Description
These Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies combine the rich, nutty flavor of brown butter with the warm spices of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Soft and chewy with a slight pumpkin flavor, they are finished with a luscious brown butter icing for an indulgent touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 and 1/4 cup (285g) pumpkin puree*
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cut in slices
- 2 cups (170g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Brown Butter Icing
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/2 cup (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional for garnish: sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Blot the pumpkin: Line a medium bowl with 2 paper towels and place the pumpkin puree inside. Use another paper towel to press down and blot out the excess moisture until you have about 1 cup (225g) of pumpkin. Set aside.
- Brown the butter: In a light-colored skillet over medium heat, melt the butter while stirring constantly. After 5–8 minutes, brown specks will form, and the butter will smell nutty. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the brown butter for icing and set aside; the rest is for the cookie dough. Allow to cool slightly.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- Preheat oven: Heat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Prepare dough: In a large bowl, whisk the cooled brown butter with granulated and brown sugar until combined. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract, mixing well. Then whisk in the blotted pumpkin. Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture until just combined, creating a soft and sticky dough.
- Scoop cookies: Using a medium cookie scoop, portion out about 2 heaping tablespoons (45g) of dough per cookie onto the baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Slightly flatten each ball as these cookies won’t spread much during baking.
- Bake: Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and set. Remove and let cookies cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet.
- Make icing: Stir the reserved 1/4 cup brown butter until liquid again if needed by warming briefly. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing, then optionally sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.
Notes
- Iced cookies keep fresh refrigerated up to 1 week. Cookie dough can be chilled up to 3 days before baking. Bring dough to room temperature before baking.
- Both baked and frosted or unfrosted cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked dough balls freeze similarly; bake from frozen adding 1 extra minute.
- Pumpkin pie spice can be bought or homemade using 1/2 tsp each ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, plus extra 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
- Press out as much moisture as possible from the pumpkin puree for less cakey, chewier cookies.
- For variation, add 1 cup of chocolate chips, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, raisins, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch morsels to dough instead of or along with icing.
- Use a medium cookie scoop and flatten slightly before baking for ideal cookie shape and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
