Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

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These pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting will melt in your mouth. Soft and tender with bold flavors of fall and brown butter - this will be your new favorite fall treat!

Oh yes, we are in full-blown pumpkin season here and it is perfectly acceptable! I am a pumpkin fan and I am proud to say it. These pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting may be at the top of my fav list!

#pumpkinspiceeverything

Today you can find pumpkin flavor in almost everything - I am not a fan of it all. I like to stick to the classics:

Pumpkin Roll (the most FAV of all pumpkin recipes!)
Pumpkin Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream
Pumpkin Coffee (note, NOT pumpkin spice lattes....nope)
Pumpkin Bread & Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

They all pretty much have the same theme. Spicy subtle pumpkin flavor, pillowy soft goodness, and more times than not a cream cheese frosting to accompany (or in this case brown butter everything!).

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Ingredients Needed
How to Make
What is Brown Butter?
How to Make Brown Butter Frosting
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Frequently Asked Questions
More Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting

Iced pumpkin cookies on a cooling rack and blue background.

Ingredients Needed

Brown Sugar
Canned Pumpkin Puree
Egg
Oil
Flour
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Cinnamon
Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin, eggs, and brown sugar in a clear bowl.

Wet ingredients and flour in a a clear bowl.

How to Make

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, add brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, and oil. Whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl add all of the dry ingredients and spices. Whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir till everything is incorporated.
Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes.
Let cool completely before adding icing.

PRO TIP: make the icing BEFORE the cookies so the brown butter has time to cool.

Scooped pumpkin cookie dough on a baking sheet with the cookie scoop before going in the oven.

What is Brown Butter?

Brown butter is a process of cooking the butter down in a skillet till it is melted and almost caramelized. As the butter melts it starts to brown and transforms into the rich, nutty, and bold flavor powerhouse that can be used both in savory and sweet dishes.

As you melt the butter and it begins to brown, there will be little bits of brown pieces that start to form on the bottom just further enhancing the flavor. You can use brown butter in things like chocolate chip cookies, rice Krispie treats, or pasta and an incredible sauce for pan-fried gnocchi!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing on parchment paper and a blue table with cinnamon sticks and spices around them.

How to Make Brown Butter Frosting

We all know by this point that I am going to use brown butter or burrata on anything I can get my hands on so we are not surprised that I choose this for the icing. Its nutty flavor pairs perfectly with the fall flavors we all love.

Place ¼ cup of butter in a large shallow skillet on medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and starting to turn brown. Once melted keep an eye on the color and smell. It can go from brown butter to burnt butter very quickly. This whole process will take around 10 minutes. The butter once melted will start to bubble and foam. You will know when it is done when there are brown bits on the bottom of the skillet, it's a caramel color and starts to smell nutty. Remove from heat and let cool completely (place in the fridge or freezer to speed the process up).
Add the brown butter to a large bowl (it can still be in the liquid state) and add ½ cup of powdered sugar. Mix with a hand mixer until blended.
Add 1 tablespoon of cream and another ½ cup of powdered sugar and mix well. Add the remaining cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Mix until a thick and smooth consistency.
Use an offset spatula* to ice each cooled pumpkin cookie with about a 1-2 teaspoons of icing each. This is rich so a little goes a long way. This is just enough icing for this recipe.

3 Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing stacked in a triangle with cinnamon sticks, milk, spices, and more cookies in the background.

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

It has happened to us all. We have a recipe that calls for pumpkin pie spice and looks in our cabinet to find nothing!

No worries! Just make your own!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 Tablespoons Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Allspice
½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves

Mix well and keep in an airtight container with your spices. Use 1 ½ teaspoons of this mix for this recipe.

In fact, this is what I usually do anyways since I have those spices on hand always throughout the year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Freeze Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting?

Yes, you can! I find it best to freeze these pumpkin cookies without the frosting though. Just for the best taste, texture, and freshness of everything.
Freeze pumpkin cookies WITHOUT the frosting - make the cookies, and cool them completely.
Set each cooking on a baking sheet making sure not to touch each other. Place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes or until frozen.
Place frozen cookies in a freezer-safe and ait tight container or bag. Keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To thaw, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge for 24 hours. Frost as normal.

Can You Make Brown Butter Frosting Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can. You can make this up to 2 days in advance. Keep covered in the fridge until needed.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting

Author: Heather
Total Time: 21 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Pumpkin cookies with brown butter icing will melt in your mouth. Soft and tender with bold flavors of fall and brown butter - this will be your new favorite fall treat!

Ingredients

Scale

Cookies

¾ Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Pumpkin
1 Egg
¼ Cup Oil
2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 ½ Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice ** (see notes)

Brown Butter Icing

4 Tablespoons Brown Butter
2 Tablespoons Cream
1 ¼ Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste (or vanilla extract)

Instructions

Brown Butter Frosting

Place ¼ cup of butter in a large shallow skillet on medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and starting to turn brown. Once melted keep an eye on the color and smell. It can go from brown butter to burnt butter very quickly. This whole process will take around 10 minutes. The butter once melted will start to bubble and foam. You will know when it is done when there are brown bits on the bottom of the skillet, it's a caramel color and starts to smell nutty. Remove from heat and let cool completely (place in the fridge or freezer to speed the process up).
Add the brown butter to a large bowl (it can still be in the liquid state) and add ½ cup of powdered sugar. Mix with a hand mixer until blended. Add 1 tablespoon of cream and another ½ cup of powdered sugar and mix well. Add the remaining cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Mix until a thick and smooth consistency.

Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, add brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, and oil. Whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl add all of the dry ingredients and spices. Whisk to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir till everything is incorporated and no flour streaks remain.
Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes.
Let cool completely before adding icing to the tops of each one.

Notes

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

If you do not have pumpkin pie spice on hand you can make your own:

4 Tablespoons Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Allspice
½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves