Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are at the top my list of “favorite pumpkin desserts”! They melt in your mouth and are chock full of chocolate chips and warm spices! Blending the oatmeal into flour gives them a perfect consistency!
It’s all I can do to walk past the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in the grocery store this time of the year. There is just something about how pumpkin makes cookies incredibly moist and oh so soft. Yum! I decided to make my own version of those dang things that I can’t seem to walk past. I have to satisfy my own cravings since I live 60 miles from the nearest grocery store that has a bakery, or more than 6 isles for that matter.
In fact, they were so yummy that I made them again about a week later. You know I can’t leave well enough alone so I switched them up a little the next time I made them. The second time I blended the oatmeal in my VitaMix before adding it to the cookie dough. I have unfavorable childhood memories of oatmeal. That’s why I always disguise the super food before adding it to recipes. Obviously, if you aren’t scared of oatmeal, you can make them which ever way you prefer. I wish I liked it whole because then I wouldn’t have to wash my blender! (Which is actually very easy to do with my VitaMix)
When the fall nights get cool and crisp, pumpkin starts showing up in most of my baking. It’s magical! It makes all my baked goods so soft and moist! It’s that time of the year. So grab you blender, blend some oatmeal and make some Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! I can already smell them wafting through the air!
Update on September 19, 2016: Since posting this recipe several years ago several people have made them, some successfully and some not so much. I make these cookies every fall and they always turn out great. In an attempt to get more consistent results for others I have edited the recipe to include 1/2 tsp. baking soda. It also includes an option to add flour one Tablespoon at a time until the consistency is just right. The dough is a pretty soft dough. Hopefully this helps!
- 1½ c. brown sugar
- ¾ c. butter, softened
- 1 c. pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1½ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- 2 c. quick oats
- 1 c. flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ c. semi sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In large mixer bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and beat. Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix.
- If desired, add oats to blender and blend into a flour.
- In a separate bowl stir flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, salt and oatmeal together.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix together only until combined. If needed add a more flour one Tablespoon at a time until the you have a soft dough. Be careful not to over mix.
- Add chocolate chips and mix to incorporate.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop cookies a little larger than 1 inch sizes. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Don't over bake the centers will be soft and will set as they cool.
- Remove immediately from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
I’m too lazy to wash the blender as well, so I will leave the oatmeal as it comes in the box. I’m going to try using these in the mornings in place of the pumpkin muffins and see how that goes. I think the oatmeal makes it breakfast food don’t you.
Love the fall leaves in the photo.
Mom
Thanks! Oatmeal is one of those things I’m willing to wash the blender for! I love oatmeal flour! I agree, anything with fruit or oatmeal is clearly a breakfast food!
Just finished baking these. Mine came out really flat? And the texture was less like a cookie and more like bread. I followed the recipe exactly. I used fresh pumpkin.
I’m not sure what would cause that to happen, Tiffany. I will check and make sure I typed the recipe correctly. They are very soft and cake like.
My daughter just told me yesterday that she was excited about the season when everything is pumpkin spice. Today I happened to come across this, thanks! It’s now on my Pinterest board: Eat, drink & have fun!
It’s definitely “everything pumpkin” season! Glad you found this and thanks for sharing to your Pinterest board!
When making the cookies my dough was really wet but I went through with baking anyway so I made the cookies and they were still really wet and no matter if they rested for 20 minutes if I pick it up it falls apart. what can I do to prevent this for next time.?
It’s hard to say why your dough was so wet. I’ve made these cookies lots of times and they always turn out great. So sorry!
Maybe the leavening measurement isn’t listed correctly? I made them and got the dense quality described below. They did not spread out on the cookie sheet, but stayed in the shape they were dropped. I was thinking maybe in addition to 1/2 tsp baking powder, that perhaps baking soda should also have been added?
I can’t figure out why they work perfectly for some people and not so much for others. I don’t know if it’s an altitude thing or what. I need to experiment a little bit and see what I find.
I made these this morning! Oh they were good! I added a handful of pumpkin seeds and a pinch of all spice and ground ginger for some extra spice. Thank you for this recipe. I will definately make these again.
Pumpkin seeds would make such a fun addition! Glad you enjoyed them! Happy Fall!
I just made these and they turned out great! Followed the recipe as is. Sifted dry ingredients before mixing with other ingredients. Thank you for the recipe. Delish!
So glad they turned out for you! They are a fall favorite around here!
Just made these as written. Like the others, my dough was far too wet. There is something wrong with the recipe. Please fix this recipe or take it down so many others don’t waste their time and money.
