Easy Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

ByLisa Posted
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Soft, fluffy, and loaded with cozy fall flavor — these Easy Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies are everything you love about autumn wrapped up in a bite-sized treat. Think melty chocolate chips, golden edges, and a pillowy pumpkin center that makes your kitchen smell like a farmhouse bakery on a crisp October morning.

This recipe takes simple pantry staples (plus a scoop of pumpkin purée) and transforms them into cookies that are part cake, part cookie, and totally irresistible. They’re the kind you bake on repeat until your family starts asking if there’s a “cookie season.”

Freshly baked pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies cooling on a wire rack, golden brown and studded with mini chocolate chips.

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

  • Soft & Fluffy, Not Flat: The pumpkin purée keeps the dough pillowy, giving you a soft, almost cake-like cookie that melts in your mouth.
  • Perfectly Spiced: A full tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice infuses every bite with cinnamon-ginger warmth. Don’t have any? Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice with basic pantry spices in just a few minutes.
  • Chocolate Chips in Every Bite: Semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips create gooey pockets of sweetness that play beautifully with the spiced pumpkin base.
  • Quick & Easy: Two bowls, a whisk, and a baking sheet — no mixer required.
  • Farmhouse Kitchen Approved: Grab my Free Spice List Printable to stock your pantry so you’re never caught without the basics for fall baking.

Ingredients

Overhead view of labeled ingredients for pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies, including flour, sugar, pumpkin purée, avocado oil, egg, milk, vanilla, pumpkin spice, chocolate chips, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in small bowls on a kitchen counter.
  • Flour: All-purpose flour, sifted for a lighter texture.
  • Pumpkin pie spice: Store-bought or my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice blend for the best flavor.
  • Baking powder & baking soda: A combo that helps these cookies puff up soft and fluffy.
  • Salt: Fine sea salt balances the sweetness.
  • Sugar: Granulated sugar gives the cookies their classic sweetness and tender crumb.
  • Avocado oil: A neutral oil that keeps the cookies moist without overpowering the pumpkin.
  • Milk: Just a splash to loosen the batter.
  • Egg: Large, ideally room temperature.
  • Pumpkin purée: Canned or homemade, well-drained for the perfect consistency.
  • Chocolate chips: I like to use mini semi-sweet chips so you get a little chocolate in every bite.
Dozens of soft pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies arranged neatly on a cooling rack after baking.

Recipe Tips

  • Keep It Fluffy: Don’t overmix once you add the flour; gentle stirring keeps the cookies tender.
  • They Firm Up as They Cool: These cookies are soft right out of the oven, but set beautifully as they cool.
  • Freezer-Friendly: Cool cookies completely, then freeze in a single layer. They thaw soft and delicious.
Pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookie broken in half to show its soft, fluffy inside with melted chocolate chips

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat the oven: 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  1. In a large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients: first, combine the oil and sugar until smooth. Then, add milk, egg, and pumpkin purée. Whisk again until creamy and glossy.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet just until no streaks remain. Fold in chocolate chips. (The dough will be soft and a little bit sticky.)
  4. Drop heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between cookies. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the tops are set and no longer glossy. Mine takes 10 minutes.
  5. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool slightly before eating. Makes about 30 cookies.

Add-ins & Variations

  • Chopped nuts: Fold in ½ cup pecans or walnuts for extra crunch and a classic fall flavor.
  • White chocolate chips: Swap some or all of the semi-sweet for white chocolate chips for a creamy twist.
  • Maple or caramel chips: Stir in a handful for a sweet fall spin.
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas): Sprinkle on top before baking for a pretty look and subtle crunch.
  • Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour.

Dairy-free option:
– Replace the tablespoon of milk with any plant-based milk (almond, oat, soy, coconut, etc.).
– Choose dairy-free chocolate chips (many brands offer them).

Egg substitute:
– Use 1 “flax egg” (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, mixed and rested 5 minutes).
– Or ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce per egg for a softer cookie.

FAQ

Yep! Homemade works great. Just make sure it’s well-drained so your dough doesn’t get too soft.

Nope. This dough is ready to bake right after you mix it. Chilling isn’t necessary because the pumpkin keeps the cookies soft and fluffy.

Sure can. Melted butter will give a richer, slightly denser cookie, but still totally delicious.

Yes. Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend instead of all-purpose flour and check your chocolate chips for gluten-free certification.

Once they’re cool, pop them in a container for up to 3 days on the counter. Freeze for up to 3 months if you want to bake ahead.

Absolutely. Scoop the dough into cookie-sized pieces, then freeze them until firm. Transfer the frozen dough to a bag. Bake straight from frozen, just add a minute or two to the bake time.

Pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies on a wire rack viewed from above, showing their golden pumpkin color and chocolate chips throughout.

The Perfect Fall Cookie

Picture this: a cool breeze drifting through the kitchen window, a mug of coffee on the counter, and a tray of warm, soft pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies cooling on the rack.

They’re tender, perfectly spiced, and dotted with gooey chocolate — everything you want in an autumn treat. Bake a batch for a cozy afternoon snack or double it for your next fall gathering. Either way, these cookies will earn a spot in your seasonal rotation.

More Fall Favorites

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and cake-like pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies made with real pumpkin purée, warm spices, and plenty of chocolate chips. A quick, fall treat that bakes up fluffy, golden, and full of cozy flavor.
Makes about 30 cookies.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls (one large, one small)
  • Whisk or wooden spoon
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Cookie scoop or spoon for portioning

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup avocado (or another neutral oil)
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin (or homemade pumpkin purée)

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice*
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven: 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients: first, combine the oil and sugar until smooth. Then, add milk, egg, vanilla and pumpkin purée. Whisk again until creamy and glossy.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  • Stir the dry ingredients into the wet just until no streaks remain. Fold in chocolate chips. (The dough will be soft and a little bit sticky.)
  • Drop heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between cookies. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the tops are set and no longer glossy. Mine takes 10 minutes.
  • Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool slightly before eating. Makes about 30 cookies.

Notes

*No pumpkin pie spice? Make your own with my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe — it’s so easy!
Dairy-free option:
– Replace the tablespoon of milk with any plant-based milk (almond, oat, soy, coconut, etc.).
– Choose dairy-free chocolate chips (many brands offer them).
Egg substitute:
– Use 1 “flax egg” (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, mixed and rested 5 minutes).
– Or ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce per egg for a softer cookie.
 

A northern Michigan homesteader sharing from-scratch recipes and simple skills for practical, seasonal living.

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