Brown Butter Iced Pumpkin Cookies.
I’m breaking all the rules with these pumpkin cookies!
It’s probably been close to a decade since I shared a pumpkin recipe before the *actual* start of fall. I usually like to wait until at least the day after, but hey, it’s 2020 and all bets are off right now.
I almost apologized. But! At this point, I don’t even care. Give me all the things that make me feel good and cozy and comforted!
I’ve written about it on Tuesday Things the last few weeks but I have been craving fall because of the comfort and nostalgia it brings. Even though this year will be so so different than any other, I still find myself craving a new season and a new start. I find that the fall season seems like more of a “new start” to me than January does. Maybe that’s because I was also a lover of back to school time, but who knows.
Either way, it’s almost here and i’m ready!
So what better way to prepare than iced pumpkin cookies? I want these to be the first pumpkin treat that you make this season. They are so comforting, so easy, so fluffy. The cookies are almost muffin-like and while I haven’t always loved that in the past (remember my saga of making chewy pumpkin cookies?!), sometimes, a soft pumpkin cookie sounds so good.
Plus, they are my kids absolute favorite.
Especially when covered in brown butter frosting!
Oh my gosh – this frosting. I cannot even handle it. It tastes like a butterscotch-y, almost-caramely fluffy cloud on top of the pumpkin cookie. It’s good enough to eat with a spoon. I mean, never mind. It IS good enough to eat with a spoon.
Look at those brown butter flecks!
This combo is so darn good. And since the pumpkin cookies are fluffy and thicker, they last a bit longer. They don’t get stale as quick, meaning you can make them this morning and enjoy them ALLLLL weekend long.
Now the other thing! While I love pumpkin, I don’t love pumpkin spice. I enjoy the spices alone, but I don’t want clove and allspice covering up a lot of my pumpkin flavor. Because of that, these cookies are not overly spiced. You might way to add more. In fact, if you love the pumpkin spice, I’m telling you to add more now. Just a half teaspoon or so. Maybe a whole teaspoon. Walk on the wild side.
So… who is with me? Who wants to jump in a little early and make the best pumpkin cookie ever?!
Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted, softened
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
brown butter frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the sugars and butter until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the pumpkin. Beat in the eggs. Beat in the vanilla extract. It may look a little curdled and that’s okay!
- Beat in the dry ingredients until the mixture is just combined.
- Use an ice-cream scoop (or spoon) to scoop 1.5-2 inch size scoops onto the baking sheet. I like to leave mine about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 13 to 17 minutes, or until the cookie is totally set, especially up top. You can even test it with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
- These are great made ahead of time. Store them sealed in a container or covered on a plate for a few days (if they last that long!).
brown butter frosting
- Place the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and let the mixture bubble, stirring occasionally, until brown bits begin to appear on the bottom. Once the brown bits appear, turn the heat off and continue to stir for about 30 seconds. Let the butter cool completely. It doesn’t have to turn solid (though that is fine too, you still want it at room temp), but just no longer warm.
- Add the butter to the bowl of your electric mixer. Beat in the powdered sugar on low speed. Beat in the vanilla extract. If the mixture is too thick, beat in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s creamy enough to spread.
- Extras of this stay great sealed in the fridge!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Pair it with hot coffee. The best.
28 Comments on “Brown Butter Iced Pumpkin Cookies.”
Oh my gosh, maybe this is the cure for 2020. My mouth is watering. Also, seriously, who needs to wait for fall? We need a full year of cozy fall weather and pumpkin cookies right now.
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My kids love it! Thanks!
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That looks yummy yummy.
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I hope that this is just one egg :) the recipe lists one and the directions states eggs. Making this now and fingers crossed.
My son needs to have a gluten free diet. Can I easily substitute the all purpose flour with coconut flour?
I’m so with you. I start sharing pumpkin recipes as soon as September hits. Especially now that I live in Scotland. It’s been cold for ages. I never understood pumpkin season since everyone mostly uses canned pumpkin anyway. I just keep it to the Autumn to avoid the backlash. Haha. Love the sound of these cookies.
What do you mean by loosely packed brown sugar? A cup of packed weighs 7 1/2 ounces or 213 grams. How much less should I use? Never saw a recipe where brown sugar is not packed…
And do you recommend light or dark brown sugar?
I just made these! Not nearly as pretty as yours (my friend thought I made fried chicken LOL), but definitely super soft and flavorful. Thank you!!
I know swapping out the pumpkin puree would make this an entirely different cookie, but do you think applesauce would work? Believe it or not, I’m allergic to pumpkin.
i think banana would be a better choice! i fear that applesauce is too thin – it’s just thinner than pumpkin, you know?
Yum! I’ll give it a try.
Was looking for a good pumpkin cookie recipe and WOW did I luck out trying yours! They are awesome! The browned butter frosting is perfect for them. Thanks for sharing!
loved these cookies so fluffy and then paired with the brown butter frosting it’s delicious. i recommend if your brown butter is taking a while to cool just put it in the fridge for a little while to help cool it.
Amazing!
Easy and delicious! Sometimes we want to give chocolate desserts a breather 😬. Perfect for a little treat in the afternoon or for a few for breakfast with your morning tea or coffee – they’re like mini muffins.
Excellent! Family loved them.
I made these yesterday. These cookies are so good! I had a few of them for breakfast this morning, they are like little pumpkin muffins. The brown butter frosting is delicious.
I made theses did not taste pumpkin at all
Made it twice and this is my go-to from now on. I add a little bit of allspice as well to amp up that pumpkin pie flavor! Just be careful cause for some reason, this recipe more than others, the brown sugar can clump and stick to the bottom in the mixer. Just make sure to give it a nice couple folds
Seriously the best. So glad I tried this recipe.
Very good cookie and the inatructions were just right too!
Have you ever calculated the calories? I count them everyday, but still need my sweets💕
So soft and fluffy, these are like cupcake tops with frosting. The frosting is delicious with the browned butter and velvet texture. My family loved these and we will be making again!
Delicious!!! My kids helped make them and they loved them too. They’re like a cake cookie and I’m all for that. Perfect easy fix for my pumpkin cravings.
Do these cookies freeze well?
They sound wonderful.
This looks very good please send me the website thank you
Nice! I have made these three times and each time they turned out wonderful!