Happy Fall! Our favorite season is finally here again and it feels like overnight the temperatures are in the 60s and pumpkins are appearing on porches and little bits of color are appearing in trees. And of course with that comes…a new pumpkin spice recipe! I hope you are just as enthusiastic about them as I am, because I can’t get enough no matter how much people like to tease me for my love of pumpkin spice. 😉
These cookies are so soft, fluffy, and delicious! And making the icing with browned butter adds such an amazing touch of caramel flavor that complements the pumpkin really well. The first batches I made went too quickly to photograph! I’m sure these will become a fast favorite of yours, too. They’re really easy to make and the icing can just be smoothed on with a thin silicone spatula – no special decorating tools needed, and easy for little hands to help with!
Keep browned butter in mind for other recipes too – it would go really well in brownies or a homemade chocolate icing. Or, you could make the icing below but thin it a bit with an extra tablespoon or two of milk and drizzle it over a loaf of banana bread! It isn’t just for sweets though – browned butter can be used in sauces that you prepare for veggies, pasta, and fish as well.
Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Browned Butter Icing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree plain pumpkin – not pie filling!
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 4 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the 3/4 cup butter, pumpkin puree, sugars, vanilla, and eggs and mix well. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice blend, and salt.
- Combine dry ingredients with butter and sugar mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Drop by small rounded spoonfulls on a prepared baking sheet, and bake for 14 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely.
- While you're waiting, heat the 1/3 cup butter over low heat, stirring frequently, until it has lightly browned. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and carefully pour in the browned butter. Mix well, adding more milk by the tablespoon if the icing becomes too thick.
- Spread icing on top of the cooled cookies. Garnish with a light dusting of pumpkin spice or cinnamon if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
