The Best Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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A fall twist on my viral brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe. These cookies have the perfect amount of cinnamon and pumpkin and are loaded with chocolate.

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Can you believe that I actually made a pumpkin cookie?! As a chocolate lover, I never really understood the pumpkin hype. I’ve never tried a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and for dessert on Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m never going for the pumpkin pie. Apple all the way! However, this year, I received quite a few requests to make a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie and I finally gave in. The best part: I don’t regret it. These cookies are amazing!

I decided to use my brown butter cookie dough base as I love the nutty flavor that brown butter brings to any recipe. I also added some cinnamon to the dough to enhance those fall flavors and really help that pumpkin flavor shine. And, of course, you all know by now that I have to add a ton of chocolate to every cookie and this recipe is no exception. I added dark chocolate chips and mini semisweet chocolate chips to the cookie dough. Flavor-wise, I think these two types of chocolate pair so well with the pumpkin, but feel free to use whatever type of chocolate is your favorite.

And the result? It’s unreal. These cookies have the perfect texture, are super soft & chewy, and bake up with some height. There’s just the right amount of pumpkin and cinnamon flavor and chocolate in every single bite. If you’re a pumpkin lover, you are going to LOVE these. If you’re like me and don’t really buy into the pumpkin hype, I still encourage you to try these because they’re really good. Not overly pumpkin at all — just the right amount that they’re the perfect, subtle fall cookie.

Read on for the full recipe for these must-bake Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Every single time I post a brown butter recipe, I try to stress just how easy it is to brown butter. If you’ve never done it before, it can seem more difficult than it actually is — but, I promise, you got this!! Once you start browning your butter, you’ll never go back. It’s such a quick and easy way to upgrade any recipe as the brown butter brings such a delicious nutty flavor that pairs so well with cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls…the list goes on and on.

To brown butter, you’ll need a light-colored saucepan. Set the pan on the stove over low to medium heat. Place the butter in the pan and let it melt completely. I like to stir my butter pretty frequently to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Once your butter has melted completely, stop stirring. Let the butter begin to bubble. Once it’s bubbling, stir it every 10 to 15 seconds to prevent sticking. Within a few minutes, the butter will begin to change in color from yellow to a golden, amber color. There will be dark flecks at the bottom of the pan — these are toasted milk solids and give the brown butter its delicious, nutty flavor.

Once the butter reaches that golden, amber color, remove it from the heat immediately. Transfer the butter into a glass measuring cup or bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes before you begin combining it with the sugars. You must let your butter cool down a bit or else it won’t mix together properly with the sugars and it ultimately will impact how your cookies bake up.

The rest of the recipe is fairly straightforward, but a few important reminders:

• Make sure you’re using 100% pure pumpkin / pumpkin puree — do not use pumpkin pie filling! You will need ½ cup of pumpkin for this recipe.
• Measure your pumpkin correctly. I highly recommend investing in an adjustable measuring cup as it makes measuring liquid ingredients so much easier!
• Let your cookie dough chill in the refrigerator. We will be using pumpkin and egg yolks in this recipe which add a ton of moisture. Chilling the dough is key!

I’ve included additional Tips for Success and answers to some FAQs in this blog post, so be sure to scroll down to see those! If you still have questions or need help walking through this recipe, send me a DM on Instagram!

Other recipes you may like:

• Brown Butter Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Mini Chocolate Dipped M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oreo Cookie Butter Lava Cookies
• Cheesecake Stuffed Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• 100% pure pumpkin / pumpkin puree – not pumpkin pie filling!
• Vanilla extract
• Egg yolks
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Cornstarch
• Ground cinnamon
• Dark chocolate chips
• Mini semisweet chocolate chips

Kitchen tools you’ll need:

• Mixing bowls
• Dry ingredient measuring cups
• Adjustable measuring cup – highly recommend for measuring the pumpkin!
• Spatula
• Whisk
• Cookie scoop – I used the medium scoop from this set that holds 1½ tbsp
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cookie turner
• Cooling rack

How to make these delicious Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

On low to medium heat, brown 1 cup unsalted butter. Remove the butter from heat when the top is foamy and the butter is amber/golden brown in color. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes before combining it with the sugars.

While the butter is cooling, combine 3½ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cornstarch, and 1 tsp cinnamon in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add 1½ cups brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and the brown butter. Whisk together until it is smooth and combined.

Add in 2 egg yolks, ½ cup pumpkin, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is fully combined and smooth.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Then, add 1½ cups dark chocolate chips and ¼ cup mini chocolate chips.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scoop out 16 equally sized dough balls. Optional, but highly recommended tip — roll the top of each cookie dough ball in a mixture of dark and mini chocolate chips.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookie dough balls on the sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are golden and the tops of the cookies still look slightly wet.

As soon as they come out of the oven, shape the cookies with a spoon, bowl, or circular cookie cutter. Top with extra chocolate chips, if desired.

Let the cookies rest for about 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips for success

• Make sure that you’re measuring your dry ingredients correctly! Before you even begin measuring your flour, take a spoon and run through it. This helps loosen up the flour and remove any clumps. Then, use a spoon and put the flour into your measuring cup. Do not scoop up the flour with your measuring cup as this will result in too much flour. If you’re like me and bake using volume measurements (cups), make sure you’re using the proper measuring cups for dry ingredients (these are the ones I use). However, if you prefer to bake using grams and weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale, you can use an online conversion calculator (like this one from Inch Calculator) to convert the recipe.
• Consider purchasing an oven thermometer. You would be surprised how often ovens are a different temperature than what they say they are set to. I’ve been experiencing this myself recently. An oven thermometer is the only way to ensure that your cookies are baked at the proper temperature. The temperature of your oven greatly impacts how your cookies bake up. If it’s too cool, your cookies will spread, the edges won’t set, and the centers of the cookies will not fully cook. If it’s too hot, you run the risk of overbaking your cookies and the tops of your cookies may be darker and a bit crispier.
• Use the bake time listed in this recipe as simply a guide. As I just said above, oven temperatures vary. Always go by how the cookies look to determine if they’re done baking. These cookies should be removed from the oven when the edges are set and lightly golden. The tops of the cookies will look mostly baked, but will still be a little bit wet on top. This is how we want them to look! They are not underbaked and will continue to bake and set on the hot pan after you remove them from the oven, I promise! Please, do not overbake your cookies.
• Two top aesthetic tips: 1) roll your cookie dough into cylinders instead of round balls. Make sure that your cookie dough balls are taller than they are wide. By doing this, the cookies will bake up nice and tall and with some thickness. 2) Roll the top of each cookie dough ball in extra chocolate chips. I like to mix the dark chocolate chips and mini semisweet chocolate chips in a bowl and dunk the top of each cookie dough ball. The toppings should be just attached — do not press them in fully. The cookies will bake up beautifully with so many extra toppings just sitting right on top. You don’t think a simple step like that would make a huge difference, but it does.

FAQs

What size cookie scoop did you use?

For this recipe, I used the medium scoop from my favorite two-pack of cookie scoops from Oxo. This scoop holds 1½ tbsp of dough, but I did a heaping scoop, so each cookie dough ball is probably just a bit larger than 1½ tbsp. I know that people like to be precise when measuring out the cookie dough, so feel free to use a scale, but I typically just eyeball them based on how many cookies I’m looking to make.

Can I make these cookies smaller or larger?

Of course! Feel free to make these cookies as small or large as you would like. Baking temperature will remain the same, but you will need to adjust the bake time. For smaller cookies, bake for 8 minutes and then monitor closely. Add 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time, as needed. For larger cookies, begin with the suggested bake time (11 to 13 minutes) and start checking them then. Add 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time, as needed.

Do I have to chill the dough?

Yes. Not only are we using melted brown butter in this recipe, but also pumpkin and egg yolks which add a lot of moisture. I highly recommend chilling your dough in the refrigerator for 60 minutes. Not only will it be easier to scoop the cookie dough balls, but all of the flavors will develop even further, creating a delicious flavor profile. If you skip this step, your cookies will not bake up with as much height and thickness.

How to store

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or bag. If freezing, set the cookies out on the counter for 20-30 minutes, or heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds, prior to consuming.

You know, for my first pumpkin recipe, I’m really impressed. The texture of these cookies is absolute perfection! They’re such nice, thick cookies that are super chewy and packed with flavor. I didn’t go overboard with the pumpkin and cinnamon, just the right amount that pairs so well with the chocolate. I’m really happy with how these turned out and hope you love them as much as I do!

If you try this recipe, share and tag me on socials using @itsbrunchoklock or #itsbrunchoklock.