Every fall I find myself coming back to these brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and wondering why I ever bake anything else. Thick, chewy, loaded with real pumpkin and rich chocolate, and built on a base of nutty brown butter, these are everything a fall cookie should be and nothing like the cakey pumpkin cookies you may have had before.
The secret to getting pumpkin cookies chewy instead of cakey? Brown the butter and blot as much moisture as possible from the pumpkin puree. It takes a few extra paper towels, but it’s what gives you those thick, bakery-style cookies with chewy centers and golden edges.
👉 NOTE: If you ARE looking for classic cakey pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, we have the BEST recipe for those!
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Actually chewy: No fluffy, cakey pumpkin cookies here.
- Brown butter: Adds a deep, nutty flavor that works ridiculously well with pumpkin and chocolate.
- Real pumpkin: You get genuine pumpkin flavor without sacrificing cookie texture.
- No chilling required: Once the brown butter has cooled, you can mix, scoop and bake.
- Bakery-style: Thick centers, golden edges and big pools of melty chocolate.
Ingredients You’ll Need
A few simple ingredients and two important techniques are what make these pumpkin cookies so chewy. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Unsalted Butter: Browned until golden and nutty, it gives the cookies their rich, toasted flavor.
- Pumpkin Puree: Blotting away the excess moisture gives you pumpkin flavor without a cakey cookie.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds molasses flavor, moisture and chewiness.
- Sugar: Helps create those lightly crisp, golden edges.
- Egg Yolks: Using yolks without the whites keeps the cookies rich and chewy instead of fluffy.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the pumpkin, spices and brown butter.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure for a thick, substantial cookie.
- Pumpkin Spice + Cinnamon: Gives the cookies plenty of warm fall spice.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies spread and brown without becoming puffy.
- Fine Sea Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the brown butter and chocolate.
- Chocolate: Use chopped