The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
This cookie recipe is so perfect for fall! The classic combination of pumpkin and chocolate chips is absolutely irresistible… Especially when combined together in these soft and chewy cookies! They're full of sweet pumpkin flavor and cozy cinnamon, and every bite simply melts in your mouth. Leftover cookies will keep for close to a week (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- ¾ cup (183g) pumpkin purée (room temperature – and NOT pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup or agave (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (divided)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, pumpkin, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup or agave. Add the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 12 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly, and press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the cookie dough. Bake at 325°F for 15-17 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Be very careful when measuring the flour! Use this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will make your cookies cakey, bready, or dry instead of moist, soft, and chewy.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: This cookie dough spreads a little, but not very much. If you prefer wider and thinner cookies, flatten the dough a little more before baking. (Flatten to no less than half of the rounded scoops’ original heights.) See the video above!
Do not overbake these cookies! They’re done baking when the centers still feel soft and underdone. The heat from the metal baking sheet will continue to cook the centers all the way through while you let them rest for 10 minutes at the end of Step 3. (If you bake them for too long, your cookies will turn out with a cakey or bready texture.)
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free if necessary!) may also be substituted, but be very careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours.
CORNSTARCH NOTE: The cornstarch helps keep these cookies soft and chewy. I haven't tried substituting anything for it. You may omit it, but your cookies won't be quite as soft and chewy.
COCONUT OIL / BUTTER ALTERNATIVES + NOTE: Stick-style vegan butter may be substituted for the coconut oil or unsalted butter. For stick-style vegan butter, I really like this one and this one. (← I was surprised by how well that one melted in the microwave. It didn’t splatter or pop at all like some other brands do!)
I do not recommend substituting additional pumpkin for the coconut oil or butter. That will give your cookies a more cakey, bready, or dry texture.
PUMPKIN PURÉE NOTES: Use regular canned pumpkin purée (also called 100% pure pumpkin). I don’t recommend substituting pumpkin pie mix! It contains added sugar, spices, and other ingredients, so it behaves differently in this recipe. I haven’t personally tried using homemade pumpkin purée, but I have a feeling it should work.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: For the best pumpkin flavor, use agave instead of pure maple syrup. Honey may be substituted for either the agave or pure maple syrup. Do not substitute sugar-free maple syrup. It's generally water-based, which makes these cookies cakey and bread-like. It also prevents them from spreading.
Coconut sugar, light brown sugar, or granulated sugar may be substituted as well. However, when made with any of these, the cookie dough does not spread at all while baking, so you'll need to flatten the rounded scoops of cookie dough on the baking sheets before placing them in the oven. The cookies also tend to bake faster and are generally done in about 13-15 minutes instead.
EGG-FREE, DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN OPTION: Use coconut oil instead of unsalted butter. Alternatively, use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one). Use vegan-friendly miniature chocolate chips (I like these).
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE PUMPKIN COOKIES: Store your pumpkin cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for close to a week, if not longer!
Do NOT store these at room temperature! Because of the high moisture content of pumpkin, they turn moldy really quickly if stored at room temperature. Keep them refrigerated until ready to eat.
These cookies also freeze and thaw really well! I like to thaw individual cookies in the microwave on 30% power until warmed all the way through. I think they almost taste freshly baked when reheated like that!
{gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.