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Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

A soft and tender cake-like pumpkin cookie with pumpkin pie spices, slathered with an amazing brown butter frosting! These Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing is the pumpkin recipe that started the whole pumpkin obsession for me, and they do not disappoint!

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pumpkin cookies with brown butter icing pin

brown butter 5 brown butter 16 Hello, friends! How’s everybody? Today we are chugging along with more pumpkin things. Are you sick of it yet? Good. Me neither! I’m going to level with you… these Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing are cakey pumpkin cookies. Because, as of right now, I don’t have a perfect chewy pumpkin cookie recipe that I really love. But I’m working on it. Just you wait.

(Update: the wait is over — you NEED to try these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies! They’re the perfect chewy pumpkin cookie! They’re loaded with spice, and a hint of coffee too.).

brown butter 13 brown butter 9

Today though, this is what I’m giving you: a cakey pumpkin cookie. A recipe for pumpkin mini-cakes labeled as cookies. No matter. These Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing are still perfect and lovely.

A cakey pumpkin cookie still has its time and place! These are ridiculously delicious. This recipe is old, old, old. It’s another one that was born out of my law school days when the only life I had outside of studying was experimenting in my kitchen. It’s tried-and-true deliciousness for the ages.

These Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing are soft and tender little pillows of pumpkin goodness combined with the best fall spices. It doesn’t stop there. They are then slathered in an amazing brown butter frosting. If there is something better than brown butter in this world, then I’m not aware of it.

You can also find that icing on these Brown Sugar Maple Bacon Scones, or these Zucchini Bars with Brown Butter Frosting, as well as a slew of other things on the blog.

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These Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing are a perfect and balanced combination of some of the best flavors of fall. Like a party for autumn in a cookie (Errr, a mini-cake?). Have a fall party in your mouth! Make this pumpkin cookie recipe. You will not be sorry. I made them last week. We ate them all in about 2 days. And now they must happen again.

brown butter 7 Yes, you caught me. There are little powdered sugar clumps in the icing. Let’s pretend those aren’t there, shall we? Also… the cookie with the bite looks like Pac-Man, doesn’t it? Adventures in learning how to photograph food, people. That is what you’re witnessing here. 🙂

Besides these Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing, I’ve also used the same recipe to make these Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, these Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting, and these White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Cookies!

If you are more in the mood for a chewy pumpkin cookie, check out my Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, these Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, or these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies. 🙂

5 from 15 votes
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Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

A soft and tender cake-like pumpkin cookie with pumpkin pie spices, slathered with an amazing brown butter frosting! These Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing is the pumpkin recipe that started the whole pumpkin obsession for me, and they do not disappoint!

Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:

  • 1/2 c. butter softened
  • 3/4 c. white sugar
  • 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 c. canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 1/2 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. clove
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Icing:

  • 3 c. powdered sugar
  • 1/2 c. unsalted butter
  • 1/4 c. milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Cookies:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.

  2. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; beat until well-blended.

  3. In another large bowl, combine remaining ingredients (all the dry cookie ingredients).

  4. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat until just combined.

  5. Drop on cookie sheets by tablespoonfuls, and flatten slightly.

  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.

  7. Remove cookies to a wire rack. Cool completely.

Icing:

  1. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl, and set aside.

  2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until it foams, the foam dissipates, it turns a deep golden brown, and develops brown flecks and a nutty fragrance, about 10 minutes or so. Toward the later stages, around the time it begins to foam, watch the brown butter very closely. It can go from 'brown' to 'burned' very quickly.

  3. Remove from heat, cool 2-3 minutes, and *carefully* pour over powdered sugar.

  4. Add milk and vanilla, and vigorously whisk the mixture until smooth. If the icing seems to seize or separate, you just need to reeeeeeally mix it to emulsify it. You can use an electric mixer if preferred. But don't give up thinking it's ruined, it just needs to be emulsified, so give it a serious mixing! Icing should be thin enough to spread, but not runny or drippy. Add additional milk or powdered sugar, as needed, to achieve desired consistency.

