Bake up a batch of these Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies that are filled with fall spices, pure pumpkin, and sweet white chocolate! Your belly will thank you as you bask in the sweetly spiced aroma that fills your kitchen as they bake!
Pumpkin and White Chocolate are the Perfect Combo!
Slide those traditional Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies to the side to make room for these Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies! These soft pumpkin cookies trade milk chocolate chips for silky white chocolate chips to create a delicious contrast, resulting in the perfect fall treat!
To make these the very best pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies, I made them with triple the pumpkin! Instant pumpkin pudding mix, 100% pure pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice come together to load these cookies up with the most mouthwatering pumpkin flavor that you’ve been waiting all year to taste!
These cookies are perfect for those who aren’t fans of the classic pumpkin and chocolate combo and even those who are!
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Large Eggs
- 100% Pure Pumpkin
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Box of Instant Pumpkin Pudding Mix
- Powdered Milk
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Ground Cinnamon
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Guittard White Chocolate Chips
To pack the pumpkin into these fall cookies, I paired pantry staples with 100% pure pumpkin, instant pumpkin pudding mix, and pumpkin pie spice. This combination creates perfectly flavored pumpkin cookies without an overpowering taste!
When selecting the ingredients for this cookie recipe, be sure to grab 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. The two are very different yet are found in close proximity to each other in the grocery store.
100% pumpkin is pure pureed pumpkin without any added sweeteners or spices, whereas pumpkin pie filling is made with sweeteners and spices.
Substitutions And Variations
- Unsalted Butter – Salted butter can be used in place of unsalted butter. To do so, the 1 teaspoon of salt will need to be reduced to 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Dark Brown Sugar – If needed, light brown sugar can replace dark brown sugar, though it will produce cookies with a slightly different taste.
- Pumpkin Pudding Mix – Vanilla pudding mix or cheesecake pudding mix can be used for a flavor variation or if you just can’t find pumpkin pudding mix.
- Powdered Milk – Since powdered milk doesn’t impact the texture or structure, it can be omitted, but it does add so much in terms of flavor.
- White Chocolate Chips – I prefer using high-quality white chocolate chips such as Guittard, but feel free to use your favorite brand! You can use white chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, or a chopped white chocolate bar. If you’re more of a milk chocolate lover, you can even substitute white chips for milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate chips!
- Cinnamon Sugar – Add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon to 1 cup of granulated sugar and roll the balls of dough in the sugar before place on the pan and pressing. This makes for an extra sweet and slightly crunchy coating.
How To Make Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Cream the unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer that’s fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl down halfway through.
Step 2: Spread the measured 100% Pure Pumpkin out on paper towels, pressing with more paper towels to remove the excess moisture.
Step 3: Transfer the dried pumpkin puree to the mixing bowl and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 4: Add the large eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until the yolk is streaky through the dough.
Step 5: Pour in the vanilla extract and mix only until combined.
Step 6: In a separate bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, box of instant pumpkin pudding mix, powdered milk, pumpkin pie spice, salt, ground cinnamon, and baking soda together.
Step 7: Slowly add the dry ingredients one cup at a time to the wet ingredients while the mixer is at low speed. Once all the dry ingredients have been added, increase the mixer speed and mix until just combined.
If the flour sits at the bottom, do not continue to mix until it’s incorporated. Instead, use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix up and incorporate any loose flour that could be hiding on the bottom of the bowl underneath the mixed cookie dough.
Step 8: Add in a portion of the white chocolate chips and mix at low speed just until combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough!
Step 9: Portion out the cookie dough and then roll the dough into balls using the palms of your hands. Transfer the white pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet.
Then, use the palm of your hand to carefully press the cookies down to about 3/4-inch thickness.
Step 10: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven one cookie sheet at a time. Halfway through baking, pull the cookie sheet out and press the reserved white chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies, then return them to the oven.
Step 11: Remove the cookies from the oven once the edges are just turning light brown. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Recipe Tips For Making The Best Pumpkin Cookies
- Accurately Measured Ingredients – Baking up the best cookies starts with accurately measured ingredients! This is because too much or too little of an ingredient can throw the whole flavor of the recipe off or produce hard, crunchy cookies. On the recipe card, I noted weighted measurements that can be measured out using a kitchen scale. However, you can still use cups if you prefer, but be sure to correctly measure the flour!
- Creaming The Butter and Sugars – Don’t shortcut the creaming process, as this is very important to the final structure of the cookies. It’s worth the two minutes it takes to do it!
- Drying The Canned Pumpkin – Drying the canned pumpkin removes any excess moisture. I found that the best way to do this is to measure out the pumpkin and then spread it out on multiple layers of paper towels. I then pressed the top of the pumpkin with more paper towels. Then, I top the pumpkin with new paper towels and flip it over so the top becomes the bottom. Then discard the original bottom towels and press dry paper towels onto the pumpkin once again to remove any excess moisture. Once the pumpkin is dry, you’re looking to have about 100g of dried pumpkin to incorporate into the cookie dough.
- Incorporating Without Overmixing – Use a rubber spatula or your hands to work the drier bits of flour that likely have settled onto the bowl’s bottom. It may be tempting to use an electric mixer or stand mixer, but this will overwork the dough and isn’t effective.
- Adding Additional White Chocolate Chips – Partway through baking, the sheet of cookies is removed to add additional white chocolate chips on top. This is an optional step, but it does prevent the top chips from browning while still allowing them to melt into and bind with the dough while baking. This will deliver pumpkin cookies with beautiful white chips on top!
- Two Baking Sheets – It’s best to use two baking sheets when making this cookie recipe since one batch will need to cool on the pan. It’s also important not to drop cookie dough onto a hot baking sheet as this will alter the structure of the cookies.
How To Store Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store white chocolate pumpkin cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper separating the layers to prevent them from sticking together. Keep the cookies at room temperature for up to 3 days or store them in the fridge to enjoy for up to a week.
How To Freeze Pumpkin Cookies
You can also freeze these pumpkin cookies! This is a great choice when you need treats to make ahead of time for fall gatherings or even Thanksgiving!
To freeze these cookies, flash freeze them once they’re completely cooled. This is done by placing the baked cookies on a cookie sheet in a single layer and then transferring them to the freezer for about an hour.
Afterward, transfer the frozen cookies into a Ziploc bag or freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies FAQs
Pumpkin pie spice is made of a blend of warm fall spices such as ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and ground cloves.
Since pumpkin spice is made of pantry staple spices you likely already have on hand, you can make homemade pumpkin pie spice right at home in less than 5 minutes.
This will likely vary from cookie recipe to cookie recipe; however, these pumpkin cookies can be made up to one day in advance.
This Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe does not need to rest in the fridge before baking. This no-chill dough makes it even easier to whip these cookies up anytime!
To make these pumpkin white chocolate cookies round, take a biscuit cutter and place it over the warm cookies so that the cookie is inside the biscuit cutter. Swirl the warm cookie around in the biscuit cutter to make it perfectly round.
Repeat this step for all of the cookies that you want to be round!
More Pumpkin Cookies
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Pumpkin White Chocolate Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer recommended, not required
- Paddle attachment recommended, not required
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Kitchen Scale recommended, not required
Ingredients
Pumpkin Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter 227g, softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar 225g, packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup 100% pumpkin 172g
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour 520g, spooned and leveled
- 1 (3.4oz.) box instant pumpkin pudding mix 96g, unprepared, see notes
- 2 tablespoons powdered milk 10g
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 11 ounces Guittard White Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer (I highly recommend a stand mixer for this recipe) fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup dark brown sugar, and 1 cup granulated sugar on medium speed (speed 4 on a stand mixer) for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Measure and spread the ¾ cup 100% pumpkin out on paper towels. I usually start with four of the select-a-size sheets on the bottom or two regular folded over, then press the pumpkin with another set of paper towels on top. Replace the top paper towel with two select-a-size sheets and flip the pumpkin so the new top towels are now on the bottom of the pumpkin. Discard the original bottom towels and replace them with two more, pressing to remove the excess moisture. You should have about 100g of pumpkin after squeezing.
- Add the pumpkin to the mixing bowl, it should peel off the towel easily, but you can use a rubber spatula to assist. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Add the 2 large eggs one at a time, mixing after each one just until the yolk is streaky throughout the dough. Add 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract and mix just until combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 (3.4oz.) box instant pumpkin pudding mix, 2 tablespoons powdered milk, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon baking soda. With the mixing beating at low (stir) speed, slowly add the flour mixture a cup at a time. If you have a flour shield for your mixer, I recommend using it as this recipe creates a lot of dough. Increase to medium speed and mix just until combined, then remove from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to mix up any loose flour from the bottom of the bowl into the dough.
- Add in all but ⅓ cup of the 11 ounces Guittard White Chocolate Chips and mix at low speed just until combined; be careful not to overmix.
- Use a large #16 cookie scoop to portion out the dough into 2.5 ounce portions. Roll the balls of dough between your palms to round, then place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 to 3 inches between each (8 cookies will fit in offset pairs on a 12×17-inch cookie sheet). Use the palm of your hand to gently press the cookies down so they are about ¾-inch thick.
- Bake the cookies one cookie sheet at a time for 5 minutes, pull out and press some of the reserved white chocolate chips into the tops of the dough, then return to baking for an additional 7 minutes or until the edges are just turning light brown. This is an optional step that helps prevent the chips from brownie but still lets them melt into and bind with the dough while baking. You may add them at the beginning or right out of the oven if that is your preference.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- If you cannot find Pumpkin Pudding Mix, you can use Cheesecake or Vanilla flavored instead.
- The powdered milk can be left out as it won’t impact the texture. However, it adds so much in terms of flavor, even though it seems like a small amount.
- Creaming the butter and sugar for 2 minutes is important to the final structure of the cookie; do not shortcut this.
- There will likely be some flour that settles in the bottom of the bowl; make sure you get this all mixed in. Do not just start cooking off the dough from the top, or you’ll end up with a couple of dry cookies near the end. So, use a rubber spatula or your hands to work the drier bits into the dough. Do not just keep mixing in the mixer; this will overwork the dough and won’t be as effective. This was my experience with a stand Artisan 4.5 qt mixer; it may come together just fine with a larger size.
- A ¼ cup measuring cup can also be used to portion out the dough.
Nutrition
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