Pumpkin Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are certain recipes that just feel like fall, and these Pumpkin Marshmallow Cookies are definitely one of them. They’re soft, subtly spiced pumpkin cookies filled with chocolate chips and little pockets of gooey marshmallow—and basically exactly what I want when the weather starts cooling down.

This recipe actually started with an old fashioned pumpkin cookie recipe from a church cook book I got at a garage sale. (Side note – are there any better cookbooks than church cookbooks from the 80s and 90s??). The original recipes was a little more traditional, with shortening, all white sugar, nuts, and dried fruit. I wanted something a little more dessert like (and, frankly, something my family would be more excited to eat), so I made a few changes. My Pumpkin Marshmallow Cold Foam has been on my mind (and in my coffee) a lot lately, so that largely played into the inspiration for these cookies.

Butter replaces the shortening, brown sugar adds a little extra richness, and instead of nuts and dried fruit, we’re adding chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. The butter and brown sugar also help to make a cookie that’s a little less fluffy – I don’t like a bread or cake like cookie, and any recipe with pumpkin tends to lean that way since the pumpkin adds extra moisture.

The marshmallows do require one tiny bit of planning: freeze them overnight before making the cookies. This helps them hold up a little better once they hit the hot oven. Otherwise, I almost always end cookie baking with marshmallow charred to my baking sheets.

The result is an easy fall cookie that combines pumpkin, warm cinnamon, chocolate, and marshmallow in one very cozy dessert.

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Marshmallow Cookies

These aren’t quite your standard pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. The marshmallow makes them a little more fun while still keeping the recipe simple enough for an everyday fall baking project.

And there’s no frosting needed—the chocolate and marshmallow give these plenty of sweetness on their own.

The Trick: Freeze Your Marshmallows

Before you make the cookies, measure ½ cup of mini marshmallows, put them in a freezer-safe container or bag, and leave them in the freezer overnight. I actually prefer to use the super micro mini marshmallows I get at a local Amish store (I think these are the most similar). They freeze faster and they don’t take up so much space in the cookie. That said, my kids absolutely adore when I cut a full size marshmallow in half and stick that in the middle of these cookies… all this to say, use whatever size marshmallows you want.

Don’t thaw them before adding them to your dough. Take them directly from the freezer and fold them in at the very end.

Marshmallows melt quickly in the oven, so freezing them first gives them a little bit of a head start against the heat. Some will still melt—and that’s part of what makes these cookies so good—but you’ll end up with those delicious little gooey marshmallow pockets throughout the cookies.

Tip: When you’re portioning your dough, try to tuck exposed marshmallows into the center of each cookie. Marshmallows sitting directly against the baking sheet are much more likely to melt out and caramelize around the edges.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Marshmallow Cookies

Important Notes on the Pumpkin

Make sure you’re using pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains added sugar and spices and will change the finished cookies.

In order to get the least cakey, most chewy cookie, it’s important to try to get as much moisture out of the pumpkin as possible. To do this, I measure out my pumpkin onto a plate, and smooth it out as thin as possible. I then press paper towels gently into the puree until I absorb as much moisture as I can. After this, the pumpkin is ready to be added to your mixture.

Why Use Butter Instead of Shortening?

The original recipe uses shortening, but I prefer butter here. It gives the cookies a richer flavor that works especially well with the pumpkin, brown sugar, chocolate, and marshmallow. It also allows the cookies to spread and crisp a bit more. The pumpkin in this recipe already gives enough of the taller, softer cookie appearance that we’d get from shortening.

Let your butter soften at room temperature before you start. You want it soft enough to cream with the sugars but not melted.

How to Make Pumpkin Marshmallow Cookies

1. Freeze the Marshmallows

The night before you plan to bake, place ½ cup mini or micro mini marshmallows in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze them overnight. If you’d like to use full size marshmallows, cut them in half or thirds prior to freezing.

Leave them in the freezer until the very last minute. You want them to be completely frozen when they go into your cookie dough.

2. Preheat the Oven

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

3. Combine the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set the bowl aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.

4. Cream the Butter and Sugars

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined and creamy. Using mostly brown sugar gives these pumpkin cookies a little more richness while the smaller amount of white sugar keeps them sweet without overpowering the pumpkin.

5. Add the Pumpkin, Egg, and Vanilla

Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until everything is evenly combined.

The mixture will be softer than a traditional chocolate chip cookie dough. That’s completely normal! Pumpkin adds quite a bit of moisture to cookie dough and helps give these cookies their soft texture. Resist the urge to put this dough in the refrigerator to firm up, it messes with the baking time and melt of the marshmallows.

6. Add the Dry Ingredients

Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Mix just until you no longer see streaks of dry flour. Try not to overmix the dough once you’ve added the flour.

7. Add the Chocolate Chips and Frozen Marshmallows

Now grab those marshmallows from the freezer. Gently fold ½ cup chocolate chips and ½ cup frozen mini marshmallows into the cookie dough. Work fairly quickly once you add the marshmallows so they stay as cold as possible before going into the oven.

8. Scoop the Cookies

Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving a little room between each cookie.

Take a quick look at each scoop before baking. If you see marshmallows sticking out along the bottom or sides, gently push them farther into the cookie dough. They don’t have to be completely hidden, but keeping most of the marshmallow away from the baking sheet helps prevent it from melting into a sticky puddle underneath the cookie.

9. Bake

Bake the pumpkin marshmallow cookies at 350°F for 9–10 minutes. The cookies are ready when they look set and the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden. The centers should still be soft.

Be careful not to underbake them. These are supposed to be soft pumpkin cookies, so you don’t need to wait for them to become deeply golden like you might with a traditional chocolate chip cookie, but you do want them to fully set. The pumpkin makes the cookies a little too gooey if not fully baked.

10. Let the Cookies Cool

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

The marshmallow will be very hot and sticky immediately after baking, so those few minutes on the pan also give the cookies—and all those gooey marshmallow pockets—a chance to set.

What Happens to the Marshmallows When They Bake?

Don’t expect every mini marshmallow to come out of the oven looking exactly like it did when it went in.

Some will remain as soft, gooey pockets. Others may melt into the surrounding cookie or caramelize slightly around an exposed edge. That’s normal—and honestly, those slightly caramelized marshmallow bits might be one of the best parts.

Freezing the marshmallows overnight and tucking them into the dough helps keep them from melting too quickly, but marshmallows are still marshmallows. They’re going to get melty!

Can I Make the Cookie Dough Ahead of Time?

Because we’re using frozen marshmallows, I prefer making the cookie dough and baking the cookies shortly after folding them in.

You can definitely do some of the prep ahead, though. Measure and mix your dry ingredients and have your marshmallows waiting in the freezer. Then the actual cookie dough comes together pretty quickly when you’re ready to bake.

How to Store Pumpkin Marshmallow Cookies

Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing them.

Keep your pumpkin marshmallow cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. Pumpkin cookies are naturally quite moist, so don’t leave them sitting uncovered for long.

For an extra-gooey cookie, you can also warm one for just a few seconds before eating to soften the chocolate and marshmallow again.

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft pumpkin cookies made with brown sugar, chocolate chips, and gooey mini marshmallows for an easy fall treat.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin marshmallow cookies

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter softened
• ¾ cup brown sugar packed
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup micro mini marshmallows frozen overnight
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

• The night before making the cookies, place the mini marshmallows in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze overnight. Keep frozen until you’re ready to add them to the cookie dough.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined and creamy.
• Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix until evenly combined.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
• Remove the mini marshmallows from the freezer. Gently fold the frozen marshmallows and chocolate chips into the cookie dough.
• Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie. Gently tuck any marshmallows exposed along the bottom of the dough farther inside to help prevent them from melting directly onto the baking sheet.
• Bake at 350°F for 9–10 minutes, until the cookies are set and the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden. The centers should still be soft.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

Notes

Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Freeze the mini marshmallows overnight and keep them frozen until you’re ready to fold them into the cookie dough.
Try to tuck exposed marshmallows into the dough before baking. Marshmallows touching the baking sheet are more likely to melt out of the cookie.
Some marshmallows may melt or caramelize around the edges during baking. That’s completely normal.
Note: The overnight marshmallow freezing time is not included in the prep or total time, so plan ahead.

The Perfect Gooey Pumpkin Cookie for Fall

These Pumpkin Marshmallow Cookies have quickly become one of those recipes that checks all the fall baking boxes for me and is highly requested by my family. They’re soft and pumpkin-y, have just enough warm cinnamon, and then you get little bites of melted chocolate and gooey marshmallow throughout.

I especially love that they’re a little different from the usual pumpkin chocolate chip cookie without being any harder to make. As long as you remember to toss your marshmallows in the freezer the night before, the rest comes together really easily. They’re perfect for an afternoon of fall baking, a Halloween treat, or just an excuse to use up that open can of pumpkin sitting in the fridge.