Pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and deliciously spiced.
With the start of fall we welcome new routines, cooler temperatures, and the fall baking season—the best baking season! We’re talking cozy fall spices, pumpkin treats, decadent desserts, and pies galore. I always like to kick off the fall baking season with cookies—we’ve done pumpkin snickerdoodles and brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but let’s get back to basics.
These are pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in all their soft, chewy, deliciously comforting, pumpkin spice glory. Like chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin pie in one. Fall doesn’t *truly* begin until we crack open that first can of pumpkin, so let’s get started!
These Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Are:
- Extra chewy
- Soft-baked
- Quick & easy like these pumpkin donuts
- Perfectly pumpkin spiced (you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here!)
- A no chill cookies recipe, just like shortbread cookies, snickerdoodles, and giant chocolate chip cookies.
Tricks to Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
These aren’t your average cakey and crumbly pumpkin cookies. My pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are seriously CHEWY. After lots of recipe testing, here are 3 tricks to guarantee dense and chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies.
1. The Egg Trick
We’ve explored chewy pumpkin cookies at length before. Back in 2013, I discovered that pumpkin can replace eggs in cookies. (See my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.) This was a game changer for me! When both are used in cookie recipes, the resulting cookie is more cakey and less dense/chewy. By the way, for a cakey cookie, see my soft pumpkin cookies.
Things were a different story when I threw oats into the cookie dough. Testing pumpkin oatmeal cookies proved that an egg—or at least part of an egg—is necessary. Why? Without an egg, they are a little dry and crumbly because of all the oats. So in my pumpkin oatmeal cookies, I add an egg yolk. That little extra fat is perfection and the cookies remain remarkably soft and chewy.
2. Use Melted Butter
For chewy cookies, melted butter wins.
3. Blot the Pumpkin
Here’s another chewy pumpkin cookie secret. Blot your pumpkin. You see, pumpkin puree is extremely wet and extra moisture in cookie dough results in cakey cookies that spread too much. Take the 15 seconds to blot it before using. Simply measure your pumpkin puree, then squeeze out some moisture with a paper towel.
See a side-by-side cookie comparison of blotted/non-blotted pumpkin cookies in my recipe for pumpkin oatmeal cookies.
A little something extra: Add some maple syrup. I made pumpkin oatmeal cookies a few years ago and used molasses. Delicious, wonderful, superb! But maple syrup tastes even better and it doesn’t take away from the pumpkin flavor.
Baker’s tip: I suggest using a cookie scoop. I always use a cookie scoop when I make oatmeal cookies. Once you scoop each, slightly flatten them down. The cookies don’t spread *too much* but they will spread a little if you flatten it out first. Just like this:
Customize These Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies!
Want to change things up? Instead of chocolate chips, you can use white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, chopped pecans, dried cranberries, or be a total rebel and leave the pumpkin oatmeal cookies plain. There’s enough pumpkin spice (!!!) in each cookie that you don’t even need add-ins.
But those melty chocolate chips when the cookies are fresh out of the oven? I strongly encourage you to experience that magic firsthand. HAPPY FALL!!!
Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are super soft and CHEWY. These cookies will be your new favorite fall dessert!
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 1 Tablespoon (258g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups (128g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup (170g) pumpkin puree (see note)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and oats together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg yolk, blotted pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and mix everything together until completely combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop cookie dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Flatten slightly. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops—this is only for looks!
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Rubber Spatula | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg + 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice + 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves + (an extra) 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. This is in addition to the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Pumpkin: Squeeze as much of the moisture out of the pumpkin puree as you can before adding it to the cookie dough. I simply squeeze the puree with paper towels. See photo in the post for a visual. This will help produce a less cakey cookie. Less moisture is a good thing in these cookies!
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Any way to decrease butter? I’m trying to make cholesterol friendly cookies for my hubby. Would subbing in apple sauce change the texture or taste too much? Any recommendations?
Hi Michelle! We would love to help but don’t have a lot of experience with subbing out butter in recipes. These healthier pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars are a favorite if you’re interested 🙂
These are fantastic. My boys enjoyed helping me make them, and the whole family loves them. Thank you!
★★★★★
Made this for the first time today. And as usual, it was amazing. Sally, your recipes never disappoint.
These pumpkin cookies are so Yummy. Not hard to make, and I was thinking of putting a pumpkin cream cheese glaze drizzled on top.Thank you for your awesome recipes.
★★★★★
This is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made! I love the soft, chewy texture; and the taste of the pumpkin was a perfect balance with the chocolate. I usually don’t like cookies too sweet so I cut 20% of the brown sugar and it still had a nice spread. LOVE this recipe! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
These are the best cookies that I have ever made with pumpkin. I made a second batch and used golden raisins instead of chocolate chips! I don’t imagine these cookies will last very long either! Absolutely perfect recipe.
I used a medium size strainer and a paper towel folded in half to “blot the pumpkin” There is a lot of liquid in pumpkin, more than I thought! The cookies turned out perfect.
Can’t wait to bake again with all your cookie recipes! I can say that I am a huge fan and hooked for sure!
★★★★★
I only have fresh pumpkin that has been pureed. Will that work ?
Hi Annette, While canned is definitely best here, homemade puree works as well– make sure you blot out a lot of moisture before adding to the cookie dough Enjoy!
I made one batch and it was sooooo good that I used the rest of the pumpkin for a second batch…that one I mixed 1/2 butterscotch and 1/2 choc. chips. This recipe is an absolute winner!!!! I have enough cookies to share or not!
★★★★★
Very tasty cookies! Mine are not as chewy tasty or looking…. followed recipe exactly. Is it possible to over blot the pumpkin? Ooops! cuz I may have…
★★★★★
I made these with butterscotch chips and it really complimented the other flavors. I’d highly recommend that addition!!
These are literally the best cookies I’ve ever made! I made them twice now, once as traditional cookies and once as cookie bars (king arthur flour has a good article on how to convert a cookie recipe to cookie bars) and it was amazing both times. I was a little heavy handed with the cinnamon and other spices and it didn’t feel like too much. From now on I will baking these frequently from september 1st through november 30th (and probably the rest of the year too).
★★★★★