I love pumpkin almost anything, so creating my own pumpkin chocolate chip cookies seemed like an obvious addition to the cookies I sold at my cookie booth. I already knew how much I loved the combination of pumpkin and chocolate, but I wanted these cookies to have something extra.
As I thought about different flavors that would work with pumpkin, it suddenly occurred to me: Why not stuff the cookie with a brownie?
That was how my Brownie Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies were invented.
These are extra large bakery style cookies with a soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookie wrapped around a generous brownie center. After they come out of the oven, I add more brownie pieces to the top so no one has to wonder what is hiding inside.
They’re pumpkin cookies, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and a little bit of cookie-booth creativity all rolled into one very large cookie.
Why I Created These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’ve always loved pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Pumpkin and chocolate are one of those combinations that just work.
The pumpkin gives the cookie a soft texture and a gentle pumpkin flavor, while the semi sweet chocolate chips add little pockets of melted chocolate. I could have stopped there and made a perfectly good cookie.
Apparently, I don’t always know when to stop.
When I was thinking about a new cookie to sell at my booth, I kept wondering what else would taste good with pumpkin. I’m still thinking about other flavor combinations I might try someday, but the brownie idea was too good to ignore.
A rich, fudgy brownie tucked inside a giant pumpkin chocolate chip cookie sounded like the kind of cookie people would remember.
It also made every bite a little different. Some bites have mostly pumpkin cookie and melted chocolate chips. Then you reach the center and get a thick layer of soft brownie too.
That brownie surprise is what makes these cookies so much fun.
What Kind of Brownies Should I Use?
You can use almost any brownies you enjoy in these Brownie Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
That includes:
- Brownies from the grocery store bakery
- Individually packaged store-bought brownies
- Brownies made from a boxed mix
- Your favorite homemade brownies
It completely depends on your preference and how much time you have.
If you already have a homemade brownie recipe you love, use it. If you’re trying to get several dozen cookies ready for an event and don’t have time to make brownies from scratch, store-bought brownies are perfectly fine.
This cookie is supposed to be fun, not complicated.
I recommend using brownies that are soft and fudgy rather than brownies with very crisp edges. A soft brownie is easier to place inside the dough, and it stays tender in the center of the finished cookie.
Don’t worry if the brownie loses its shape while you assemble the cookie. No one will see whether the brownie went into the dough as a perfect square. They’ll only see that wonderful brownie center when they break the finished cookie open.
Ingredients for Brownie Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the pumpkin cookie dough
- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 5 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 7 to 9 cups all-purpose flour, leveled, beginning with 7 cups and adding more if needed
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips, measured with your heart
- Milk, only if needed to make the dough soft and workable
For the brownie filling and topping
- Approximately 4 tablespoons prepared brownie pieces per cookie
- Use about 3 tablespoons inside each cookie
- Reserve about 1 tablespoon for the top of each baked cookie
A standard can of pure pumpkin usually contains more than the one cup required for this recipe. Be sure you’re using pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, since pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and spices.
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Stuffed with Brownies
1. Make the pumpkin cookie dough
In a very large mixing bowl, cream together the melted butter, canned pumpkin, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla until everything is fully incorporated.
Add the baking soda and salt. Gradually mix in seven cups of flour. If the dough is still too sticky to shape around the brownie filling, add more flour gradually until the dough is soft, workable, and sturdy enough to hold the brownie center.
If the dough becomes too dry or crumbly, add milk one tablespoon at a time until it is soft and workable. The dough shouldn’t be runny or excessively sticky.
Bake one test cookie before adding more flour or assembling the entire batch. This will help you determine whether the dough needs any adjustments.
Finally, stir in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
How many chocolate chips?
Measure with your heart.
2. Portion the dough
Using a large 4-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out two scoops of dough.
Together, the two scoops should create approximately one 5-ounce ball of pumpkin cookie dough.
Flatten the dough slightly with your hands. It should be large enough to wrap completely around the brownie filling.
3. Add the brownie center
Place approximately three tablespoons of brownie in the center of the flattened dough.
