Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze
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5
15 reviews
Excellent
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze
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These Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze combine pumpkin puree and warm spices in a tender cookie dough that's soft and moist. The cookies are topped with a silky brown butter glaze that adds a nutty richness, balancing the sweetness. They bake on parchment or silicone mats to prevent sticking, resulting in cookies with a delicate crumb and cozy autumnal flavors. The unique integration of pumpkin and a salted brown butter glaze makes these cookies a seasonal treat with a comforting texture and flavor.
Description
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze bring together pumpkin puree, warm spices including cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, and a blend of baking soda and baking powder for a light, airy texture. The dough, enriched with both granulated and brown sugars, produces cookies with a soft, tender crumb. They are baked on parchment or silicone mats to avoid sticking due to their moist batter. The accompanying glaze is made from salted butter browned until nutty, mixed with sifted powdered sugar and cream to create a smooth, flavorful icing that contrasts the soft cookie base with its rich, buttery notes.
The glaze provides a creamy topping that highlights the autumnal spices and pumpkin flavor beneath, and the cookies' soft texture invites a gentle chew. These cookies are well-suited for enjoying with a warm beverage or as a seasonal dessert. Baking on a lined surface helps maintain their shape and texture by preventing sticking and over-browning.
The source recipe was adapted from a traditional recipe enhanced by browning the butter in the glaze for added depth. Since the ingredients include pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), it relies on natural pumpkin flavor and spices for character. Managing the batter consistency and using parchment or silicone mats are practical details to maintain cookie quality during baking.
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Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1/2 cup butter softened (1 stick, salted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling!
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 2 & 1/2 cups flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
For the icing
- 3 tablespoons butter salted
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted (don't skip sifting!)
- 4-6 tablespoons cream more or less to taste, or milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a few baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. These cookies tend to stick, so I highly recommend some sort of liner instead of baking straight on the pan.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter for about 2 minutes, until it is smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no lumps.
- Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Beat 1 minute until fluffy.
- Add 1 cup pumpkin puree (make sure it's not pumpkin pie filling!)
- Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 large egg. Beat until combined, scraping sides. The dough will look kind of grainy at this point.
- Use a spoon to measure your flour into your measuring cup, then level off the top. Add the 2 and 1/2 cups flour to the bowl, but don't mix yet.
- Make a well in the center of the flour, and add 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. Use your teaspoon to stir these ingredients into the flour a bit so you don't end up with any clumps of baking soda in your cookies.
- Turn the mixer on and combine the dry and wet ingredients. Mix ONLY until combined and no more. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl. If you see any streaks, mix it some more. Do not over mix, or your dough will be tough.
- Use two spoons to drop the cookie dough onto the prepared pans. The dough is more like a batter; very wet and sticky. I tried using a cookie scoop but it just sticks too much. I scraped up a heaping tablespoon of dough with one spoon (I used a larger soup spoon) and scraped it onto the pan using another spoon. It doesn't need to be an exact ball shape. Leave about 2 inches of space in between each cookie.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are no longer shiny on top. Normally I under-bake my cookies to keep them chewy, but these cookies are more like tiny little pumpkin cakes; nobody wants raw batter in the center of a cake. If the shine from the top of the cookies is completely gone, take them out. They should be nice and tall and puffy.
- Let the cookies cool and set up on the pan for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. I always cheat and throw my cooling rack directly in the freezer to speed up the cooling process. Takes like 5 minutes, and then you can glaze right away.
- To make the icing: In a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons salted butter. Turn the heat to medium and let the butter melt. Keep the heat on medium and don't walk away. Stir occasionally. Soon the butter will bubble and form a thick white foam on top. After that, the foam will recede a little bit and you will start to see little brown "bits" forming on the bottom of the pan. Stir them up and take a whiff. If you see brown specks and your butter has taken on a nutty aroma, your butter is browned. Take it off the heat right away. The whole process doesn't take more than 3-4 minutes for this amount of butter. It goes from browned to burned real quick, so pay attention!
- Place a strainer over the top of the saucepan, and add 3 cups of powdered sugar (I did it 1 cup at a time). Sift the powdered sugar into the butter. (You might be thinking "I don't have time for sifting. Sifting is for suckers." That's what I thought the first time I made this, and my icing was lumpy. No amount of whisking smoothed it out, and I ended up pressing my finished glaze through a strainer. Don't be like me.)
- Once you've added all the powdered sugar, add 4 tablespoons of cream or milk. Whisk it all together until smooth. At this point you can add more powdered sugar or cream/milk, depending on the consistency you want for your glaze. If you want it to be thicker (more like frosting) add less milk/cream. You can also add a bit more powdered sugar.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, drizzle over the tops of each cookie.
- These cookies don't do well stored in a tupperware, they are too moist. It's better to store them on a plate with plastic wrap loosely covering them (once the glaze has set). I'm a huge fan of warm cookies, but these ones are actually really delicious when chilled in the fridge. Try it out!
Notes
- Use parchment paper or silicone mats when baking to prevent the cookies from sticking.
- Do not substitute pumpkin pie filling; use pure pumpkin puree for best results.
- Brown the butter carefully when making the glaze to bring out a nutty flavor without burning it.
- Sift powdered sugar before mixing into the glaze to avoid lumps.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1g
Calories
200kcal
(10%)
Carbohydrates
35g
(12%)
Protein
2g
(4%)
Fat
6g
(9%)
Saturated Fat
4g
(20%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Trans Fat
1g
(50%)
Cholesterol
24mg
(8%)
Potassium
43mg
(1%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
25g
(50%)
Vitamin A
597IU
(12%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
22mg
(2%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 25Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 200 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1g | |
| Calories | 200kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 35g | 12% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 24mg | 8% |
| Potassium | 43mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 25g | 50% |
| Vitamin A | 597IU | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 22mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
15 reviews
Excellent
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