Soft White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

Learn how to make easy, chewy, soft white chocolate chip pumpkin cookies with this simple recipe. Looking for a delicious cookie to take to holiday cookie exchanges or a pumpkin-themed party? This recipe makes a generous amount of pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies, and you may add nuts or frosting, if you wish. How do you make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from scratch? Let’s get started making the best pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies ever!

The Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie Backstory

We live in the country, so no one ever ventures down our long driveway on Halloween. When our boys were young, there was a neighbor girl who lived across the road who was about the same age as our eldest. Every year, we would either go to her house or her family would come over to ours for a treat exchange. One year, they served us the most delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They were amazing, and our neighbors shared the recipe with me. Since I am a fan of white chocolate as well as milk chocolate (okay, any kind of chocolate) I have made these cookies with different kinds of chocolate chips. The fluffy pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, so that is the recipe I’m sharing with you today. This versatile pumpkin cookies with white chocolate chips recipe can be adjusted in a variety of ways, and I have included some popular variations as well. Just as with many other treat recipes, chocolate chips make the end product tastier, whether it’s zucchini bread, banana bread, cookies, toffee, shortbread, or scotcheroos.

Equipment for White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

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You could mix the white chocolate chip pumpkin cookie dough by hand, but it’s much easier to make these pumpkin cookies with white chocolate chips if you use a stand mixer. Mine is a vintage gold-colored Kitchen Aid stand mixer which was handed down to me by my sweet, late mother-in-law, and I think of her every time I use it. Although you won’t be able to find my retro gold-colored model unless you are at a second-hand store, you can get a similar one. Mine has a bowl-lift lever like this one.

You will also need a two or three baking sheets. I like to use the AirBake variety so my cookies do not get overcooked on the bottoms. Mine are similar to these.

For cooling the cookies after baking, you will need a couple of wire racks.

 

You will also need other basic kitchen equipment like measuring cups and measuring spoons.

Ingredients for White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

The ingredients for this white chocolate chip pumpkin cookie recipe are mainly basic pantry and refrigerator staples. If you don’t usually have pumpkin puree on hand, and are trying to decide whether to get the 15 ounce or the 29 ounce can, I suggest you opt for the larger one. Leftover pumpkin puree freezes well, and I have many suggestions about ways to use the extra further on down.

Here’s what you will need:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups (12-ounce bag) white chocolate chips

Nonstick cooking spray, shortening, or parchment paper

Directions for White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or grease with shortening. I like to use the wrapper from the butter to spread the shortening onto the cookie sheets. You can also line the sheets with parchment paper, if you prefer.

Add the butter to the bowl of a mixer and beat until smooth. On low speed, beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter.

Stir in the white chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges.

Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let the pumpkin cookies with white chocolate chips sit and cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks. Makes 50 to 60 cookies.

White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookie Variations

There are many mix-ins and substitutions you can make to give your own unique touch to this recipe for white chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. You can add nuts, vary the chip flavor, and even add frosting. Read on for some delicious ways to change up the basic recipe.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia Nuts

Add one or two cups of macadamia nuts to this recipe for white chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. For the least expensive macadamia nuts, try getting them from a bulk food section at a store like Winco Foods. You can also buy them at Walmart. Add a delicious crunch to your cookie creations.

White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Get a tub of cream cheese frosting from Winco or Grocery Outlet. Of course, you can find tubs of cream cheese frosting at just about any grocery store. I just like to share the least expensive options. Put a tablespoon (or more) of frosting on each cookie and spread it with a spatula. You could even place the frosting between the flat sides of two cookies to make a pumpkin white o chip cookie sandwich.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are pumpkin chocolate chip cookies gluten free? They can be if you use a gluten-free flour mix. Just substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour for the regular flour in the recipe. I like to use King Arthur brand, but if you can’t find that you can use another brand such as Cup 4.

Questions About White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

What Kind of Butter is Best for Cookies?

Many cookie recipes call for unsalted butter because it is easier to control the saltiness of the cookie if you add the salt yourself. The amount of salt you need to add to a cookie recipe may vary, and by using unsalted butter, you can add just the amount of salt you want. This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but if you have salted butter, you can use that as well. Just reduce the amount of added salt to 1/8 of a teaspoon.