  5. Spread approximately 1 tablespoon of icing onto each cookie. Allow to set. Enjoy!

  6. Store cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper or foil between layers of cookies. At room temperature, cookies will keep for 4-5 days. They'll keep for about a week if stored in the fridge. They freeze beautifully if well-wrapped!

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I hope you love these Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing!! Please let me know if you try them!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing recipe image thegoldlininggirl.com pin 2 Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing recipe image thegoldlininggirl.com pin 3

 

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Lovely comments

    • I just finished making the cookies and they are delicious. I do have a question. How do you get your cookies so perfectly round and same sized?? I am open to any and all suggestions.

      Reply

      • Hi! I started using cookie scoops a few years ago, and I LOVE them. They make cookies very uniform in size and much more round. I also love that they usually give cookies more thickness and height because it scoops a pretty tall scoop. It also just makes drop cookies soooo much easier. Bonus — you get even baking throughout a tray because they are all uniform in size. You can find cookie scoops on Amazon for $10 or so!

        Reply

  2. That made me laugh that you mentionned Sally’s Baking Addiction’s pumpkin cookies, because I had just finished making her pumpkin chocolate chip cookies when I read this! Still a bit cake-y but definitely less so than most pumpkin cookies! I love the brown butter icing on these, brown butter is so good.

    Reply

    • I’m now convinced that a truly chewy pumpkin cookie doesn’t exist! I can’t seem to make it happen without sacrificing pumpkin flavor, which, HELLO, is all I really want anyway! Haha. But these are excellent even if they fall under the ‘cakey’ category! Brown butter… best stuff on the planet, right? Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!! 🙂

      Reply

  3. I just went to a birthday party and the host served cookie that looked exactly like this that she purchased from a bakery! They were amazing like these sound and look! PINNED because now I can make these sweet treats at home! Sweet! :–)
    Saying hello from the craft o maniac link party!
    Cathy

    Reply

    • Hi Cathy! Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m so glad you like this recipe – the cookies are unbelievably good! The brown butter icing… there are no words to describe! Haha. Thank you for pinning! I’ve followed you as well because I took note of your Apple Cider Doughnut Cake recently on another link party and it sounded delicious. Happy Sunday to you!

      Reply

    • Oh, how funny because I saw your Cobbler recipe in the linkup and hadn’t had a chance yet to leave a comment! Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate it. Btw, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog name! 🙂

      Reply

    • Hi Heather! Thank you so much for stopping by! These are one of my favorite cookies of all time. They’re just incredible. Isn’t brown butter the greatest? 🙂 I hopped over to your blog and spotted these. You had me at brown butter, but butterscotch + cashews? Omgosh. Pinned, for sure. Have a great evening!

      Reply

  6. These look amazing! I have a pumpkin pie recipe I love, Pumpkin bread and even a pumpkin spice latte recipe I adore, but pumpkin cookies! Yay! Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try!

    Reply

    • Hi Gwen! I’m so glad you like the cookie recipe! Try them! They’re delicious and easy, and the icing is AMAZING!! Thanks for stopping by here! Have a fabulous day. 🙂

      Reply

    • I feel the same way! These are definitely a cookie euphoria for me. I can’t get enough pumpkin things right now and I heart brown butter so much. Definitely one of my favorite things on the planet. Haha! Thanks for stopping by, Rachel! 🙂

      Reply

  8. I didn’t know what the big deal was about brown butter. Then I made it. OH.MY.WORD. That’s why I immediately clicked over here from Mouthwatering Mondays! Love your blog, love this recipe. Yum! Pinning. 🙂

    Reply

    • I know – it’s funny that butter is sooooooooo incredible and amazing when you basically cook the heck out of it. Who would’ve thought? But it is! Haha. Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your kind comment! 🙂

      Reply

  11. Thank you for linking up these delicious looking cookies to Wonderful Wed. Blog Hop last week.

    I am adding them to my Cookie Roundup post.

    Blessings,
    Diane Roark

    Reply

    • Hi Diane! Thanks so much for popping over here, and for including me in the cookie roundup! I feel so honored. I appreciate it! Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!! 🙂

      Reply

  14. 5 stars
    Does the icing harden? They sound wonderful. I would like to take them to a party and wonder how to transport them and how many days in adcvance of the party can I make them. Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi there! The icing hardens! It sets if you leave them out in a single layer. They should be fairly easy to transport once the icing sets. I would put foil or saran between layers of cookies though! You can definitely make these a day or two ahead of time. You could even make them well ahead of time, and freeze, if you wanted, but I’d freeze separately – freeze the cookies, make and freeze the icing, then defrost and assemble. Please let me know how you like them!

      Reply

  16. 5 stars
    Ohhhhhhh, YES! Made these last night and boy are they Yummy! They even look like the picture ?
    Thanks for sharing this recipe Golden Girl??‍?

    Reply

    • Oh, that’s awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that. This recipe has been super popular lately. The pictures on my blog post are OLD!! I’ve made these a few times this month too, and these are such a staple for me. I love them. I’m so happy you like them too. 🙂

      Reply

    • Eek!! That’s almost double the amount, so double the rest of the recipe, if it’s not too late! You’ll just have LOTS of cookies, but that’s not a big problem. 🙂

      Reply

  18. 5 stars
    I thought I’d try this. Yummy! They were gone in no time. Have made second batch already this week. Daughter wants a batch to take to work. Put on my husband’s favorite ,list. I said they are just like his mom’s orange drop cookies but pumpkin spice.had no problem with the recipe? Thanks.

    Reply

    • Hi Kristie! YAY! I’m so glad you like them. They’ve been a favorite of mine for years. I should really update the pictures in that post though – they’re quite awful. Haha. Your MIL’s orange drop cookies sound amazing!!

      Reply

    • Wonderful!! I’m so glad it worked for you! Any critique or feedback? I’ve made them for a long time, and really love them. So glad you liked them too! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

      Reply

    • I know a lot of bakers use unsalted butter, but I’ve baked with salted butter for years, so I just haven’t really changed that about my recipes. I use salted! Thanks for clarifying. 🙂 I hope you like them – made them for years now!

      Reply

      • I only have unsalted butter, how much salt do I add to the cookie mixture? I thought salt was always an important part of the baking process. ?
        Can’t wait to make them and try them!

        Reply

        • Unsalted butter is totally fine! Add 1/4 tsp. salt! It’s helpful for balancing and enhancing sweetness, so I do add it when I’m not using salted butter. 🙂

          Reply

  23. 5 stars
    Just made these tonight! The cookies themselves are SO good. I just realized as I was reading the other comments that I used a whole can of pumpkin purée instead of a cup and honestly I’d keep it that way. The cookie taste is great and it cooked just fine (although I had to cook them about 15 mins or so).

    What I feel I must have done wrong is the icing. My husband and I both felt like it tasted almost exclusively like the vanilla and overpowered the cookies. I ended up only drizzling a little bit of the icing on 2/3s of the cookies and left the last tray plain. Should the icing have tasted more like butter? I have more unsalted butter so I might try again tomorrow with less powdered sugar and vanilla.

    Great recipe though. Again, we loved the cookies even without the icing (and with extra pumpkin purée thrown in.).

    Reply

    • Oh, you used a whole 15 oz. can and they still turned out great? Whew, that’s great! I thought I’d seen one or two other comments about how much pumpkin, so I’m going to make a note in there so that it’s clearer. I’m so glad they still turned out well for you even with the extra! Maybe I’ll try that myself. Thank you for letting me know!

