre-sweetened. However, if you give it a try, let me know how it turns out! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Renee @ Awesome on $20 says

    October 19, 2014 at 11:04 pm

    You’re a genius. Pumpkin cookies are always puffy, but these look awesome! A million high fives.

    Reply
  13. Haylea says

    October 22, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    I just made this recipe and it is currently chilling! I just realized there is no eggs? I have never made cookies without eggs..does the puree somehow replace that? Just curious! thank you!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 26, 2014 at 12:54 pm

      Hi Haylea! Yep, there’s purposefully no eggs in this particular recipe. Because pumpkin is so moist, if you were to add eggs it would turn the cookies cake-like. Omitting the eggs helps give them a chewier, chocolate-chip cookie texture 🙂 I hope you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  14. p says

    November 17, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    I made these cookies this morning, following the recipe to a “T”. They are not chewy, they are not moist, no taste of pumpkin can not be detected. They are cakey (I pressed them as instructed). They are puffy and look nothing like the images above. Is it possible an ingredient or a step was left out when the recipe was typed? I am so disappointed! From this point on, I will stick with tried & true recipes.

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      November 19, 2014 at 6:45 pm

      Hi Pam! I’m so sorry you didn’t have great success with this recipe! I have tried it multiple times, as have plenty of other readers, and we’ve all had great successes so far. I will double check my recipe to ensure it’s nothing on my end, but otherwise I’m sorry yours didn’t turn out as expected.

      Reply
  15. Blair says

    November 22, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    I followed the instructions and after finding the dough to dry I added another 1/4 cup of Pumpkin. It solved the minor issue and the cookie turned out great.

    Reply
  16. giddymom says

    December 9, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    Hi! I love reading all your comments about baking. Today I made your pumpkin white chip cookies. They came out hard and dry. I followed your recipe step by step. I doubled the batch.

    Reply
  17. Amy says

    September 27, 2015 at 5:49 am

    I made these last night. I added more nutmeg. Soo yummy! Crunchy on the outside, moist center. My new go to pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!!!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      September 27, 2015 at 8:59 am

      Amy, I’m so glad you loved them! They’re one of my seasonal favorites!

      Reply
  18. Kristy says

    October 4, 2015 at 4:17 am

    I’m not sure what went wrong, but the cookie dough was extremely dry, almost like powder. It seemed like 1/4 cup of pumpkin is not enough. I had to add a couple tablespoons of milk to get it to form into a dough. Are the measurements correct? I feel something is missing.

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 4, 2015 at 6:06 pm

      Kristy, I’ll take another look at it and see if my measurements are correct. Not sure what went wrong on your end unfortunately. Thanks!

      Reply
  19. Laurie says

    October 24, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    These are sublime. Thank you!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 25, 2015 at 12:53 pm

      Laurie, so glad you loved them!

      Reply
  20. Jen says

    October 25, 2015 at 11:08 am

    I’m glad I found this recipe. I always add a little bit more vanilla than called, but other than that, I followed the recipe without using any chocolate chips. They are moist and chewy! I did use a tablespoon-sized scoop to make sure they were uniform and then baked them for 4 minutes and then turned my pan around for 4 more minutes of baking. I used the bottom of a glass when they came out to make them flat. PERFECTION!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 25, 2015 at 12:52 pm

      So glad they turned out perfectly for you, Jen!

      Reply
  21. Annie says

    October 26, 2016 at 10:56 am

    Tried the cookies as we have a cookie contest at work and it’s close to Halloween!
    I’m bringing the cookies tomorrow to my colleagues. My partner has tried them (he’s the guinneapig) and he told me it’s a winner 🙂 let’s see about that tomorrow!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 26, 2016 at 1:44 pm

      Woo! Thanks Annie!

      Reply
  22. Yarah says

    October 21, 2017 at 11:24 am

    I make these EVERY year around fall, and sometimes even throughout the year. I’m always amazed on not only the taste but the fact it’s actually chewy!! These instantly became a staple for my family. Thanks for the recipe 🙂

    Reply
  23. Brandy says

    September 20, 2021 at 6:27 pm

    Made these today and husband said they were the best cookies he has had in years!! Loved them

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Chocolate Cookie Cups with Peanut Butter Cheesecake Frosting and National Dessert Month with California Milk and Tieks! | The Domestic Rebel says:
    October 6, 2014 at 1:00 am

    […] I use the most would have to be dairy. Think about it: I can’t very well have successful cookies without butter, or moist banana bread with yogurt. And cheesecake without cream cheese? […]

    Reply

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About me

Welcome to The Domestic Rebel! My name is Hayley and I am the 31-year old writer, photographer, recipe developer, taste-tester and creator of this blog. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my little slice of sprinkly, butter-laden heaven on the interwebs. If it wasn’t apparent, I like to bake… a lot. Read More…

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