Is it Better to Use Shortening or Butter in Cookies?

Some recipes, such as shortbread, would not taste nearly as delicious if shortening were used. If you would like your cookies to not spread out as much during baking, shortening might be a better choice. For this reason, Butter-flavor Crisco shortening is sometimes preferred for regular chocolate chip cookies, and would probably work fine in this pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies recipe as well. If you would like your cookies to have crispy edges and be a little flatter, butter would be a better choice.

What is the Secret to Chewy Cookies?

The secret to baking chewy cookies is to bake the cookies at a higher temperature so the cookies are baked for a shorter time. Less moisture is lost, and the inside of the cookie will be softer. To get chewy white chocolate chip pumpkin cookies, make sure you set the oven to bake at 375 degrees F. Some recipes specify setting the temperature at 350 degrees, but for chewy cookies, 375 degrees is what you want. The cookies may be flatter, but they will be chewy.

How Do You Keep Cookies Soft and Chewy?

Storing cookies in an air-tight container will help the cookies stay soft and chewy longer. This is especially important for cookies that are light and fluffy, such as these pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies. The moisture content is higher than that of crunchy cookies, such as crispy gingersnaps.

Why Are My Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Flat?

With some recipes, cookies turn out flat because butter was used instead of shortening. Sometimes, cookie dough with butter in it needs to be chilled in order to avoid flat cookies. If you follow the directions and leave enough time for your butter to come to room temperature, your cookies should not be flat. If you forgot to set out the butter, try to soften in the microwave or near a wood stove, the butter will become to soft, and your cookies will turn out flat. Want to ask me how I know this? Ha! If you have had flat pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies in the past with other recipes, try this recipe and see what you think. Just be sure to leave enough time, maybe even a few hours, for the butter to come to room temperature without trying to take a shortcut. The butter will still feel firm, but it will cream up nicely in the stand mixer.

What Cookies Stay Fresh the Longest?

Cookies with a low moisture content stay fresh longer than cookies with a higher moisture content. Examples of low-moisture cookies include butter cookies you can buy in a tin, and crispy ginger cookies, as noted above. Cookies such as chewy chocolate chip cookies and these white chocolate chip pumpkin cookies tend to get stale within three or four days unless they are frozen.

How Long Will Homemade Cookies Last?

Ha! Homemade cookies never last very long around my house. Would you like to know how long these white chocolate chip pumpkin cookies will last when stored in an air-tight container at room temperature? The answer is three or four days before getting stale. For longer storage, place in a zip top freezer bag and freeze the ones you aren’t going to eat right away.

Do Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Need to be Refrigerated?

You do not need to refrigerate the cookies you are going to eat within a few days. Any that are left after a three or four days should be frozen in a zip top freezer bag. Storing in the refrigerator will not keep them as tasty as storing them in the freezer.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Yes, you certainly can freeze pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. In fact, freezing in a zip top freezer bag is recommended for any cookies that are still left at room temperature after a few days in a covered, air-tight container. Cookies that are frozen will last for months in the freezer. It’s nice to be able to pull out some cookies whenever you need them. After a little thawing, they are ready to eat and still delicious. 

Should Cookie Dough be Chilled Before Baking?

Should I let my cookies dough rest in the fridge? How long should cookie dough rest before baking? Sometimes if you are cooking with butter that has a high fat content, cookie dough needs to rest in the refrigerator before baking in order to prevent the cookies becoming too flat. Good news! With this pumpkin white chocolate chip cookie recipe, there is no need to refrigerate the cookie dough before baking. As noted a few paragraphs above, I have never had a problem with cookies spreading out too much when baking with this recipe as long as I let the butter come to room temperature without trying to take a shortcut, like softening in the microwave. Just set the sticks of butter on a plate on the counter for a few hours. You can always chill the dough if you like, but it’s not necessary.

 

Other Pumpkin Ideas

Into all things pumpkin? Check out these cute and clever book character pumpkin decorating ideas. Read some books about pumpkins, fiction and nonfiction, when you choose a book from this list. Hosting a fall party? Make some easy, no-bake mini pumpkin pies. Have fun with the pumpkin theme!