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–+ servings
Ella Cooks

Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies (Soft and Chewy)

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If you like the idea of a pumpkin cookie but don’t want something puffy and cakey, these are the ones to make. They have all the cozy cinnamon-sugar snickerdoodle charm, but with browned butter, pumpkin, warm spice and a much deeper, richer flavor than the usual version.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 12 minutes
Resting Time 45 minutes
Servings: 16 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 165
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cookies
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 g
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling (about 80 g)
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed (150 g)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 g
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 210 g
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • Optional flaky sea salt for finishing
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 g
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan or light-colored pan for browning butter
  • Mixing bowls
  • Whisk
  • Wooden spoon or spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Cookie scoop, ideally 3 tablespoon size
  • Paper towels, for blotting the pumpkin
  • Cooling rack

Method
 

Method
    Brown the butter
    1. Put the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt, then continue cooking, stirring often, until it foams, smells nutty, and the milk solids at the bottom turn golden brown. This usually takes about 4 to 6 minutes.
    Cool the butter slightly
    1. Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl, making sure to scrape in all the browned bits. Let it cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. It should still be liquid, but not piping hot.
    Blot the pumpkin
    1. Spread the pumpkin purée onto a plate lined with paper towels, then press gently with more paper towels to remove some of the moisture. You are not trying to dry it out completely, just take away the excess wetness that can make the cookies cakey.
    Mix the dry ingredients
    1. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
    Mix the wet ingredients
    1. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the browned butter and whisk until glossy and well combined. Whisk in the blotted pumpkin purée, egg yolk and vanilla.
    Bring the dough together
    1. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until no dry flour remains. The dough will be soft but should still hold its shape.
    Chill the dough
    1. Cover and chill the dough for about 45 minutes. This helps the cookies stay thick and makes the dough easier to scoop and roll.
    Prepare the coating and oven
    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice for the coating.
    Scoop and coat
    1. Scoop the dough into 16 large balls, roughly 3 tablespoons each. Roll each one in the cinnamon sugar coating until well covered.
    Bake
    1. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look puffed and lightly crackled. The centers should still look just slightly soft.
    Cool
    1. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. If you like, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on top while they are still warm.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 13g

    Notes

    Tips and Variations

    Do not skip blotting the pumpkin. It really helps keep the cookies chewy rather than cakey.
    Use a light-colored pan if you have one for browning butter. It makes it easier to see when the milk solids have turned golden.
    Slightly underbake them if you want the softest centers.
    Make them smaller if you prefer, but reduce the baking time by a couple of minutes.
    A little flaky salt on top is lovely if you like that sweet-salty contrast.
    If you want a slightly more dramatic bakery feel, press a few extra cinnamon-sugar crumbs onto the tops as soon as the cookies come out of the oven.
    These would also be lovely with a tiny drizzle of maple glaze, but I think they are best left as proper snickerdoodles.

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