I’m not sure why a few people have had trouble with this recipe. I have tweaked it a little so they should be a little more fool proof. Sorry they didn’t work out for you!
I made these cookies and they are delicious but super soft, like really moist cake or bread. They still taste incredible so I wouldn’t say it was a waste of time or money. I might tinker with the recipe a little to get a better consistency but overall I’d say this is a great recipe idea for fall. Thank you for sharing.
One can of pumpkin was three batches of cookies. My second and third batches of cookies came out perfectly. As one person had suggested, I added 1/2 tsp of baking powder, (for a total of 1 tsp of baking powder), and slightly more oats and flour. I didn’t grind the oats, as I hadn’t read that correctly on my first attempt. I didn’t grind the oats on second or third batches either though. It wasn’t until reading the comments and re-reading the recipe that I saw that part of the recipe. In any case, if your cookies come out slightly moist, you could try those slight changes. Amy, thank you so much for sharing this fabulous recipe for delicious cookies.
Thanks for the great suggestions for those readers who seem to be having trouble with this recipe! You are a trooper to make three batches of cookies! I bet you had a happy family and friends! Happy Fall!
They are supposed to be a super soft cake like cookie! Glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! My husband and I both agree that these our now our all time favorite cookies. Yum. Yum. I didn’t make any changes to the recipe, they just turned out perfect.
So happy they turned out for you! Fall food is the best!
I just made these, because it finally feels like fall. I followed your recipe exactly and they turned out beautifully. The only thing I did differently was bake them for 15 minutes vs 12-13 minutes. Reason: I have a combined regular and convect oven. I always bake on convect and takes a couple to few minutes longer.
I can hardly wait to try these out! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you loved them! Fall is all about pumpkin and these are the perfect way to enjoy it! Happy Fall!
I’m making these right now and they are not spreading. Added baking powder and baking soda as directed. WWat do you think might be wrong?
Without seeing the whole process it’s hard to say. They are a cake like cookie and a little puffy even after baked.
This is my favorite time of year when all of the pumpkin recipes are pouring out everywhere and I can’t wait to make a batch of your pumpkin cookies…
Question for you: could you use butterscotch chips in place of the chocolate hips? Has anyone tried that?
I look forward to your recipes…
Happy cooking!
Lisa, I’m all about substituting and I think adding butterscotch chips is a fantastic idea! I bet it will be delicious! Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
I just made these cookies on a very dreary afternoon…the smell alone could make any day feel brighter, not to mention the wonderful cake texture. I had to make a couple tweaks, as I have a gluten allergy and my son has a dairy allergy…that the doctor is convinced he will grow out of by the time he is two. *fingers crossed!* I followed your recipe but replaced the butter with dairy free butter and the flour with 1 1/4 cup gluten free Bisquick. When I went to throw in the dairy free chocolate chips, I was out of them. *Sad faces* I am not always one for prepping ingredients ahead of time. Instead I threw in some dried cranberries. Mmmmmmm, they turned out wonderful and I am sure my son will be delighted to try one when he wakes from his nap…if my neighbors don’t smell their way over and get them first. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe, I will certainly be checking out more of them. Many blessings to you and your family.
I love that you were able to substitute and make this recipe work for your family! Hopefully your son grows out of his dairy allergy (cheese and milk are the best)! Happy Fall!
I had the same problem with my firstborn batch being WAY too wet. Is the recipe supposed to call for both baking soda & powder? I baked the second batch a few extra
minutes and that helped some but still aren’t what I was expecting.
I’m not sure what the problem is. Some people seem to have perfect luck while others struggle with this recipe. These cookies are a cake like cookie which means the dough will be wetter than traditional dough. They should still turn out good!
I was from a high altitude state and found that adding 1/4 cup extra flour did the trick for flat cookies. I haven’t tried these but plan on it very soon. Fall is awesome!
That is a good tip to know. Thanks for sharing. I hope you’ve had a chance to make these cookies!
Thanks Amy I love baking and these turned out amazingly good I used dark chocolate chip and just added about a half cup more of flour cause it was I little runny with the two eggs and purée
Yay! Glad they turned out for you! Happy fall!
Just finishing up baking my last pan! They turned out amazing! Everything I was craving 🙂 I had to melt my butter so, before baking I refrigerated the batter for about 15 minutes. Thanks for a great recipe! Happy Fall!!!
There is nothing like the smell of pumpkin cookies wafting through the house! Happy Fall!
I just made these and they are delicious! I didn’t have quite enough oats, so I just cut the amount of pumpkin a little and added some extra flour and they came out perfect! I think next time I might try raisins in them too. 🙂
Raisins would be a delicious add-in! I say the more add-ins the better! Happy Fall!
My cookie dough was soooo wet!!! Followed the recipe exactly until I had to add about an extra 3/4 cups of flour and a cup of oats. Added additional spices to make up for it. Just doing some test cookies now and crossing my fingers.
Hopefully they turned out in the end. This cookie is a cake like cookie so the dough will be slightly wetter than traditional cookie dough. Happy Fall!
I think I know what the issue might be with some of these comments…You list baking soda in the ingredients but not the recipe. I’m assuming you just forgot to add it to the list of dry ingredients in the recipe! For this reason, I added it, and my cookies came out absolutely delicious. Anyway, hope that might help some people. Thanks!!
Thanks for the heads up. I will go back and correct the instructions so they include baking soda. I have such good luck with these cookies, and it seems like lots of other people do to. Unfortunately there are a few people who can’t seem to make them work. Hopefully changing the wording in the instructions will help! Happy Fall!
I think the omission of the baking soda in the instructions was EXACTLY the problem. I noticed that when I made these wonderful cookies and put in the baking soda along with the other dry ingredients. When baking I return all ingredients to the pantry after I’ve included them as per the recipe instructions. When I saw the baking soda still sitting there I realized that something was wrong. The mix is a bit wet but as per your instructions I added additional flour 1/2 TBS at a time and a bit more oatmeal. My suggestion: get rid of step # 3 where you instruct bakers to “If desired, add oats to blender and blend into a flour.” It only confuses things. You should also increase the amounts of four and oatmeal. After these few little tweaks the resulting cookie was spectacular. I see you have now added the baking soda in your instructions. Nice work. Thank you for paying attention to the comments.
I think you are right. Thanks for catching that!
I love this recipe I didn’t have ground cloves so Used apple all spice and I used rasins instead of chocolate chips and is was awesome. This was a keeper my family loves this recipe. Thank you.
I’m constantly substituting for ingredients for what I have available! Glad you these worked out for you! Happy fall!
I just made these and instead of chocolate chips I used walnuts. Very yummy!!
Walnuts would add such a nice crunchy texture! I bet it was so tasty! Happy Fall!
Have you ever froze the dough for future use?
I actually haven’t ever tried freezing the dough. I bet the cookies would freeze really well though, and it’s never a bad thing to have a batch of cookies sitting in the freezer for when you can’t live without one!
I made these tonight the batter turned out great. The only thing I had a problem with i had to cook for about 17 minutes.
Pumpkin cookies always hit the spot! Glad you liked them!Happy fall!
Wonderful recipe!! Thank you! They are delicios and turned out perfectly
I’m glad you loved them Marcie! Pumpkin cookies are always a good thing in the fall!
Made these with butternut squash. and they were delicious.. The spices were perfect in this recipe, but I did add walnuts and raisins and next time I will omit the chocolate chips and add more walnuts.
What a fun idea! I grow butternut squash in my garden every year. I will have to try it next year before I eat them all!
The cookies are fantastic! Here are my modifications to make them both gluten free and dairy free: gluten free oats, ground to flour consistency, Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1:1 flour, ghee instead of butter and Enjoy Life gluten, dairy and soy free chocolate chips. I used a cookie scoop and baked for 12 minutes. Yum!
This is good to know for my readers who are looking for a gluten free alternative! Thanks for sharing!
I’m sorry but, I’ve been baking my whole life and this recipe is probably one of the worst cookie recipes I’ve ever tried. These really aren’t cookies, let’s be honest. They are too moist and fall apart. If making flour out of oats makes the difference in this recipe, then you should state that it is definitely needed to break down the oats. Obviously, the dry to wet ingredients ratio needs to be tweaked. I really dislike trying recipes from great looking blogs with beautiful pictures only to be disappointed because I wasted my time, but also ingredients. Just goes to show that anyone can take pretty pictures of their food and post it online but, that doesn’t mean it tastes good.
This recipe has turned out perfectly for so many people, and has actually become one of their fall favorites. It was brought to my attention that the instructions didn’t list the addition of baking soda, however they were listed in the ingredient list. I just edited and updated that. Maybe that was the problem.
You mention ½ tsp. baking soda in the ingredients list but don’t dhow it added into the dry ingredients in the instructions. Which is the error?
The instructions are missing the addition of baking soda. I’m wondering if that is why some people are struggling with this recipe. It has been updated so there shouldn’t be anymore errors. Thanks for noticing!
Can you use old fashion oats instead of quick oats?
I haven’t ever tried with old fashioned oats but I imagine it would work fine. It might change the texture a little though.
Hi! The butter is salted or unsalted? Thanks!
I almost always use salted butter because I’m a salt addict and figure it won’t hurt anything to add it in! I think you can use either without drastically different results! Enjoy!
I am willing to try this recipe and was wondering if I could replace the flour (which I think it is all purpose) for almond or coconut flour maybe.
Thanks!
I’m not sure how it would work to replace the flour with almond or coconut flour because I haven’t ever cooked with it before. Let me know if you try it!
Hi Amy,
The recipe turned out great! I added 1/4 C extra flour and a little extra pumpkin due to high elevation and the dough was pretty wet. I found in the second batch that the dough had warmed up some which caused the cookies to flatten a little which was easily solved by keeping it in the fridge between batches. I have also noticed in the past that oatmeal cookies will flatten if you place dough on a hot pan. Just a thought for the folks that had troubles. Thanks so much!
I’m not very experienced with changing recipes to accomadate for changes in elevation. Thanks for sharing your tips! Glad they turned out so good for you!
Smelled great cooking but these cookies fall apart. Spread out too much and crumble when you take them off cookie sheet. Sorry to have to say this but don’t think I’ll make them again. Maybe I’m doing something wrong. Did follow the recipe but substituted cranberries for chocolate chips. Maybe that’s it.
I don’t think substiting cranberryes should have changed the recipe. I’m not sure why people have trouble with this one. They always turn out for me!
I made these and the batter was a bit wet so I added 1 more cup of oats and a bit of extra flour and the cookies came out perfect.
Glad they turned out for you!
I’m wondering what would be a good gluten free substitute for the flour before I try to start experimenting. I don’t want to waste ingredients..
Thank Yooou 🙂
Hi Trish! I’ve never experimented with gluten free flour so I really don’t have any advice. I’ve heard friends talk about purchasing gluten free flour blends. Maybe you could try one of those options.
Hi, just had to tell you I tried these pumpkin cookies today and are they ever good!!! Thanks for an awesome recipe! Definitely will make again. ~Sierra
Yay! It’s getting chillier at night and that means it’s about time for all things pumpkin! Glad you loved them!
I just made these are they were delicious. I used homemade pumpkin purée that had been frozen. After defrosting the pumpkin I knew there would be additional moisture. I added 1 extra cup of flour. Other than that I followed the recipe pretty much to the T (minus the vanilla because I was out) I also used regular oats not quick cooking ones, and did not blend them. Mine cooked for about 14-15 minutes until the bottoms turned golden. I think the key is removing them immediately from the cookie sheet like stated in the directions. I’m glad I didn’t read the comments before hand as I probably wouldn’t have made them, but I would have missed out
Yay! So happy they turned out for you Vanessa! I just made them the other day and they were as yummy as I remembered! They are so soft and moist!
Hi Amy, I followed your recipie exactly and they turned out amazing. Can’t wait for my guys to get home. No doubt I will be making more tomorrow.
Happy thanksgiving. Here in Canada anyways.
Yay! So glad you loved them and I bet your guys will be thrilled to come home to cookies! Happy Thanksgiving to you!
I made these to take to a pre-class reunion nite—–they were a hit!!
They are in m;y “excellent” collection of recipes! Thank you for this wonderful,
moist, tasty cookie!!
I love that you added this recipe to your collection! They are a fall staple around here!
I substituted oat flour for wheat, cut the butter to 1/2 cup, substituted 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 cup stevia in order to make this recipe work better for my diet. They are delicious! I love the spices. Thanks for posting your great recipe.
Yay! I’m glad you were able to substitute to make this work for your needs! It’s the perfect time of the year for all things pumpkin spices!
I have learned that if you let your cookie dough chill in fridge for at least an hour they don’t spread when baking. I like to dimly bake about a dozen at a time. The dough can stay in fridge up to 3 days. This way you can have fresh cookies every time.
Great tips! And who could ever say no to fresh cookies every day!
Hi, can I make this with gluten free flour instead of regular flour?
TIA
I’ve never tried making them with gluten free flour but I’m guessing you could. Some of my gluten free friends just use that 1 to 1 flour. Hopefully that helps!
3 sticks of butter seems like alot??? May be why dough is too wet for people???
