Soft and Chewy Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These brown butter pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are phenomenal. Simple and so delicious, they bake up soft and chewy instead of thick and cakey.
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are always good, but this version is made brilliantly better with brown butter, oats, and a magic formula that produces the perfect soft and chewy cookie.
Brown Butter Cookie Dough
I promise it is worth the extra step to brown butter for these cookies. And it’s easy! Here is a quick tutorial. In short, you want to melt butter over medium heat until it simmers, foams, bubbles, and the milk solids in the butter turn caramelly brown and golden.
Immediately pour the brown butter and start adding the other ingredients (no need to let it cool).
- canned pumpkin
- brown and granulated sugars
- egg yolk
- cinnamon + nutmeg + ginger
- baking powder + baking soda + salt
- flour
- old-fashioned oats and quick oats (for the perfect texture)
- chocolate chips
Note about the egg yolk: using just the egg yolk is important because using the whole egg will make the cookies cakier in texture. Also, I haven’t tried it, but I think these cookies stand a pretty good chance of working out egg-free as well.
How to get soft and chewy pumpkin cookies
This is the conundrum that has faced pumpkin cookie bakers since the dawn of time.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the ubiquitous thick and cakey pumpkin cookie. They are super tasty and oh, so classic.
But there is something amazingly delicious about a pumpkin cookie that is thinner with a soft and chewy texture. And it is achievable!
- Use the right amount of canned pumpkin. Too little and the pumpkin flavor will be negligible. Too much and the cookies will be cakey.
- Ditch the egg white, which can also contribute to thick cookies, and use the egg yolk only.
- Lightly flatten the cookie dough balls into a thick disc-shape before baking.
Speaking of Canned Pumpkin
I know it will irk some of you that this recipe doesn’t call for a whole can of pumpkin. I get it. Canned pumpkin remnants can be annoying.
But sometimes you have to sacrifice for the greater good. The greater good being perfect cookies in this case. I made this cookie recipe a lot of times with varying amounts of canned pumpkin, and I can promise you that the amount called for in the recipe produces the very best of all the tested versions.
Here’s a solution if you want to use the whole can of pumpkin: double the recipe! A bazillion brown butter pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies coming right up! Get that scooping arm ready. 💪🏼😉
And bonus tip: leftover canned pumpkin freezes great if you don’t have another recipe to slide it into.
I love that these pumpkin cookies combine some of my favorite cookie flavors into one fabulous recipe. They are a delight! Hearty. Flavorful. Super soft. And just perfect.
The baked cookies stay soft and keep very well for several days. They freeze great, too.
I’m all about a cookie that doesn’t have to be chilled and unnecessarily fussed over. (And no, brown butter is definitely not fussy – how can it be when it is one of life’s greatest blessings!?!)
I am so happy to get the recipe for these brown butter pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies just right and share it with you. I hope you love them!
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Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter
- ¾ cup (159 g) packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180 g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg yolk (see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 ¼ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (100 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup (100 g) quick oats
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line half sheet pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cut the butter into pieces and add to a 10-inch skillet (preferably light-colored so you can see easily when the butter has browned). Heat over medium heat, stirring as the butter melts so that it cooks evenly.
- As the butter cooks, constantly and slowly stir with a silicone spatula. The butter will foam, sizzle, bubble, and after a few minutes (anywhere from 5 to 8 minute), the solids in the butter will begin to turn golden. Brown butter can burn easily, so don't walk away! When the butter solids are browned and golden and it smells caramelly and fragrant, immediately remove the skillet from the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl.
- Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, canned pumpkin, egg yolk, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and ground ginger. Whisk until well-combined.
- Add the flour, rolled oats, quick oats, and chocolate chips. Stir until evenly combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Scoop the dough into one- or two-tablespoon size mounds and place several inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Roll each mound into a smooth ball (the dough will be slightly sticky).
- Lightly press the cookie dough balls until they are slightly flattened. Don't press them too thin. They should form a thick disc-shape (see pictures in the post).
- Bake for 11 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies rest a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (a mashup of these classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and these amazing soft and chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with the addition of brown butter and a few other changes)
I bought pumpkins this and made pumpkin puree. Spices are the difference between canned and natural. Have you tried using the natural pumpkin puree? Would you change anything?
There are no added spices in the canned pumpkin I use – so yes, I think natural canned pumpkin should work just fine! What’s most important is to keep an eye on the consistency of the pumpkin puree. Too wet, and you may need to add a bit more flour.
This recipe is magical! It was all the good part of a pumpkin cookie packaged as a chewy oatmeal cookie. I LOVED them. They were a hit at the party I took them to and I don’t think I’ll ever make another pumpkin cookie recipe. 🙂
Loved, loved reading this, Patti! Thank you for the review!
Great recipe and delicious cookies. I followed the instructions and the cookies turned out perfectly.
Thanks for another hit Mel.
Thanks, Melissa!
The dough is heavenly! It was even more incredible than I expected!!
Do you think you could do all flour instead of oatmeal in them?
It would probably take some modifications (as in, not subbing in 1:1 flour for the oats) but it’s definitely worth a try!
She’s done it again folks!!! She’s done it again!!!!!
Delicious. One of my new favorites!
Haha, thanks, Jenny! Glad you loved these!
I wanted these to work so badly but they turned out flat, orange and greasy both times I tried. The second batch I added 1/4 cup more flour and that helped a bit but something is still wrong. I’m at the same elevation as you and none of my ingredients are expired so I don’t know what to do but I really want these to work out! Any suggestions?
Hi Ashley, sorry the cookies are giving you issues. What brand of pumpkin are you using? What about oats? Are you using quick oats and old-fashioned rolled oats? What type of flour? All-purpose (bleached or unbleached)? Is the dough overly sticky when you scoop it into balls? Let me know and I can help troubleshoot!
And for leftover pumpkin-give a spoonful to your do. Mine love it! I make their food and they get a spoonful each day.
This recipe looks so good! I am going to make these when my son and his wife come to visit in a few weeks. He loves pumpkin chocolate chip cookies already. Love the addition of the oatmeal!
These are amazing! They could easily become my new favorite cookie. (And the dough is unbelievably delicious!)
My cookies don’t look like yours and the texture isn’t as chewy as I’d like.
Mel, I’ve searched your blog but can’t seem to find if you’ve ever talked about tapping your baking sheet after taking cookies out of the oven.
I don’t do this. Should I? A Google search last night after baking these tells me that might be what leads to those beautiful crinkles and the chewiness I am hoping for.
Hi Sharlee! I don’t always drop the cookie pan after it comes out of the oven, but often I do (and my teenagers always do! More for the dramatic effect). For chewier cookies, dial back on the flour just a bit (maybe 1/4 cup) and possibly omit the egg yolk. That should help! (And dropping the pan of cookies or tapping on the counter does help settle the cookies so they are a bit more dense and possibly more chewy).
If I am using a more wet pumpkin puree (Trader Joe’s), do I need to adjust anything? I’ve seen a note about this on a couple of your other recipes.
Hi Camille, in these cookies I don’t think you’ll need to make any changes other than you may not need to press the cookies before baking. If the dough is too sticky to work with due to the wetter pumpkin, stir in an additional 1/4 cup flour (but I’d bake a test cookie before doing that).
I made a GF version today that turned out so amazing! Same amounts of GF all purpose flour (I use the America’s Test Kitchen version) plus 2tsp xanthan gum. These cookies are so good!! Thanks, Mel!
Fantastic, Annie! Thanks for including details on a gluten-free version. That will be so helpful to others!
These are a winner! My husband doesn’t usually love pumpkin cookies or bread but he LOVED these. My while family did! My kids were trying to sneak the ones I was giving to friends.
Yay, Brina! Glad they won over your husband!
