Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft and chewy pumpkin cookies topped with an irresistible brown butter cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time15

Bake Time13

Chilling Time1

Total Time1 28

Servings: 20 cookies

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
1 and ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cooled melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth, then whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin puree, again until smooth.
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (50g) firmly packed brown sugar, ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree1
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spatula until everything is combined. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Roll the dough into balls, about 1 Tablespoon in size (I use this #50 cookie scoop for all of my standard size cookies) and place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are just set. Cookies will look very soft and under-baked. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the brown butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth.
¼ cup (57g) brown butter, 4 ounces (113g) full fat block cream cheese
Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract and salt and continue mixing until smooth.
1 and ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, generous pinch of salt

When your buttercream is smooth, use a small offset spatula to spread frosting onto each cookie.
Store leftover cookies covered tightly at room temperature up to 5 days. Cookies freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Pumpkin: I always measure pumpkin purée with measuring cups as the moisture content can wildly change the weight measurements, depending on the brand.
Brown butter: you will need your brown butter at room temperature. I have tested this recipe with 57g of unsalted butter cooked down to about 45g of brown butter (the reduced amount is due to loss of moisture while cooking). You do not need a full 57g of brown butter. If you do not know how to make brown butter, please see my full tutorial about how to brown butter.

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