      The brown butter icing should definitely have a bit more depth than being just a vanilla icing – it should have notes of nuttiness and caramel in it. It shouldn’t overpower the cookies though… I myself do a pretty thin layer of frosting (though my family goes OVER that and adds more to the cookies I’ve frosted – haha!). But I like to make sure that they don’t overtake. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you! If you decide to try it again, let me know how it goes. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

      Reply

  24. 5 stars
    Hello! Just made these delicious cookies! So amazing I must say! But my icing is veryyyy sweet, anything to fix that?

    Reply

    • I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment earlier in the day! I would say to add a pinch of salt if it’s too sweet – that might help cut it a bit!

      Reply

  25. 5 stars
    Just made these for Thanksgiving Day. I followed the cookie recipe but had to make a few adjustments after making my first batch.

    First, I added 1 tsp nutmeg and cloves instead of just 1/4 tsp to the dough mix.

    Second, when droping by Tbsps of dough onto parchment paper, I totally had to flatten my dough balls to look like cookies cuz my first
    batch looked just like baked cake balls and tasted really dry.

    Third, I sprinkled more cinnamon on top of the flattened dough balls before baking them.

    The icing was a little on the sweet side, so I sprinkled more nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon into it to my taste.

    These pumkin spice mini cakes came out great!

    Thank you for this recipe. Happy Thanksgiving. Aloha from Hawaiʻi.

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for sharing your feedback! Nutmeg is not my favorite, so I usually do pretty small amounts, but the spices can definitely be changed easily for preference. I’m glad you found a combo of spices that you liked better! And yes – sometimes they are pretty puffy, occasionally I slightly flatten them, but usually they flatten out as they cool. I’m glad that you liked them overall, and I hope you had a wonderful holiday!! Thank you!! 🙂

      Reply

    • Nope, it won’t! I use salted butter most of the time. Unless I indicate that I used unsalted in a recipe, I use salted! I know a lot of bakers work with unsalted butter only, but I mostly use salted because it’s just how I know my recipes at this point. 🙂 Please let me know how you like them!

      Reply

  27. Do these have to go in the fridge or freezer? Every year I make about 1800 cookies the week before and the week of Christmas (a few different types) and either fridge or freeze them until it’s time to give them away. How should I keep these cookies fresh? They look and sound amazing! Thank you!

    Reply

    • HOLY COOKIES!! Eek! What all are you making this year? I’d love to know what’s on your baking list!

      I would refrigerate them to keep them fresh. Freezing shouldn’t be needed if you’re only making them a few days before – these should keep well for a solid 5 days or close to a week. They’re cakey though, so I think they would benefit from time in the fridge! I hope you like them. Please let me know. They’ve been a favorite cookie of mine for many years now! 🙂

      Reply

    • I do! I use that brown butter icing on a number of other recipes, and I also have a brown butter buttercream frosting recipe. Brown butter is one of my favorite things!

      Reply

    • You can keep these in an airtight container for 4-5 days at room temperature, and for about a week if you store them in the fridge! Add layers of foil or parchment paper in-between if you stack, and make sure the frosting sets before stacking them, obviously. 🙂 I hope you like them!

      Reply

  31. You might’ve put Adapted from Martha Stewart Living. The Pumpkin Cookies with Brown-Butter Icing was her Cookie of the Month for the issue. That was from many, many years back.

    Give the lady some credit as you even decorated them the same, couple of changes here and there to make it appear as your own. That’s probably okay, but give her credit.

    Reply

    • I’d be happy to credit my recipe source, I always do — you’ll see that throughout my blog. However, in this case, I’ve made these cookies for 16 years, and I found this recipe in 2003 when I started law school. I don’t know that it came from Martha Stewart. It’s possible that it did, but it’s possible that it didn’t. I really don’t know because I’ve made them for 16 years now, and the recipe is written in red ink on a 5×7 index card…

      As for “decorating them the same”…. I simply spread the icing on top with a knife. Nothing unique about that. Have literally iced thousands of cookies like that, so there is nothing unique about how Martha or myself decorated them, but thanks for your feedback, and please continue to look around to see that I cite my source when I use a recipe. Thanks.

