Nothing says Autumn is in full swing more than Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Every year I look forward to fall and the pumpkin spice elements for many reasons. While I’m not as invested as some in their Pumpkin Spice Lattes (I’m very picky about my coffee!) I love being able to switch over to new flavors in the fall as new produce ripens in the garden.
Summer is full of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers whereas my fall garden really lets my squashes shine. I grow a variety of squashes in both the summer and winter varieties and when it comes to my pumpkins I like to grow a mix as well. I love big Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins to display for fall decor (and see how big they can get). I enjoy having some Wee-B-Little pumpkins to keep in the kitchen. And I always make sure I have enough sugar pumpkin types to eat throughout the fall and winter.
I’ll have future directions on how to store pumpkins and how to process them for an even longer winter storage period. I’ll also provide future recipes on how else to use pumpkins in your cooking besides just having desserts. Keep an eye out for these!
When the first sugar pumpkins come in I love making a fresh batch of these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies because they are so easy to make and easy to adapt to specific tastes or allergies. You only need 3 ingredients to complete these cookies on their fastest level: Cake Mix, Pumpkin Puree, and Chocolate chips.
Most people use a spice flavor of cake mix when making these cookies because it just simplifies the recipe even further by premixing the cake ingredients and spices. However, any cake mix will do as long as you add the necessary spices (which is great in a pinch when the store is out of spice cake mix).
My favorite go to cake mix when not using the spice flavor is a yellow cake mix. I use this most often when baking for a family gathering because my mom has an allergy to cinnamon. By taking the spice cake mix out and using a yellow cake mix instead I can add my spices in later and eliminate the cinnamon altogether or make sure to set aside some batter for some non cinnamon cookies. (I usually just omit it since I don’t notice a massive difference in the cookies without it. It still tastes like fall to me.)
If you are mixing spices in independently, the commonly used ones are Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Ground Cloves, and Nutmeg.
I also occasionally add in a couple of scoops of protein powder to the cookie dough if I’m interested in making the cookies more health friendly. I find that 2-4 scoops does not affect the taste or texture at all.
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- After preheating your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Add your cake mix to a bowl. I like to give it a sift or a whisk before I add wet ingredients to remove any clumps. If you are adding spices or protein powder this will be a necessary step to ensure the ingredients are even distributed.
- Add in the pumpkin puree and mix with the dry ingredients well.
- Next add in your chocolate chips or other types of toppings and give it one last mix.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet. If you want 2-3 inch cookies, scoop out 24 servings across two baking sheets. For larger cookies scoop 12 servings on 2 baking sheets. The cookies will spread out so extra space is needed.
- If you bake 24 cookies, bake for 13-15 minutes, if you bake 12 cookies, bake them for 20-30 minutes. Then check for doneness with a toothpick or a butter knife. You’ll know they are done when the toothpick or knife comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack then enjoy!
Tips for Storing
Due to the cake batter these cookies will become wet and sticky if you store them in a completely air tight and small container. For best results keep in a larger container with a small amount of ventilation.
Additional Notes:
If you are using homemade pumpkin puree note that it will be more watery than store bought puree. Either take the time to wring out extra water or use a little bit of extra flour to accommodate for this difference.
Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15-30 minutes Serving Size: 12-24 (depending on size)
Ingredients
- 15 oz of Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Box Cake Mix (Spice if you don’t want to add spices, or any kind if you will add spices)
- 1.5 Cups of Chocolate chips
Optional Ingredients:
- Cinnamon
- Ground Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Ground Ginger
- Nuts
- Protein Power
- Vanilla Extract
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add your cake mix to a bowl. I like to give it a sift or a whisk before I add wet ingredients to remove any clumps. If you are adding spices or protein powder this will be a necessary step to ensure the ingredients are even distributed.
- Add in the pumpkin puree and mix with the dry ingredients well.
- Next add in your chocolate chips or other types of toppings and give it one last mix.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet. If you want 2-3 inch cookies, scoop out 24 servings across two baking sheets. For larger cookies scoop 12 servings on 2 baking sheets. The cookies will spread out so extra space is needed.
- If you bake 24 cookies, bake for 13-15 minutes, if you bake 12 cookies, bake them for 20-30 minutes. Then check for doneness with a toothpick or a butter knife. You’ll know they are done when the toothpick or knife comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack then enjoy!
- Storing: Due to the cake batter these cookies will become wet and sticky if you store them in a completely air tight and small container. For best results keep in a larger container with a small amount of ventilation.