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With a chewy texture and gooey chocolate, these Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are everything you crave during the fall season. Brown butter, pumpkin spice, and pumpkin puree make every bite rich and cozy.
These cookies come together in just one bowl with no mixer and no chill time, making them quick and easy to whip up anytime the craving hits. Each one is loaded with gooey chocolate chips, rich chocolate chunks, and crunchy Heath bits for the perfect mix of textures in every bite.
If you enjoy this chewy pumpkin cookie, you’ll also love my Sourdough Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. For even more cozy fall bakes, try my Sourdough Pumpkin Bread, Sourdough Apple Muffins, or Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes.
Why you will love this recipe
- No refrigeration needed – Some of my sourdough cookie recipes will have you refrigerate the dough before baking, but this recipe can be baked immediately! However, if you prefer the cookies to ferment, you can refrigerate the cookie dough balls for up to 48 hours.
- Full of fall flavors – The combination of the pumpkin, warm spices, melty chocolate chips, and heath bits with the brown butter is so perfect for fall! If you love pumpkin and chocolate, be sure to try my mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins too.
- Egg-free recipe – This recipe has enough pumpkin puree in it that you do not have to add an egg, making this a great allergy-friendly recipe.
- One bowl – This cookie recipe only needs one bowl and a spoon or spatula to mix it with. No extra bowls or stand mixers!
- Big cookies -These chewy cookies are thick and oversized, making them simply irresistible.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Brown butter – These sourdough pumpkin cookies have brown butter in the dough. The brown butter adds richness. warmth and a nutty flavor that pairs so well with the flavor of the pumpkin and spices. If you prefer to skip the brown butter, you can substitute regular softened butter and cream the butter with the sugars.
- Pumpkin puree – There is enough pumpkin puree in this recipe that you do not have to add an egg. Be sure to use plain canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Sourdough discard – The discard adds moisture and flavor to the cookies. If you’d like, you can long ferment the dough as well for added fermentation benefits.
- Pumpkin pie spice – A delicious blend of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and clove.
- Chocolate chips – You can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips. I personally love milk chocolate, so that’s my preference. I also like to mix in some chocolate chunks.
- Heath bits – You can find Heath bits in the baking aisle. They are little bits of English toffee and chocolate. I love using them in my classic Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, too. If you prefer, you can skip them or replace them with more chocolate chips instead.
See all the ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below.
How to brown butter
While you can substitute regular butter for browned butter in the cookie dough, the extra flavor takes these cookies to the next level. Browned butter is just butter that is cooked until it is golden brown. It takes on a nutty flavor that adds depth and pairs so well with the warm spices used in this recipe. If you love brown butter, be sure to also try Iced Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies, Apple Crisp Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls, Sourdough Pumpkin Scones, and Sourdough Oatmeal Cream Pies.
Here’s how you do it:
- Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir frequently with a spatula. If you have a light colored pan that is helpful to see the color better but dark pans will do the job.
- Once the butter melts, it will begin to foam. The butter should begin turning a golden brown color. Continue to stir. You will want to keep an eye on this as it can quickly burn if not attended to.
- Once the color turns a deep bronze color and the foam begins subsiding, usually within 5-8 minutes of starting, the butter is ready. It should smell nutty.
- Once browned to your liking, immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into a heatproof bowl or jar.
You can find more in-depth instructions here.
Instructions to make Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: First, make the brown butter. Take the butter and cut it into cubes. Add it to a light-colored pan, if you have one, so that you can easily see when the butter has browned. Heat over medium heat, stirring consistently to prevent the butter from burning. Heat for about 5 minutes or until the milk solids have turned a golden brown color and you can smell the nutty aroma.
Step 2: Pour the brown butter into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar and brown sugar. Stir or whisk to combine.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the mixture. Combine the sourdough discard, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients by combining the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie seasoning.
Step 5: Add the heath bits and chocolate chips and fold to combine.
Step 6: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, stack two scoops of dough on top of each other to create tall cookies. Press a few extra chocolate chips on the tops of the cookies. Arrange 8 cookies per tray (this recipe makes about 21 cookies).
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops have lost their gloss. If baking two trays at once, rotate them halfway through for even baking. Add to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Tips
- Stacking two cookie dough balls on top of each other helps create a large, thick cookie.
- This recipe makes about 21 large cookies. For smaller cookies, skip stacking and reduce the baking time by a couple of minutes.
- If baking two trays at once, rotate them halfway through for even baking.
- The brown butter adds a beautiful nutty flavor, but if you are short or time or prefer to skip this step you can. Instead of browning the butter, cream softened butter with the sugars instead using a stand mixer or hand mixer.
Storage Instructions
To store your cookies, wait until they have completely cooled, then add them to an airtight container and leave them on the counter at room temperature. They will stay fresh for about a week.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, either active starter or sourdough discard will work to make these cookies.