These turned out perfectly. I had leftover pumpkin and this was the perfect way to use it. I used my smaller cookie scoop and they’re the perfect size – and I got 50 from the recipe, even with the dough I snuck from the bowl (the dough was delicious, by the way!).
Thanks for reporting back with your review, Chelsea! So glad you liked them!
Mine didn’t come out as pretty as yours but they’re super yummy! I had just about the perfect amount of pumpkin left over from making your pumpkin muffins so it worked out great! I’m betting they’ll be even better tomorrow.
I think you’re right – like most pumpkin baked goods, the flavor of these cookies gets better with a little time!
Loved these! Such a great change from regular pumpkin cookies. The flavor and texture were both perfect.
Thank you so much, Aubrie! Happy you enjoyed them!
When these got teased on Instagram last week, I counted down the days until the recipe came out. Made them tonight (measured everything by weight) and they’re incredible. Will my waist like them? Nah. But do these taste like the coziest of fall cookies? Absolutely.
Haha! I’m glad you liked them, Rachel! Thanks for letting me know!
Loved these! I mean, how could you not?! I ate more than I told myself I would…gonna have to put them in the freezer, out of sight out of mind!! Thanks for another amazing recipe Mel!
That’s my strategy for irresistible cookies too! Until I realize they taste just as good frozen 🤣
I had all the ingredients on hand and I’ve been meaning to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and I just had to make them. They are AMAZING!
Oh yay, Nadia! I’m thrilled to know you loved them! Thanks for letting me know!
Perfect oatmeal cookie texture. Awesome flavor. A delicious fall treat.
Had all the ingredients on hand so I had to make them. Delicious!
Yay, Whitney!! Thanks for making them so fast and reporting back!
I’ve been waiting for this recipe since I saw you post about it last week😍!!! And of course I had to run to go make!!! Just tasted them and am in love!!! My 4yr old twins have been following me around waiting for them to be ready lol. And they wholeheartedly approve!!! Can’t wait for the hubby to try!!! Thanks for testing these out to perfection!!!💙
Melissa! I cannot believe you made these so quickly. That made my day!! So, so happy you loved the recipe! Hopefully those cute twins of yours loved them too. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and let me know!
I am at 6,400 feet above seal level do you have a general high altitude adjustment for your cookies? When I make my chocolate chip cookies I have to add more flour but I didn’t know if that will work for these. Thank you
Hi Jenn, I test all my recipes at 2,500 feet elevation where I live, so I don’t have a 100% guarantee for high altitude adjustments, but from what I’ve learned online, increasing the baking temp by 15 degrees can help, as well as watching closely and possibly baking for less time and even backing off on the baking powder and baking soda just a bit (25% is what is recommended). These cookies don’t spread like chocolate chip cookies, so I think you should be ok not adding extra flour.
I am now fully armed for the chili cook-off tomorrow! You sent out cookie and chili recipes right when I needed them- Bless you.
There have been some recent comments on the chili (from people who won 1st place in their cook-offs!) so check out those out and GOOD LUCK. 🙂
what is the name of that chili recipe? i looked up recipes but not sure which chili recipe was mentioned re: chili cook offs. Would love to make some. thank you
Here you go, Martha: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/best-southern-style-chili/
I’m going to try pulsing one cup of oats in the blender for a bit too substitute for the one cup of quick oats.
Dropping everything to make these cookies. STAT! These look incredible.
I hope you love them, Emily!
I never buy quick oats. Can I just use regular ones?
Sure…I personally like the addition of quick oats for better texture in the cookies, so I would recommend if using 2 cups old-fashioned oats that you pulse 1 cup of them in a blender or food processor until coarsely chopped.
Directions say to mix 2 kinds of oats, but recipe lists only one.
Hi Margo-the recipe lists 1 cup each of old-fashioned oats and quick oats.
Hi Margo, the ingredients list calls for 1 cup quick oats and 1 cup old-fashioned oats. Hope that helps!
They will absolutely work with no egg. I have a similar recipe (browned butter included but no oats) and it only uses pumpkin, no egg. They are perfection!!