If you’ve been searching for a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie that comes out of the oven with a traditional crispy edge, with a fudgy chewy center, your hunt is over! This is the BEST Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie EVER! No Cakey Pumpkin cookie recipe here!

Cutting board loaded with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

For years…yes YEARS…I’ve looked for a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie that wasn’t “fluffy and cakey”! Not that there is anything wrong with the typical Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie that is like a muffin top. (I love muffin tops…not on me…but you know…on muffins!)

Every recipe I came across produced fluffy cakey cookies! Again, I was searching for a “Non-Cakey Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie!”. I yearned for crispy edges and the texture of a traditional cookie.

Then a few weeks ago, during my weekly “on-line” shopping trip I found “My-T-Fine” (I really want to meet the person who came up with that name!) Limited Holiday Edition Pumpkin Spice Instant Pudding! WHAT??!!! No way!

Evidentially Jell-O brand also has it during the Holidays. This was an instant game-changer! I knew I could use my BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that calls for pudding…to create the PERFECT Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie!

The Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe

4½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 Cups butter, softened (1 pound)
1½ Cups packed brown sugar
½ cup White Sugar – granulated sugar
2 (2.97 or 3.4 ounce) packages Instant Pumpkin Spice Pudding Mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips – You can use milk chocolate or white chips.
2 Cups chopped pecans

Ingredients for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies on a white board.

How To Make The BEST Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

In a mixing bowl, or the bowl of your electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, or all at once if your granddaughter is helping you! Lol

Add the vanilla and mix until combined.

Creaming together butter and sugars in mixer.

Add the instant pudding mix.

Do. Not. Freak. Out!!! Yes it is very dark brown from the spices. It’s going to be okay!

TIP: One of the things that I love about this particular cookie recipe is this step right here! The addition of pudding helps create a “chewy fudgy” centered cookie that stays chewy for days! It also allows you to change up the taste of this cookie!! Try cheesecake pudding…YUM! Pistachio! Vanilla! All fantastic.

You can also change up your “add-ins”! This is a FANTASTIC Basic Cookie dough recipe!!! The only one you need.

Adding Pudding to Sugar and Butter in the mixing bowl.

Blend in the flour, baking soda, and salt! Mix on low speed until incorporated.

PRO TIP: Place a clean dish cloth over the top of your mixer so that it hangs down over the bowl while mixing in the flour. This will prevent it from dusting your cupboards, counter tops, and YOU with flour!

Add in chocolate chips and nuts with the mixer on low speed. (That’s my cute granddaughters hand adding the chocolate chips! She was my helper that day! I think she ate as many as she added to the dough. Lol)

Adding in the chocolate chips to the cookie dough.

Preparing the Cookie Dough for Baking

Drop the cookies by the rounded spoonfuls onto a non-stick baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

TIP: For picture perfect pretty cookies, top each cookie with 2-3 chocolate chips and sprinkle with a few nuts.

In the photo below we were topping them with the mini chocolate salted caramels. SO GOOD!!!

Topping each cookie dough ball with chocolate chips and nuts before baking.

Bake for 10–12 minutes, switching baking sheets on oven racks halfway through baking time. This will create the perfect even bake.

I often get asked how I am able to get perfectly baked cookies every time. It’s this one trick! Switching the baking trays from top to bottom at the half-way mark of baking.

Remove from oven and place on cooling rack immediately. This stops the baking process and allows the cookies sheets to cool for the next 10 batches!!!

Tip: This recipe makes a LOT of cookies!!! 72 cookies to be exact! If you don’t want a ton of cookies you have two options. Cut the recipe in half. It works beautifully! OR…freeze half the dough for another day!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies in a stack on a white counter.

There it is! The perfect Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie!

From the very first bite you’ll be swooning! I kid you not! The strong flavor combo of pumpkin spice with semi-sweet chocolate is beyond delectable! Add in the toasty pecans… Oh, my heavenly cookie angles!

I can say with confidence this the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip recipe you’ve been searching for!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have! Never again will I have to search for the Best Pumpkin Cookie Recipe! That my friends is “cookie-money” in the bank…or the cookie jar!

Questions and Answers for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

What if I can’t find Pumpkin Pudding. Can I use something else? Honestly there isn’t going to be a good substitution for these “Non-cakey” Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. The minute you add pumpkin purée, like all the other pumpkin cookie recipes out there…you end up with “cake like” Pumpkin Cookies. This is because of the moisture content in the pumpkin. That said, you could use 1–2 teaspoons of Pumpkin extract and 2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice with 2 packages of vanilla pudding.
Are there “Add-ins” I can use other than semi-sweet chocolate chips? Yes! You can use milk chocolate chips, butterscotch, or white chocolate chips. You can skip the nuts and add dried cranberries, or switch out the pecans for walnuts or macadamia nuts. Go crazy!
Can I cut the recipe in half? Yes! This recipe works very well when cut in half.
Can I freeze the cookies or the dough? Yes to both! You can freeze the cookie dough up to two months. Wrap the cookie dough in saran wrap and place inside a freezer Ziploc bag. Baked cookies can be stored 3 to 4 weeks. After the cookies are baked allow them to cool completely. Then layer them with wax paper in-between each layer in an airtight container.

Other Favorite Cookie Recipes

Happy Nesting Friends! Hope you enjoy this cookie recipe as much as I do!

Photo of Noring with her signature in pink.

Yield: 72 cookies

NOT Cakey Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: NOT Cakey Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 72
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4½ Cups of All-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 cups butter, softened; 1½ cups packed brown sugar; ½ Cup white sugar; 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant pumpkin spice pudding mix; 4 eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips; 2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

If you've been searching for a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie that comes out of the oven with a traditional crispy edge, and a fudgy chewy center your hunt is over! This the BEST Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie EVER! No Cakey Pumpkin cookie recipe here!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

4½ Cups of All-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups butter, softened
1½ cups packed brown sugar
½ Cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant pumpkin spice pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In your mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla. Mix until well combined. Add pudding mix, mix until combined. Blend in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Finally, with the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, switching baking sheets on racks half way through baking time. Edges should be golden brown.
Place on cooling rack until set.