Pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies.
A bowl of pumpkin, a handful of chocolate chips and someone to share the stirring: these cookies make a cosy Halloween baking project. Your child can help measure, fold in the chips and choose a little face or pattern for the tops. You take care of the mixer, oven and hot trays.
There is a half-hour chill in the middle, so you can clear the counter, read a story or take a break before the cookies go into the oven.
Recipe adapted from Lena Abraham's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies for Delish.
The recipe at a glance
Yield: Approximately 30–35 cookies, based on the source-reported yield of 35, using a small 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or rounded spoonfuls.
- Hands-on preparation
- About 20–25 minutes for measuring, mixing and portioning.
- Chilling
- 30 minutes.
- Baking
- About 12 minutes per tray; approximately 36–40 minutes across three single-tray loads.
- Cooling
- About 15–20 minutes before serving, or longer if the cookies or chocolate are still hot.
- Total planning window
- Around 2 hours, starting with softened butter. An adult also handles oven checks and tray changes while the cookies bake.
- Oven
- 190°C / 375°F, conventional oven.
Ingredients
Use US measuring cups and level measuring spoons.
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose/plain flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon regular fine salt)
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (160 g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup plain canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
What you’ll need
Two mixing bowls, a hand mixer, a whisk, a flexible spatula, US measuring cups and spoons, a small 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or two spoons, two large baking trays (about 46 × 33 cm / 18 × 13 in), baking parchment, a cooling rack and oven mitts. Kitchen scales are optional for measuring ingredients. One tray will be reused after it has cooled.
Bake together
Get everything measured
Together: Measure the ingredients and line the cool trays with parchment. Your child can help measure the sugars and count the spoonfuls of spice. Adult: Open the pumpkin can and crack the egg into a separate small bowl, checking for shell. Wash hands after handling the egg.
Mix the dry ingredients
Together: Whisk the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt in one bowl. Use slow movements to keep the flour in the bowl. An adult can take this job if your child is likely to taste the ingredients.
Bring the wet ingredients together
Adult: Beat the softened butter and both sugars in the larger bowl until the mixture is pale and fluffy. With the mixer switched off, your child can help add the measured pumpkin. Add the egg and vanilla, then beat until combined. Stop and unplug the mixer before scraping down the bowl.
Combine, then chill
Adult: Add the dry mixture and mix on low just until there are no dry flour patches. Together: Choose whether to keep all the chips in the dough or reserve a few from the measured total for patterns on top. Fold in the remaining chips with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, until cold. During the chill, wash the used utensils and counter; an adult can preheat the oven towards the end of this time.
Scoop and count the cookies
Together: Use a small cookie scoop or two spoons to drop rounded 1-tablespoon portions of dough, about 1 inch / 2.5 cm balls, onto the lined, cool trays. Leave 2 inches / 5 cm between the portions. Your child can count up to 12 portions per sheet and place the reserved chocolate chips on top in a simple pattern. Keep any remaining dough covered in the fridge until you have a cool tray ready for it.
Bake one tray at a time
Adult: Place the first tray on the middle oven rack. Start checking at 12 minutes, looking for puffed tops, set centres and lightly golden edges. Continue baking if the centres still look wet or the cookies are not ready. Keep the next tray and remaining dough chilled while you wait. Bake the second tray in the same way. Once the first tray is completely cool, line it again if needed and use it for the remaining dough, with no more than 12 portions per sheet. Turn off the oven when baking is finished.
Cool, then share
Adult: Let each tray rest on a heat-safe surface for about 5 minutes, then move the cookies carefully to a cooling rack with a spatula. Allow about 15–20 minutes of cooling in total before serving, and longer if the cookies or chocolate are still hot. Once everything is cool enough to handle, your child can choose the serving plate and help put away the safe utensils. Wash bowls, tools and work surfaces that touched raw flour, egg or dough with warm, soapy water.
Save recipe (PDF)
While the dough chills
If you would like another idea for the afternoon, our Halloween activities guide has songs, crafts and cartoons to explore together. Or choose a pumpkin-decorating idea for another day.