Carefully bring the dough up and around the brownie. Pinch the seams together and make sure the brownie is completely enclosed.
The brownie may squish or lose its original shape while you do this. That’s completely fine.
Gently shape the stuffed dough into a ball and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave plenty of room between the cookies because these are very large.
4. Bake the cookies
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 325°F to 350°F for approximately 15 to 18 minutes.
I live at an elevation of more than 4,000 feet, and 325°F works well for my extra-large cookies. At a lower altitude, you may find that 350°F works better.
Ovens, elevations, ingredient temperatures, and cookie sizes can all affect baking time. Watch the first batch carefully and adjust the time if needed.
5. Add more brownies
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently press approximately one additional tablespoon of brownie pieces into the top of each cookie.
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. Extra-large cookies continue setting as they cool, so moving them too quickly may cause them to break apart.
This recipe makes approximately two dozen extra-large cookies or six dozen regular-sized cookies.
An Optional Note About Weighing Ingredients
I usually weigh several of my ingredients because it gives me more consistent results, especially when I’m making a large batch of cookies. You don’t have to use a kitchen scale, though. The measurements in the recipe can also be made with standard measuring cups and spoons.
If you prefer weighing ingredients, these are the measurements I use:
- Brown sugar: 789 grams
- Granulated sugar: 189 grams
- Eggs: 253 grams
- All-purpose flour: 1,272 to 1,412 grams
I don’t usually weigh the remaining ingredients because they’re easy to measure with cups and spoons.
Bake One Test Cookie First
My best advice for making these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies is to bake one test cookie before filling an entire baking sheet.
Begin with the lower amount of flour. Assemble one stuffed cookie and bake it using the temperature and time you think will work best for your oven.
Once it has cooled for a few minutes, check the texture.
If the cookie spreads too much or the dough doesn’t hold the brownie securely, mix a little more flour into the remaining dough.
If the cookie holds its shape and has a soft center with a lightly crisp exterior, you’re ready to assemble the rest.
If the dough seems too dry to wrap around the brownie without cracking, add a tablespoon of milk and test it again.
Baking one cookie takes a few extra minutes, but it can save an entire batch. Flour measurement, canned pumpkin, humidity, altitude, and even the temperature of the ingredients can change the way cookie dough behaves.
How to Make Smaller Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I make these as extra-large, 5-ounce cookies because that’s the bakery-style size I sold at my cookie booth. You can make smaller cookies if you prefer.
For cookies that weigh approximately two ounces before adding the brownie, bake them for about 12 to 14 minutes. Use a smaller amount of brownie in the center so the dough can still seal completely around it.
The exact baking time will depend on your oven and altitude, so I still recommend baking one test cookie first.
Smaller cookies are easier to serve at fall parties, school events, Halloween gatherings, or anywhere people may not be prepared to tackle a cookie the size of a small meal.
The extra-large version is wonderful when you want the cookie to feel like a special bakery treat.
Tips for the Best Brownie Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Use prepared brownies
The brownies need to be fully baked and cooled before you place them inside the cookie dough.
Warm brownies can soften the dough and make the cookies harder to assemble. If you make the brownies yourself, let them cool completely before beginning the cookies.
Don’t overfill the cookies
Three tablespoons of brownie may look like a lot, but these cookies use approximately five ounces of dough.
Make sure you have enough dough surrounding the brownie to seal it completely. If brownie is poking through the bottom or sides, pinch a little more dough over that spot.
Leave room on the pan
These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are much larger than ordinary cookies. Give them plenty of room so they don’t bake into one another.
Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you may only want to bake a few at a time.
Let them cool before breaking one open
I know it’s tempting to pull one apart the second it comes out of the oven, especially when you know there’s a brownie waiting in the middle.
Let the cookie sit on the pan long enough for the outside to set. The brownie and melted chocolate inside will still be wonderfully soft.
Don’t taste the raw dough
This dough contains raw flour and eggs. The FDA recommends not eating uncooked dough because raw flour and raw eggs may contain harmful germs. You can read more in the FDA’s guide to handling flour safely.
Can I Add Pumpkin Pie Spice?
Yes, if you want a warmer, spiced pumpkin flavor.
This recipe lets the pumpkin, chocolate chips, and brownies be the main flavors. If you prefer the cinnamon-and-spice flavor people often associate with pumpkin desserts, you can add pumpkin pie spice to taste.
Cinnamon would also work well on its own.
Because spices can become strong in a large batch, I would start with a modest amount. Bake a test cookie, taste it after it cools slightly, and add more spice to the remaining dough if you want a stronger flavor.
Can I Use Milk Chocolate Chips?
You can substitute milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or chocolate chunks for the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Semi-sweet chocolate gives these cookies plenty of chocolate flavor without making them overly sweet. Milk chocolate will create a sweeter cookie, while dark chocolate adds a deeper flavor that can balance the brownie and brown sugar.
You could also combine two kinds of chocolate.
Whichever kind you choose, the official measurement remains the same: Measure with your heart.
Storing Brownie Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Allow the cookies to cool completely before placing them in an airtight container.
Pumpkin cookies are naturally soft, so storing them while they’re still warm can trap extra moisture inside the container. This may make the outside of the cookies softer than you want.
Place parchment or wax paper between the layers to prevent the brownie pieces on top from sticking to the cookies above them.
If you want to enjoy a cookie warm again, place it in a cold oven. Set the oven to 350°F and warm a small cookie for approximately eight minutes. A large cookie will usually need about 10 to 12 minutes.
There’s no need to let the cookie come to room temperature first. I also don’t use the microwave because warming the cookie in the oven gives it a much better texture.
Freezing Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies can be frozen after baking. Let them cool completely, then wrap them individually or place them in a freezer-safe container. If you stack the cookies, put parchment or wax paper between the layers to protect the brownie topping.
When you’re ready to eat one, take it directly from the freezer and place it in a cold oven. Set the oven to 350°F and warm it for approximately eight minutes if it’s a small cookie or 10 to 12 minutes if it’s a large cookie.
You don’t need to thaw the cookie first. Starting it in a cold oven allows the cookie to warm gradually while the oven heats, helping the brownie center and chocolate chips soften without making the outside overly hot.
Freezing Unbaked Cookie Dough
You can also assemble the stuffed cookies and freeze the unbaked dough.
After forming and stuffing the cookie dough balls, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze them until firm. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container or bag.
When you’re ready to bake them, place the frozen cookie dough on a baking sheet and bake it directly from frozen. Use the same oven temperature you normally use for that cookie size, but add a couple of minutes to the original baking time.
For example, if you normally bake a cookie for 15 to 18 minutes, begin checking a frozen one after approximately 17 minutes. Oven temperatures, altitude, and cookie size can affect the exact time, so I recommend baking one test cookie before baking the rest.
Another Fall Cookie to Try
If you love turning familiar fall desserts into giant cookies, try my Caramel Apple Pie Cookies next. They combine apples, caramel, and a buttery streusel topping for another bakery-style cookie that feels made for fall.
Explore More Bakery-Style Cookie Recipes
These Brownie Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are just one of the over-the-top combinations I’ve created through the years. You can browse all of my bakery-style cookie recipes for more stuffed cookies, seasonal favorites, chocolate-loaded creations, family recipes, and unexpected flavor combinations.
The Cookie That Started With a Brownie Idea
I created these Brownie Stuffed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies because I wanted something memorable for my cookie booth.
I started with a flavor I already loved, pumpkin chocolate chip, and kept thinking about what might make it even better.
The answer was a brownie.
You can make the brownies from scratch, use a boxed mix, or pick up prepared brownies at the store. There’s no single right way to do it. The important part is that you end up with a soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, a rich brownie hiding in the center, and a few extra brownie pieces on top.
I’m still thinking about other flavors that might work with pumpkin. That’s part of the fun of creating cookies. Sometimes an idea is carefully planned, and sometimes it suddenly hits you that a pumpkin cookie clearly needs a brownie inside it.
What flavor would you pair with pumpkin in a stuffed cookie?
Making every house feel a little more like home.
