Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is simple and festive way to enjoy the flavors of fall! This easy cookie cake recipe is perfect for any party!
If you’re looking for more fall desserts, check out some of my other favorites like Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Spice S’More Bars, Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Zucchini Cake Without Eggs, or Eggless Sourdough Pumpkin Pie.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Ready In: 1 hour
- Makes: 8-inch cookie cake
- Main Ingredients: butter, pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, pumpkin spice
- Flavor Profile: cozy pumpkin spice with creamy buttercream
- Dietary Info: eggless, no seed oils, vegan swap available
- Difficulty: Medium
- Why You’ll Love It: easy decorated cookie cake for fall
Summarize & Save This Content On
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft and Chewy: This cookie cake is soft and chewy, just like your favorite fall cookie!
- Eggless Cookie Cake: I use pumpkin puree as an egg replacer here. It adds flavor as well as moisture, creating a perfectly soft and chewy cookie cake. Because this is naturally eggless, you don’t need to worry about underbaking if you like extra soft and gooey cookies!
- Fall Vibes: This simple dessert has all the fall vibes! Pumpkin spice is the star of this soft and chewy cookie. And it’s decorated with adorable pumpkins!
- Pumpkin + Chocolate: This cake is the best of both worlds — pumpkin and chocolate!
- Easy Decoration: If you’re new to decorating, this is a great recipe to start with as it’s very easy and completely free form!
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Baker’s Tips for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- How to Make a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Make Ahead & Store Instructions
- Ways to Use Leftover Pumpkin
- Recipe FAQ’s
- More Pumpkin Cookie Recipes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- The Bake Shop
Ingredients
- Brown Sugar: I use my Homemade Light Brown Sugar, but you can use store bought too. If you only have dark brown sugar, that will also be fine, the flavor will be just a bit richer and the color will be a little darker.
- Pumpkin: I love Farmer’s Market Pumpkin Puree, which is what I use here. I don't strain or have to blot this pumpkin, just use it straight from the can for this recipe.
- All Purpose Flour: My favorite is Cairnspring Mills.
- Pumpkin Spice: I use my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix in this recipe, which is just a mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. You can use your favorite store bought pumpkin spice if you want.
- Cocoa: I use a little bit of organic Dutch cocoa powder for the stems on the pumpkins.
- Plant Based Food Dyes: I use a few different plant based dyes in this cake. I use India Tree Nature’s Colors Orange, organic strawberry powder, and organic matcha powder. All can be found in my Amazon Shop.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker’s Tips for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Use a digital food scale for the best results.
- I'm using my stand mixer for ease, but if you prefer to use a large bowl with a hand mixer you can do that for both the cookie dough and the frosting. You'll definitely need a large mixing bowl, don't use a medium-sized bowl, especially for the frosting is using a hand mixer.
- Make sure your butter is soft, for both the cookie cake and the frosting.
- Easily make this vegan by using your favorite vegan butter and milk. I recommend Miyoko's butter and coconut milk for the best flavor.
- You can use a round or square 8-inch cake pan. If you only have a 9-inch cake pan or even a 9-inch springform pan, you can use that too. The cookie cake just won’t be as thick.
- The decorating is totally optional. Feel free to just spread frosting on top of the cookie cake any way you like!
- And if you want to just decorate with another frosting, you can try it with Caramel Buttercream Frosting, Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting or Homemade Chocolate Ganache instead.
- Be sure to store leftovers in an airtight container. You can also store this in a cake dome!
How to Make a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper. To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Mix on low until combined and there’s no butter chunks.
- Add in the pumpkin puree.
- Next, add the dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Mix together until a stiff dough forms.
- Add in the chocolate chips and mix to combine completely.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Use your hand and press it out evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the middle looks set and the edges look dry. Allow to cool completely in the cake pan.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Mix on low until combined and then speed mixer up to high and mix to 2 to 3 minutes or until it’s light and fluffy.
- Transfer about half the white frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #846. Divide the remaining frosting in 4 bowls, two of which have just a small amount, about 2 tablespoons. Then, divide the remaining frosting in half. In one of the small amount bowls, add a pinch of cocoa powder to one and stir in to make chocolate buttercream. Transfer the chocolate to a piping bag with Ateco tip #8 for the stems. Add a pinch of matcha powder to the other small dish with just a small amount and stir in. Transfer the green to a piping bag with Ateco tip #6 for the vines.
- In one of the remaining bowls with more frosting, add a pinch of strawberry powder and stir it in. Add to a piping bag with Ateco tip #21. For the remaining frosting, add a few drops of India Tree Nature’s Colors Orange dye into the last bowl. You can use a few drops for pastel or more for a darker orange. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #32. Remove the cookie cake from the pan.
- Starting with the white frosting, pipe a straight line of buttercream on the cookie cake wherever you want your first pumpkin to be. This is the middle of the pumpkin.
- Then, pipe a slightly curved line on each side of the first line to create the round shape of the pumpkin. T
- hese lines should be similar to writing a “C” or the curved part of the “D” as far as shape goes. Continue to do this a few times, anywhere you want a pumpkin on the cake. I made 3 pumpkins on my cake, but you could do more or less or bigger ones or smaller ones.
- Next, use the brown and pipe chocolate stems onto the pumpkins. Add little squiggly lines of green for the vines.
- Fill in with rosettes of pink for the flowers by piping a spiral. Last, add dollops of orange for baby pumpkins. And top those with a dollop of the brown for a stem. This can be totally free form so have fun with it!
Make Ahead & Store Instructions
You can make this pumpkin cookie cake ahead of time if need be. You can make this a day in advance and store in a cake dome at room temperature. If you just want to make the cookie cake portion in advance (not decorated), you can also store in a cake dome or wrap it in plastic wrap.
If you have extra slices, be sure to store under a cake dome or in an airtight container so the cookie stays soft and chewy.
Ways to Use Leftover Pumpkin
While I love baking with pumpkin, it sucks to open a can of pumpkin puree only to use a little bit. So, don't let your extra pumpkin go to waste! Make some of my other favorite recipes using pumpkin!
- For more eggless cookies, try Eggless Brown Sugar Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies Without Eggs, or Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies.
- Cozy up with Slow Cooker Pumpkin Stew for a quick and easy dinner!
- Make and freeze Healthy Pumpkin Waffles With Bone Broth so you have waffles on hand for a quick and easy breakfast.
- Make your dog a treat with Pumpkin Donuts for Dogs or Cranberry Pumpkin Dog Cookies.
- Indulge in Soft Baked Pumpkin Spice Cranberry Sandwich Cookies for another naturally colorful pumpkin dessert!
Recipe FAQ’s
A cookie cake is just a big cookie that's baked in a cake pan. It's usually frosted with buttercream (like a cake) and then sliced in triangle pieces, also like a cake! It's a perfect easy dessert for celebrations, parties or if the birthday person prefers cookies over cake.
This is incredibly soft and chewy thanks to the addition of pumpkin!
Yes, be sure you are using pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling as that has added sugars which we don't need).
Yes, this is a pumpkin cookie cake. If you want less pumpkin flavor, feel free to use half the amount of pumpkin spice.
Yes! I love using pumpkin puree as an egg replacer for cookies as it provides moisture and helps create a super soft and pillowy cookie!
Yes, you can replace the butter with vegan butter, I recommend Miyoko's as this is what I used to test.
The cookie cake will look set in the center and dry around the edges. You can also stick the center with a toothpick to ensure it comes out clean. But, the best thing about this pumpkin cookie cake is that it's eggless, so there is no worry of under baking if you like really soft or gooey texture.
Pumpkin is high in moisture, so depending on which brand of pumpkin puree you use, it can have more. I always use the Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin Puree and I never have to strain or blot out moisture and this always comes out perfectly. If you are using a different brand, you may need to blot out some of the moisture with a paper towel. Your cookie cake can also be more cakey if you use too much flour or over bake this. Be sure to use a kitchen scale for the best results. And don't over bake, if anything you can under bake for a chewy and more gooey cookie, as this is egg free so there is no worry of under baking!
No, you do not need to decorate this. You can just pipe frosting on with a piping bag in small dollops around the cake. Or you can just spread it out with a spatula too!
You'll need a piping bag and decorating tips if you want to decorate this with the pumpkins like I do here. But, you can also use a zip bag (cut off the corner) to have something to pip with if you don't have a piping bag or decorating tips and you can make a similar looking design.
