Bursting with pumpkin flavor, warm spices, nutty brown butter, and chunks of chocolate, these brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are the only cookie recipe you will need this fall! The texture is perfectly chewy with crispy edges and the flavors are warm and cozy.
I'm not tooting my own horn when I say these are the BEST pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I've ever put in my mouth. Brown butter adds a toasty, nutty flavor to these cookies. Pumpkin puree is cooked on the stovetop to remove excess moisture and intensify the pumpkin flavor.
For more cozy fall desserts, check out our pumpkin bread pudding with salted caramel and spiced sweet potato bread with pecans!
Table of Contents
Important Ingredient Notes
The detailed ingredient list with measurements is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Pumpkin puree. You want to use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin lovers, check out our pumpkin tart with meringue and one bowl pumpkin banana bread recipes next!
- Flour. All-purpose flour works best for these cookies.
- Spices. I love cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom for a robust spiced flavor. See how we use warm spices to flavor our chewy chai cookies!
- Sugar. Combining dark brown and granulated sugar adds a rich, caramel-like sweetness to these cookies.
- Eggs. One whole egg and one yolk add richness, moisture, and structure.
- Chocolate. Chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips work great in these cookies. Love chocolate? Make our chocolate chess pie next!
- Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract, not vanilla flavoring.
Variations and Substitutions
- Is someone in your home not a fan of pumpkin? Try roasted and mashed sweet potato instead. Check out our southern sweet potato pie recipe next!
- Switch up the spices with pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
- Feel free to use light brown or coconut sugar instead of dark brown sugar.
- Try making these cookies with bittersweet, dark, or white chocolate chips or chunks. Check out these pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies!
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1. Brown the butter by cooking it in a light-colored skillet for 5 to 7 minutes until the milk solids are toasted and the butter smells nutty. Transfer the butter to a glass bowl and set it in the refrigerator to cool.
Step 2. Cook the pumpkin puree over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes to remove excess moisture then cool completely.
Step 2. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside. Add the cooled brown butter and sugars to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric handheld mixer for 3 to 4 minutes until light and creamy.
Step 3. Add the cooled pumpkin, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until combined.
Step 5. Add the flour, baking soda, and spices and beat until no more streaks of dry flour are visible.
Step 6. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate pieces or chips. Use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out cookies and place them on a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Press more chocolate pieces into the tops of each cookie and bake them for 10 to 12 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
No. You may also strain the excess moisture out of the pumpkin by squeezing it in cheesecloth or paper towels over a bowl.
If your cookies turn out cakey instead of chewy you may have added too much moisture to your dough. Be sure to cook the pumpkin until it is thick and paste-like to prevent a cakey texture.
Your cookies are done when the edges are golden brown and the tops are no longer raw and glossy. The centers will appear slightly underbaked which is a good thing.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Measure your flour properly by fluffing it with a fork, using a spoon to scoop it into the measuring cup, and leveling it off with a knife. You can also use a kitchen scale for precise baking.
- If your cookies spread too much, chill the dough in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Do not sit your baking sheet on top of the stove while the oven is preheating. This will make it too warm and will cause the cookies to spread.
- Do not substitute different-sized eggs. This can affect the moisture ratio of the dough and the texture of your cookies.
- For perfectly round cookies, as soon as they come out of the oven take a glass that is larger than the cookies, place it over the cookie, and swirl it around in a circular motion. The cookies will hit the side of the glass creating a perfectly round shape.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make this cookie dough the day before, wrap the bowl tightly in plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge until ready to bake. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
Leftover brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover cookies for up to 6 months. Freeze the cookies on a cookie sheet then transfer them to a freezer bag for storage.
More Cookie Recipes You Will Love!
If you tried this Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter - sliced into 1-tablespoon sized pieces
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree - not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup dark brown sugar - or light brown
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk - room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ cups chopped semisweet chocolate - or choclate chips, divided use
Instructions
- Brown the butter by melting it in a light-colored skillet. Cook the butter, stirring constantly, until it becomes foamy and the milk solids separate and settle on the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until some foam subsides and the milk solids are brown and the butter smells intensely nutty. Immediately transfer the butter to a glass bowl and place it in the refrigerator or freezer until it is no longer warm to the touch, but still liquid.
- Cook the pumpkin puree in a small saucepan over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly, to remove excess moisture. The puree should be thick and paste-like. Transfer the puree to a bowl and place it in the fridge to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set them aside.
- Place the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric handheld mixer for 3 to 4 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add the cooled pumpkin, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and beat until combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom and beat until no more streaks of dry flour are visible. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a silicone spatula.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out cookie dough balls on the lined cookie sheets about 2-inches apart. Press the remaining chocolate into the tops of each cookie and bake the cookies in batches for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the tops are no longer raw. The centers should appear slightly underbaked. Sprinkle flaky salt on top of the warm cookies.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Measure your flour properly by fluffing it with a fork, using a spoon to scoop it into the measuring cup, and leveling it off with a knife. You can also use a kitchen scale for precise baking.
- Do not substitute different-sized eggs. This can affect the moisture ratio of the dough and the texture of your cookies.
- Do not sit your baking sheet on top of the stove while the oven is preheating. This will make it too warm and will cause the cookies to spread.
- If your cookies spread too much while baking, chill the dough balls on the baking sheet for 15 minutes in the fridge before baking.
- For perfectly round cookies, as soon as they come out of the oven take a glass that is larger than the cookies, place it over the cookie, and swirl it around in a circular motion. The cookies will hit the side of the glass creating a perfectly round shape.
- Leftover brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover cookies for up to 6 months. Freeze the cookies on a cookie sheet then transfer them to a freezer bag for storage.
Amber
Highly recommend trying this recipe if you're wanting some pumpkin essence in your chocolate chip cookies! However, the directions listed completely skipped adding the pumpkin to the mixture. Luckily, I caught it once I realized I had one ingredient still on my counter. Additionally, don't be afraid to completely brown the butter. I pulled my butter once I smelled the nuttiness and saw the fats turn darker, but pulled when it was a light brown and not a darker brown. The "brown butter" taste does not come through the batch I just made. I'll try this recipe again and let the butter turn darker; I'll update this review once complete.
Ashley Boyd
Thanks for the callout! The recipe instructions have been updated. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Ash
The brown butter takes these cookies to another level! The spices are an excellent touch and the texture is perfect.