No, there is no need to let the butter cool. Just simply add the sugar and follow the remaining instructions.
Yes, you can long ferment the dough for this recipe. To do so, just make your cookie balls and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours and then bake as directed.
Yes, this recipe is freezer-friendly, and you can either freeze raw dough balls or fully baked cookies.
To freeze cookie dough: Scoop dough into balls, freeze on a lined sheet until solid, then transfer to a container or zip-top bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.
To freeze baked cookies: Cool completely, then layer in an airtight container with parchment between layers or freeze on a sheet before bagging. Freeze up to 3 months.
More sourdough cookie recipes
Sourdough Discard Recipes
The Best Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sourdough Discard Recipes
The Best Sourdough Oatmeal Cream Pies
Sourdough Discard Recipes
The Best Sourdough Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Sourdough Cookie Recipes
Cookie Butter Sourdough Cookies
Tried the Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies or another recipe from the site? I’d love to hear about it! Drop a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments—can’t wait to see what you’re baking!
Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 227 grams butter, 1 cup
- 165 grams brown sugar, ¾ cup
- 150 grams granulated sugar, ¾ cup
- 125 grams pumpkin puree, ½ cup
- 14 grams vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon
- 75 grams sourdough discard, ⅓ cup
- 385 grams all-purpose flour, 2 ¾ cup
- 5 grams baking soda, 1 teaspoon
- 3 grams salt, ½ teaspoon
- 4 grams pumpkin pie spice, 2 teaspoons
- 100 grams heath bits, ⅔ cup
- 170 grams chocolate chips, 1 cup
Instructions
- First, make the brown butter. Take the butter and cut it into cubes. Add it to a light-colored pan, if you have one, so that you can easily see when the butter has browned. Heat over medium heat, stirring consistently to prevent the butter from burning. Heat for about 5 minutes or until the milk solids have turned a golden brown color and you can smell the nutty aroma.227 grams butter
- Pour the brown butter into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar and brown sugar. Stir to combine.165 grams brown sugar, 150 grams granulated sugar
- Add the wet ingredients to the mixture and stir to combine.125 grams pumpkin puree, 14 grams vanilla extract, 75 grams sourdough discard
- Combine the dry ingredients.385 grams all-purpose flour, 5 grams baking soda, 3 grams salt, 4 grams pumpkin pie spice
- Add the heath bits and chocolate chips and fold to combine.100 grams heath bits, 170 grams chocolate chips
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, stack two scoops of dough on top of each other to create tall cookies. Press a few extra chocolate chips on the tops of the cookies. Arrange 8 cookies per tray (this recipe makes about 21 cookies).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops have lost their gloss. If baking two trays at once, rotate them halfway through for even baking. Add to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Stacking two cookie dough balls on top of each other helps create a large, thick cookie.
- This recipe will make about 21 large cookies. If you would like to make smaller cookies, do not stack the cookies and use the 2 tablespoon dough balls. Adjust the baking time to about 10 minutes ot until the edges are set and the tops have lost their gloss.
- If baking two trays at once, rotate them halfway through for even baking.
- The brown butter adds a beautiful nutty flavor, but if you are short or time or prefer to skip this step you can. Instead of browning the butter, cream softened butter with the sugars instead, using a stand mixer or hand mixer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are fabulous! Made them around Halloween and making a double batch for Thankgiving get togethers!!
Thanks so much!
This is the BEST pumpkin chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had!!!!! Ever. I’ve tried a lot of different recipes and this one tops them ALL!
Thank you so much I’m so happy to hear that!
These got SO many complements I already made this recipe twice! So easy yet a unique combination of fall flavors. Highly recommend this recipe for your fall parties. I substituted the heath bar for salted caramel chips and sprinkled Maldon sea salt on top.
Yay I’m so glad!
Amaaaazzzzzzinnnngggggg cookies, Emily!!! The best fall cookie recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m so happy to hear you love them.
Is this recipe meant to not include eggs?
Yes, no eggs needed because of all the pumpkin in the recipe.
So!! Yummy!! It was soft and yummy and not over powering. The recipe was so easy to follow thank you!!
Thanks Noely!
These cookies are delectable! I was skeptical about a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie as I’ve never loved any of the ones I’ve tasted. I feel the brown butter in this recipe gave it such depth. Can’t wait for my friends to try them! Thanks for creating such delicious recipes!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing.
These were so good! Such a good flavor, texture and an easy recipe to follow! Your recipes are so great and always consistent!
Thanks so much Stephanie!
So good! Such a delicious cookie.
I was wondering how your flattened out? Mine held a super round dome shape.
Hi Kammie, if yours aren’t spreading, try adding a little less flour next time (I’d start with about a 1/4 cup). Depending on where you live you may need to use less flour.