Yes! You can decorate this with just a shell boarder, roses, or just dollops of frosting around the edge if you are decorating for a birthday.
Yes, you can. You can make it the day before, just store it under a cake dome so it stays soft and chewy.
The best way to store this is under a cake dome so it stays soft and the decoration stays in tact. But, you can also store extra slices in a tupperware or air-tight container as well!
Yes, you can freeze the cake (before decorating) by wrapping completely in plastic wrap. Then you can thaw it for 24 hours and then decorate. You can also freeze the whole decorated cookie cake, but there's more chance of that getting dinged this way.
More Pumpkin Cookie Recipes
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- 8-inch Cake Pan
- Parchment Paper Cake Rounds
- Piping Bags
- Ateco Tip #846
- Ateco Tip #8
- Ateco Tip #6
- Ateco Tip #21
- Ateco Tip #32
Ingredients
Dough
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 170 grams light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 113 grams pumpkin puree
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 198 grams semi sweet chocolate chips
Frosting
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 212 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Matcha powder
- Dutch cocoa powder
- Freeze dried strawberry powder
- India Tree Nature’s Colors Orange Dye
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and there’s no butter chunks.
- Add in the pumpkin puree and then next, add the dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix together until a stiff dough forms.
- Add in the chocolate chips and mix to combine completely.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Use your hand and press it out evenly.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the middle looks set and the edges look dry. Allow to cool completely in the cake pan.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and then speed mixer up to high and mix to 2 to 3 minutes or until it’s light and fluffy.
- Transfer about half the white frosting to a piping bag with Ateco tip #846.
- Divide the remaining frosting in 4 bowls, two of which have just a small amount, about 2 tablespoons maybe. Then, divide the remaining frosting in half.
- In one of the small amount bowls, add a pinch of cocoa powder to one and stir in to make chocolate buttercream. Transfer the chocolate to a piping bag with Ateco tip #8 for the stems.
- Add a pinch of matcha powder to the other small dish with just a small amount and stir in. Transfer the green to a piping bag with Ateco tip #6 for the vines.
- In one of the bowls with more frosting, add a pinch of strawberry powder and stir it in. Add to a piping bag with Ateco tip #21.
- For the remaining frosting, add a few drops of India Tree Nature’s Colors Orange dye into the last bowl. You can use a few drops for pastel or more for a darker orange. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #32.
- Starting with the white frosting, pipe a straight line of buttercream on the cookie cake wherever you want your first pumpkin to be. This is the middle of the pumpkin. Then, pipe a slightly curved line on each side of the first line to create the round shape of the pumpkin. These lines should be similar to writing a “C” or the curved part of the “D” as far as shape goes. Continue to do this a few times, anywhere you want a pumpkin on the cake. I made 3 pumpkins on my cake, but you could do more or less or bigger ones or smaller ones.
- Next, use the brown and pipe chocolate stems onto the pumpkins.
- Add little squiggly lines of green for the vines.
- Fill in with rosettes of pink for the flowers by piping a spiral. Last, add dollops of orange for baby pumpkins. And top those with a dollop of the brown for a stem. This can be totally free form so have fun with it!
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- Use a digital food scale for the best results.
- I'm using my stand mixer for ease, but if you prefer to use a large bowl with a hand mixer you can do that for both the cookie dough and the frosting. You'll definitely need a large mixing bowl, don't use a medium-sized bowl, especially for the frosting is using a hand mixer.
- Make sure your butter is soft, for both the cookie cake and the frosting.
- Easily make this vegan by using your favorite vegan butter and milk. I recommend Miyoko's butter and coconut milk for the best flavor.
- You can use a round or square 8-inch cake pan. If you only have a 9-inch cake pan or even a 9-inch springform pan, you can use that too. The cookie cake just won’t be as thick.
- The decorating is totally optional. Feel free to just spread frosting on top of the cookie cake any way you like!
- And if you want to just decorate with another frosting, you can try it with Caramel Buttercream Frosting, Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting or Homemade Chocolate Ganache instead.
- Be sure to store leftovers in an airtight container. You can also store this in a cake dome!
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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So cute and fun to make!