It’s actually 3/4 cup of butter which is only 1 1/2 sticks. I’ll add a little note to the recipe just incase people are reading that incorrectly. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Amy, thank you for posting this recipe! I was looking for something fun but yet healthy as the grandkids are coming over this evening with their costumes on. I noticed that I had to keep them in my oven longer than 10 to 12 minutes, as they were quite Soft. I’m not sure if it’s my oven or not, but they just didn’t seem done. I used an ice cream scoop So that may have been the reason they were not cooking at the amount of time given. All in all, they taste very good! Thank you! Happy Halloween!
Hi Mary! Every oven is a touch different aren’t they. And yes, the size of scoop you use makes a huge difference in the amount of time it takes to bake cookies. Glad you are enjoying them! Have fun with your grandkids tonight! Happy Halloween!
I just baked the first tray, and the cookies turned out flat and never “set”. Definitely not fluffy or cake-like as they are in your pictures. I don’t have a blender, so I used the oats whole. Has anyone had luck doing it this way? I added more flour and baking soda to finish the dough. We’ll see how they turn out
I make them without blending the flour quite often and it still turns out for me! I’m not sure why they are so flat because mine are always cake like and puffy!
I decided to experiment with pumpkin for the first time. I roasted and pureed a sugar pumpkin for this recipe (and still have way more pumpkin puree left). These cookies did not disappoint! I love this fun twist on an oatmeal cookie. They are incredibly moist and I would have to describe them as slightly cakey? I used whole oats because I, quite frankly, didn’t feel like flouring them haha.
For anyone who would be curious, I omitted the cloves simply because I’m not a huge fan of the spice. The flavor was still great. I’m curious what would happen with the flavor if I added more pumpkin. It would probably add too much moisture. Worth more experimentation on my part in the future 🙂
How fun! I love your experiment with pumpkin! I’m guessing if you add more pumpkin it will make the cookies extra moist and might be too gooey. These cookies are one of my favorites!
I just made these and have to say they turned out really well even with the changes I made because of ingredients I had on hand. I used organic coconut oil (which was solid), some pumpkin that I had left over from another recipe (probably not even a cup) and craisins instead of chocolate chips. I must admit I “kind” of measured the flour and oatmeal but they still turned out. I will make these again!
I love that you changed this up to use what you already had on hand! Glad it worked for you!
hi,
I’m making them now but did my own spin. 2 cups sugar on a double recipe because i don’t care for sweet too much, then for healthy options i added roasted salted sunflower seeds in place of salt, then added organic coconut flakes, only a few chocolate chips about 1/4 cup again for a double recipe, walnuts, raisens and a little extra cinnamon but left out the cloves. i added 3 large eggs instead of 4 and the batter still seemed wet so added another 1/4 cup of oatmeal. added almond flour about 3/4 cup and basic white flour for the remainder. they needed 10 in in my over and are delicious except next time i will leave out all the chocolate chips
Love this healthier option! Sounds yummy!
Found this recipe while looking for something else. After reading several of the comments today I decided to thy these. I followed the directions and at the end I felt the dough was a little wet so I added 3T of flour one at a time and mixed it in. These turned out wonderful. We are new to the gluten free stuff and I was a little worried as other cookies have been very dry with the gluten free flour. I must confess these are going to be a staple in our house and not just in the fall. Thanks for all the tips. One question. How long in the cupboard and would these freeze well?
I made these and like most others too wet. I added an extra cup of flour, so 2cups of flour instead of one. They turned out great.
Thank you! I just made these yummy cookies last night. I doubled the recipe and added a little more flour and oats than recipe called for as per other comments. I also like to grind my own wheat flour so I used that instead of white flour and used less sugar. SUPER DELICIOUS and definitely better for you than store bought.
Thank you for sharing!
Yay! Glad you loved them! I love knowing exactly what is in my cookies too!
Let your dough rest for about 10 mins if it’s too wet. The oats will absorb moisture and stiffen the dough.
My cookes turned out yummylishious!!!!
Can’t wait to make them again!
That’s a great tip! Thanks Melanie!
Where I live it’s still way to hot to do much baking so once I cools off I will definitely be making these. Instead of chocolate chips I’m going to use raisins. Not a fan of pumpkin and chocolate together. Can’t wait. I love to bake.
Raisins are a great idea! In fact I think if I used raisins I’d eat them for breakfast!
I absolutely love these cookies! I read most of the reviews before I made them today and how the batter was too wet. So I followed your tip to add additional flour but I also added additional oats until I liked the consistency of the batter. I also pressed them down a bit after using the scoop for sizing. I baked them for 20 minutes or just until I saw a brown edge. The house smelled wonderful with all the spices! Next time I think I might do half the amount of chocolate chips and then add walnuts!!! Best part was my husband loves them!