Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter
These soft and chewy pumpkin cookies are made with nutty brown butter, rolled in pumpkin spice sugar, and baked to perfection — no cakey texture here! With a rich, toasty flavor and perfectly chewy centers, these are the ultimate fall cookies.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (220g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60g) pumpkin puree
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar (for coating)
- ½ tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (for coating)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue stirring as it foams and milk solids turn golden brown, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl, scraping all browned bits. Let cool 10–15 minutes.
- Whisk in brown sugar, granulated sugar, and maple syrup until glossy. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin puree; whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Fold dry mixture into wet just until no streaks remain.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to firm up the dough.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl for rolling.
- Roll 2-tablespoon portions of dough into balls and coat thoroughly in the pumpkin spice sugar. Place on prepared sheets, 3–4 inches apart.
- Bake 10–14 minutes, until edges are set but centers still look soft. Do not overbake.
- Immediately use a round cutter or glass to scoot cookies into perfect circles. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Chilling the dough for 30 minutes ensures thick, chewy cookies that don’t spread too much. Don’t skip this step!