      Reply

  32. These are absolutely delicious! Thank you for the detailed explanation about how to make the brown butter frosting. I have always wanted to try making it, but was afraid I would mess it up. You made it very easy! My family is very happy tonight. 🙂

    Reply

    • I’m so glad to hear you liked these! Thanks so much for letting me know! Each time I remake something, I try to add more and more notes so that it’s user-friendly and helpful to readers. I’m happy to hear that the instructions got you through!! Happy holidays!

      Reply

  34. 5 stars
    I made these for my family and my husband said they were the best cookie I’ve ever made! I didn’t have the pumpkin spice but I used pumpkin pie filling instead and they were yummy! Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Oh, that’s a great tip! You used pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree and these turned out great? I’ll have to try that — thanks so much for sharing! These are really popular!!!! Most people seem to like them a lot, and I’m so glad to hear they were a hit for you too. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Happy Holidays!

      Reply

    • Ooph… I don’t, I’m sorry, but looking at Toll House’s suggestions for Chocolate Chip Cookies as a gauge, sounds like high-altitude would be 1-2 minutes less baking time, and can sometimes also include an additional 2-3 tbsp. flour. Don’t go by me though because I’m not familiar with high-altitude baking, unfortunately! I hope you can Google some tips and find help that way!! If you try these, please let me know what swaps you make, and how they turn out!!! Good luck!

      Reply

  36. SO FREAKIN’ YUMMY!! Omg I can bathe in the icing alone!!
    I was doing my meal prep for the week when I decided to make these before I shut the oven off. I remembered the recipe calls for canned pumpkin and, of course I forgot to buy it! Instead, I used one sweet potato and half an acorn squash that I had just roasted for my meal prep!!
    They are PERFECT! Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply

    • Hi Theresa: Ooof, I’m honestly not sure, and I would hate to incorrectly advise you about a medical and health-related question. What flours do you usually bake with? This recipe has proven to be pretty adaptable — I think a number of flours could probably still turn out a good result, but let me know what flours you typically use for baking!

      Reply

  38. 5 stars
    Made these cookies tonight. I followed the recipe exactly. They are amazing! Your directions are excellent. I did try the first tray without flattening and they pretty much stayed very much like balls! Ha! I sprayed my finger with a bit of cooking spray and just tapped the tops a bit and they baked up pretty like yours! I’ve made browned butter frosting before and it’s one of my favorites. Never thought to put it on pumpkin cookies! It’s always a cream cheese frosting listed with them – which is also great but I liked this cause it’s different.The cookies are also so soft and flavorful! Thanks for the awesome recipe! Will be making these again!

    Reply

    • YAY! I’m so glad you liked these! They’re suuuuuper popular around here, lots of other people have made them with success too! And I make at least one batch every fall. They’ve been a go-to of mine for a few decades now, and they’re my personal favorite pumpkin cookie. 🙂 I’m so glad you liked them, and I’m so glad you found the instructions easy to follow. Thank you so much for your comment!!

      Reply

  39. 5 stars
    We LOVED these cookies!! And the icing?! YUM!! My only problem was that I couldn’t get cookies flat or round- they were very sticky. Add more flour? Making more today!

    Reply

    • The dough is sticky, that’s true! But it’s correct, if your measurements were all correct! Do you have a cookie scoop? My favorite way to get round, uniform cookies.

      Reply

  41. I would luv to make these asap. However, I just noticed I ran out of powedered sugar for the icing. Is there a substitute (plus measurement)? I have cane sugar & brown sugar.

    Reply

    • YAY! I’m so happy to hear that. I’ve tried a lot of pumpkin cookies, and these are my favorite over and over. I hope you had a wonderful holiday!!!

      Reply

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The Gold Lining Girl
but first, dessert!