This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.
When pumpkin season hits, you need to try these brown butter soft pumpkin cookies. With spices, and brown sugar, these pumpkin cookies will surely become your new favorite!
I can’t help but when the leaves turn colors, my brain is hard wired to crave all things pumpkin. I suddenly can’t resist driving through a Starbucks for a pumpkin latte. I suddenly want to burn a pumpkin candle. And of course I need a pumpkin dessert in my life.
Like a cookie. Like these soft pumpkin cookies.
Because let’s face it…no matter if it’s pumpkin season or not I always want a cookie. So it only made sense that I would make a pumpkin cookie. Especially when it’s made with browned butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar.
How To Make Pumpkin Cookies
To make these cookies, you want to start by browning your butter.
Once your butter is browned, you want to add this to the rest of your wet ingredients – pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, dark muscovado sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract- and whisk together.
Once your wet ingredients are whisked, measure out your dry ingredients in a second mixing bowl.
Then combine the wet and dry ingredients together. You need to refrigerate the cookie dough for 30-60 minutes to help the dough stiffen up a bit before scooping.
Once the dough is chilled, scoop the cookies and roll them into balls. Then dip them into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Too much flour will result in a dense cookie. And we want soft cookies. You want to make sure to scoop the flour with a spoon and level with a flat edge. You can read a full tutorial on measuring flour here.
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix which has added sugar and spices already.
- You will need to break up the muscovado sugar as best as you can. If there are still small chunks left behind, don’t worry. You will get these delicious little muscovado sugar pockets when you bite into a cookie.
- For soft pumpkin cookies you want to make sure to not over mix once you add your dry ingredients to the brown butter mixture.
- Do not skip the chilling of the cookie dough part! It’s essential so your cookie dough isn’t too soft and spread.
Recipe FAQ’s
So these cookies call for muscovado sugar. If you have ever seen this type of sugar, you might have noticed, it looks awfully similar to brown sugar. So the question then is, are they the same thing? Well sort of. Muscovado sugar, also known as Barbados sugar, is unrefined cane sugar in which the molasses is not removed from it. Unlike brown sugar which is granulated sugar with molasses added to it. So they will both give that toffee, caramel like flavors to your cookie because of the molasses.
Absolutely! If you can’t find muscovado sugar you can use brown sugar instead. Of course if you can find it, give it a try! It gives a really deep molasses toffee like notes to this cookie. Totally worth it.
Yes, you can chill the cookie dough up to 48 hours ahead of time. Keep it covered. Then scoop and bake when you need to (you may need to let the cookie dough soften before you try scooping).
Yes you can freeze these cookies, baked or unbaked. To freeze unbaked cookies, scoop and place on a baking sheet. Then freeze solid and place into a sealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, you can bake them frozen, but add on a few minutes of baking time. You can also freeze baked cookies and keep for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Recipes To Try:
Tools Needed:
- Quality Cookies Sheets Like These Ones That Won’t Warp or Burn Your Cookies
- Oven Thermometer
- Kitchen-Aid Mixer (you can make them by hand, but this stand mixer makes fast work of your dough!)
- Silicone baking mat
- Silicone baking mat
- cooling rack
- cookie spatula
And if you love to bake, and want to dive into more recipes like this – from making pies, to perfect muffins, and even a fool proof angel food cake then be sure to enroll in my Ultimate Baking Bootcamp class!
Brown Butter Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 8 tablespoons (115 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (118 mL) vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup (79 mL) pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup (158 g) brown sugar (light or dark) packed
- 3/4 cup (144 g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons (15 mL) real vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups (239 grams) bread flour
- 1 cup (136 grams) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (7 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
Cookie Coating:
- 1/4 cup (48 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Put butter in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat and melt. Once melted, crank up the heat to medium high. Stir until small golden bits start to settle on the bottom of the pan and it smells nutty and caramel-y. This should take around 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat before the bits turn dark brown and pour the butter into a large, heat-safe bowl to cool slightly.
- Add the oil, pumpkin, muscovado sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs whisking well with each addition until thoroughly blended. The mixture will be thick and sludge-like. Break up any large chunks of the muscovado.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the bread flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger and pour it into the butter mixture. Stir until almost blended but don’t overmix. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350oF (177oC) and line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- To make the cookie coating, in a small shallow bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Once the dough is chilled, gently roll 1 1/2 tablespoons (21 grams) of the dough between your palms into a ball. Give the dough ball a generous coating of the sugar spice mixture and set on the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) of space between. Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 10 to 11 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then move to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Make ahead: You can chill the cookie dough up to 48 hours ahead of time. Keep it covered. Then scoop and bake when you need to (you may need to let the cookie dough soften before you try scooping).
- Freezing: To freeze unbaked cookies, scoop and place on a baking sheet. Then freeze solid and place into a sealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, you can bake them frozen, but add on a few minutes of baking time. You can also freeze baked cookies and keep for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Muscavodo sugar: You can also just use light or dark brown sugar. Â
- You will need to break up the muscovado sugar as best as you can. If there are still small chunks left behind, don’t worry. You will get these delicious little muscovado sugar pockets when you bite into a cookie.
- Flour: Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Too much flour will result in a dense cookie. And we want soft cookies. You want to make sure to scoop the flour with a spoon and level with a flat edge. You can read a full tutorial on measuring flour here.
- Pumpkin: Make sure to use pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix which has added sugar and spices already.
- Adapted from The Cookie Book, from the Displacedhousewife.com
Maureen says
I had a little bit of a dilema trying to decide what to make. I wanted to make the Cream cheese swirled pumpkin bread but have to make Pumpkin bread for another baking challenge. I choose these cookies and I am glad I did. They have just the right amount of pumkin and I was so glad they puffed up. I thought they would end up puddles. The cinnamom and sugar coating takes them over the top. Thanks for a pumpkin selection for this months’ baking challenge.
Heather says
You’re welcome!..So glad you loved them as much as we did!!
Karen says
My family loves these cookies!! They are now a tradition throughout the fall into Christmas. They have wonderful flavor and texture. Thank you for sharing!!
Heather says
Happy holidays 🎄
Kelly says
Omg.. these look amazing!! I am definitely adding these to my seasonal pumpkin-spice repertoire!
Heather says
Thanks Kelly!! Yes they definitely deserve being in the pumpkin seasonal baking mix!