Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips in every bite! They’re thick, hearty, perfectly chewy, and not at all cakey.
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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
These pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are soft, thick, hearty, perfectly chewy and not cakey, which is a problem that often plagues pumpkin cookies. I love pumpkin cake, muffins, and bread but I don’t like cakey cookies.
To combat the cakiness, there’s no egg in the recipe. Eggs make things fluffier, but pumpkin puree does that naturally much like bananas do.
There’s oodles of chocolate in every bite, and the rich pumpkin flavor just shines. Between the molasses and pumpkin pie spice, these oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are bursting with fall flavors.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
For these oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Pumpkin puree
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Molasses
- Vanilla extract
- Old-fashioned oats
- All-purpose flour
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Chocolate chips
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These oat pumpkin chocolate chip cookies come together in no time! Just make sure to allow time for the dough to chill before baking it.
Here’s a look at how the cookies are made:
- Whisk together the wet ingredients with the two kinds of sugar.
- Stir in the dry ingredients, then gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls and place on a tray or plate. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days.
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, bake on a parchment paper-lined baking tray for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges have set.
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking tray before removing them to cool on a wire rack.
Recipe FAQs
I’ve only made this recipe as individual pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but I think they’d be fine to bake as bars. You’d likely need to use an 8×8-inch pan, but I can’t say for certain.
No, do NOT use blackstrap molasses as it’s far too strong in flavor. You want to use a mild to medium flavored molasses to make this recipe. Grandma’s brand or something similar is ideal.
No, you should use old-fashioned (rolled) oats in these pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and not instant oats. Instant oats have a different texture and they’d dry out the cookie dough.
Be my guest! So far, readers have said they’ve made these pumpkin oatmeal cookies with white chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, craisins, and cinnamon chips — all of which sound amazing! Just make sure to add only 1 cup of mix-ins total, otherwise these cookies won’t be the right texture.
If you want to make regular pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, follow this recipe. I’ve made those cookies so many times and know they work perfectly as written.
For classic pumpkin oatmeal cookies, follow this recipe. Again, I’ve made it many times and know that it works.
Most likely, yes. However, homemade pumpkin puree usually contains more moisture than canned. To fix this, thoroughly blot the pumpkin puree with paper towels before adding to therecipe.
Yes, you can freeze both raw cookie dough and baked cookies.To freeze the cookie dough, shape the dough into balls and then seal in a freezer bag. You can bake the dough from frozen (do not thaw), but you’ll likely need to add an extra few minutes to the total bake time.
To freeze the baked cookies, let them first cool completely before sealing them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to enjoy them, either reheat them in the oven or microwave, or set them on your counter to thaw.
Tips for Making Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Pumpkin puree: Make sure you’re using pure pumpkin puree for these pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and not canned pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is sweetened and will throw off the flavor of these cookies.
Spice amounts: I thought these cookies were perfectly spiced as is, but you’re welcome to add additional pumpkin pie spice to the dough if you find the flavor lacking.
Bake time: You’ll want to take these cookies out of the oven while the tops still look a little glossy. The residual heat from the oven will finish cooking the inside without making these cookies dry or cakey.
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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup pumpkin puree, use the remainder in these recipes
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon mild or medium-flavored molasses, not blackstrap, too intense
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla or pumpkin pie spice extract
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned whole-rolled oats, not quick-cook or instant
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, a mixture of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
- Add the pumpkin puree, sugars, molasses, vanilla or pumpkin pie spice extract, and whisk to combine until smooth.
- Add the oats, flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt, and stir until just combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 13 equal-sized mounds of dough and flatten slightly.*
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 12 to 14 minutes (12 1/2 minutes is perfect in my oven), or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies — Between the molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin pie spice extract that I used, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies beautifully showcase the flavors of fall!
Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies — Soft and pillowy pumpkin cookies that are chock full of pumpkin spice and everything nice! The icing takes these cookies over the top. An EASY pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe that does NOT require any dough chilling, making these a FAST treat to whip up!
Buttery Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies – Buttery soft dough with big chunky pecans in every bite! Salty-and-sweet and so hard to resist!
Soft and Puffy Pumpkin Spice Honey Cookies – Super soft cookies that just melt in your mouth! You’re going to love these puffy cuties!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies – Soft, tender cookies with a sweet buttercream filling! Easy and irresistible!
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies — Soft, chewy, loads of white chocolate, and so much pumpkin flavor!! A pinch of salt balances the sweet white chocolate for a salty-and-sweet treat!!
Cooking With Pumpkin: Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie is my second cookbook and was released October, 2014. There’s over 50 pumpkin recipes including sweets, savory, drinks, and a photo for nearly every recipe. I’d be super grateful if you headed over to Amazon.
Originally published September 25, 2015. Updated for clarity September 20, 2019.