Description
These are the BEST pumpkin cookies around! With browned butter, warm spices, and pumpkin mixed into the dough, they're deliciously soft, perfectly sweet, and full of cozy fall flavor. We also use a few very simple tricks to make sure these cookies bake up chewy and NOT cakey at all!
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cookie dough:
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups (290g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (160g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
For the sugar coating:
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Add butter to a medium skillet or saucepot. Place the butter over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted, simmers, and eventually turns a rich brown color. This whole process will take about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Working quickly so the butter doesn't continue to cook due to the residual heat from the pan, pour it into a large bowl. Set aside to cool completely to room temperature. The butter should still be liquid but should no longer feel warm. *Hot butter will cause the cookies to overspread!
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- The key to a perfectly chewy cookie starts with ensuring the flour is measured correctly. Make sure to either measure by weight or by using the "spoon and level" method (see above post for more detail).
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk together until you no longer see dry granules of sugar. The mixture will look a little grainy but that's fine!
- Whisk in the egg yolk, maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin puree.
- Add in the flour mixture and fold together until you no longer see any dry streaks of flour. The cookie dough should hold a scoop shape, but if it's soft, pop it into the fridge for 20-30 minutes or until firm enough to scoop.
- In a medium bowl or plate, mix together sugar and pumpkin spice for the sugar coating.
- Use a large 2 oz cookie scoop to portion out balls of cookie dough. Drop the dough into your bowl of spiced sugar and roll it around to coat all sides.
- Arrange 4 or 5 of the cookie dough balls on your parchment lined baking sheet, leaving at least 3 inches of space between each ball of dough.
- Bake the cookies in the center of your preheated 350F oven for 11-13 minutes or until puffed and golden brown along the edges.
- Cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer onto a wire rack and set aside to continue cooling. The centers of the cookies will sink slightly.
- Allow the baking sheet to cool then continue baking the cookies in batches until all the dough is used up.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes