These chewy pumpkin cookies topped with a brown butter creamy cheese frosting and a crunchy brown sugar crumble are the ultimate cozy fall indulgence! If you love cozy fall baking, you may also enjoy our apple cider cinnamon rolls or our pumpkin spice cake!
At a Glance: Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Chilling Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 - 30 minutes
- Total Time: ~2 hours 15 minutes
- Servings: 16 cookies
- Flavour: Sweet with warming spices, toffee notes
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Why this Works: Brown butter does triple duty in these chewy pumpkin spiced cookies with a tangy cream cheese frosting and crunchy brown sugar crumble.
Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Fall has officially begun which means it's time to enjoy all things pumpkin! It may be a cliché but there's a reason that pumpkin spice is such a beloved fall favourite. With all those delicious warming spices and a generous amount of brown butter lending toffee notes, these chewy pumpkin cookies are the ultimate in comfort fall baking. Topped with a dollop of brown butter cream cheese frosting and a crunchy brown sugar crumble, these delightful cookies are pure autumnal indulgence!
If you love pumpkin spice as much as we do, then check out our pumpkin spice eibrot or our pumpkin praline pancakes!
Ingredients for Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Butter: This recipe uses salted butter. The butter is browned and then divided between the cookie dough, frosting, and crumble. I strongly recommend that you weigh the butter to get exact measurements. There will be some volume loss as the water in the butter evaporates during the browning process which can vary by brand. Be sure to use the exact amount listed for the cookie dough and crumble where it matters most. The frosting is the most forgiving and you can use either a bit more or a bit less brown butter than is called for with very little effect on the outcome.
Pumpkin: Removing as much of the water from the pumpkin purée will help to create a more chewy texture in this cookie. By spreading the purée out onto paper towels and letting it sit for a few minutes, much of the water will be absorbed into the paper towels leaving a more concentrated form of pumpkin. I used canned pumpkin purée in this recipe.
Egg yolks: Similarly to the pumpkin, removing the egg whites from this recipe will reduce the overall water content and promote a more chewy texture. The yolks are necessary to emulsify the butter and sugar mixture.
Brown sugar: I like using a mix of dark brown and golden brown sugar in this recipe. The dark brown sugar adds a depth of flavour, darker colour, and slightly more chewy texture to the cookies due to a higher molasses content. The golden sugar works better to create a crunchier texture in the crumble and I preferred a lighter colour in the topping. That being said, you can use both types of brown sugar interchangeably. There might be some slight differences in colour or texture but not significant enough to cause major issues.
Spices: A blend of ground spices adds that quintessential pumpkin spice flavour to the cookies.
Tips for the perfect chewy cookie
Pumpkin cookies tend to be softer and cakey in texture due to their high water content. If you prefer a chewier style of cookie, there are a few things you can do to combat that natural tendency.
- Browning the butter - As well as adding a delicious toffee flavour to the cookies, browning the butter also removes its water content which helps with the overall amount of water in the recipe. Also, because you are browning the butter, you will be mixing the dough while melted. Melted butter tends to result in slightly denser, chewier cookies than butter that has been creamed into the dough.
- Blot the pumpkin - The added water in the pumpkin is by far the greatest culprit when it comes to excess moisture. By blotting the pumpkin on paper towels, you can remove a fair amount of its water. Spread the pumpkin out onto several layers of paper towel and then cover with more paper towel, pressing down gently. Wait for about 5 minutes then remove the top layer and scrape the pumpkin onto fresh paper towel. You will probably need to do this about 3 times. By the end the pumpkin should be half the volume you started with and very thick.
- Use egg yolks only - Egg whites add more liquid and the proteins add structure which can promote a cakey texture. By using only egg yolks, you remove those problems but are still able to emulsify the batter.
- Use brown sugar - Cookie recipes often use both white and brown sugar, however, here it is preferable to use only brown sugar. Brown sugar is hygroscopic which means it attracts moisture, particularly after baking. This will help the cookies stay soft and chewy after baking. Dark brown sugar has a bit more of an edge over golden sugar in that it has more molasses which holds moisture particularly well.
- Use baking soda - Baking powder as a leavener tends to produce fluffy, cakey types of cookies, such as in snickerdoodles. Baking soda will help the cookies spread and rise slightly, but not as much as baking powder would.
- Chill the dough - This is particularly important when using melted butter. Baking the cookies when the dough is soft and warm will result in them spreading out very thin on the baking sheet and with a slightly crisper texture. Chilling the dough just until it's firm will keep them from spreading too much and becoming too crisp.
How to make Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
1. Brown the butter
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Let the butter simmer gently until it begins to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. The butter will foam and then become clear, with the milk solids dropping to the bottom of the pan. Swirl the pan and stir occasionally while the butter is cooking to make sure it browns evenly.
When the milk solids turn brown, remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Allow the butter to cool for a few minutes before dividing. Be sure to add some of the browned bits from the bottom each time you divide it. Spoon off 45 g, or about 3 ½ tablespoons, of the brown butter for the crumble topping. Spoon off 125 g, or 9 tablespoons, for the cream cheese frosting. Measure out 170 g, or about ¾ cup, of the butter for the cookie dough. Any remaining butter can be added to the frosting batch, or, if you're a bit short, you can take what you need from the frosting batch.
2. Blot the pumpkin
Fold together 3 layers of paper towel. Spread the pumpkin purée out in a thin layer on the paper towel. Top with another couple layers of the paper towel and press down gently. Let sit for a few minutes and then scrape the pumpkin purée onto a fresh batch of paper towels. Do this until the pumpkin has reduced by half, about three times.
3. Make the cookie dough
In a mixing bowl combine 2 ¼ cups of the flour along with the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine and then set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the reserved 170 g melted butter with the brown sugar and blotted pumpkin. Whisk together. Add the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is emulsified. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a spatula mix until fully combined.
4. Shape the cookies
Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a 1 ½-inch scoop to portion out the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 45 minutes or until the dough is firm.
5. Make the crumble
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small mixing bowl combine the remaining ¾ cup flour, golden brown sugar, and kosher alt. Add the reserved 45 g of brown butter and mix together, using your hands if needed.
Spread the crumbs out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the crumbs so they brown evenly. Bake for another 5 to 7 minutes until browned. Let cool before using. The crumble topping will harden as it cools.
6. Bake the cookies
If needed, preheat the oven again to 350°F. Arrange the chilled cookie dough balls onto parchment lined baking sheets. If you have chilled the cookie dough for longer than 45 minutes you may want to leave it at room temperature for 15 minutes so they aren't quite as cold when they go in the oven. This will allow them to spread a bit better as they cook.
Bake for 7 minutes. Rotate the pans and then continue baking for another 7 to 9 minutes until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges and spring back slightly on top. Transfer the cookies to a rack or the counter to cool. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Allow the cookies to cool fully before frosting.
7. Make the frosting
In a mixing bowl combine the remaining 125 g brown butter, which should be fully cool and room temperature, and the cold cream cheese. Use a mixer to whip the butter and cream cheese together. Add the icing sugar and beat together. The mixture will look very dry but keep mixing and it will become soft and creamy.
8. Serve the Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
Spread a generous dollop of the brown butter cream cheese frosting on top the cookies. Top with the brown sugar crumble and enjoy!
More Cozy Fall Baking Recipes
Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup butter divided
- ⅔ cups pumpkin purée reduced to ⅓ cup
- 3 cups all-purpose flour divided
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar *see note
- 2 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup golden brown sugar *see note
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 oz cream cheese cold
- 1 ½ cups icing sugar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Let the butter simmer gently until it begins to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. The butter will foam and then become clear, with the milk solids dropping to the bottom of the pan. Swirl the pan and stir occasionally while the butter is cooking to make sure it browns evenly.
- When the milk solids turn brown, remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Allow the butter to cool for a few minutes before dividing. Be sure to add some of the browned bits from the bottom each time you divide it. Spoon off 45 g, or about 3 ½ tablespoons, of the brown butter for the crumble topping. Spoon off 125 g, or 9 tablespoons, for the cream cheese frosting. Measure out 170 g, or about ¾ cup, of the butter for the cookie dough. Any remaining butter can be added to the frosting batch, or, if you're a bit short, you can take what you need from the frosting batch.
- Fold together 3 layers of paper towel. Spread the pumpkin purée out in a thin layer on the paper towel. Top with another couple layers of the paper towel and press down gently. Let sit for a few minutes and then scrape the pumpkin purée onto a fresh batch of paper towels. Do this until the pumpkin has reduced by half down to ⅓ cup (90 g), about three times.
- In a mixing bowl combine 2 ¼ cups (288 g) of the flour along with the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine and then set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the reserved 170 g melted butter with the brown sugar and reduced pumpkin. Whisk together. Add the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is emulsified. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a spatula mix until fully combined.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a 1 ½-inch scoop to portion out the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 45 minutes or until the dough is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small mixing bowl combine the remaining ¾ cup (96 g) flour, golden brown sugar, and kosher alt. Add the reserved 45 g of brown butter and mix together, using your hands if needed.
- Spread the crumbs out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the crumbs so they brown evenly. Bake for another 5 to 7 minutes until browned. Let cool before using. The crumble topping will harden as it cools.
- If needed, preheat the oven again to 350°F. Arrange the chilled cookie dough balls onto parchment lined baking sheets. Be sure to leave some space between them for spreading. If you have chilled the cookie dough for longer than 45 minutes you may want to leave it at room temperature for 15 minutes so it isn't quite as cold when it goes in the oven. This will allow the cookies to spread a bit more as they cook.
- Bake for 7 minutes. Rotate the pans and then continue baking for another 7 to 9 minutes until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges and spring back slightly on top. Transfer the cookies to a rack or the counter to cool. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Allow the cookies to cool fully before frosting.
- In a mixing bowl combine the remaining 125 g brown butter, which should be fully cool and room temperature, and the cold cream cheese. Use a mixer to whip the butter and cream cheese together. Add the icing sugar and beat together. The mixture will look very dry but keep mixing and it will become soft and creamy.
- Spread a generous dollop of the brown butter cream cheese frosting on top the cookies. Top with the brown sugar crumble and enjoy!
Just made these tonight with gluten free baking flour and they turned out absolutely delicious! Look just like the pictures! I had a little bit of leftover frosting and crumble that I can use on toast in the morning, too... yum!
Thanks so much Lisa, I'm so happy these worked out well for you, especially with the gluten free flour 🙂
I made these cookies twice as someone who is new to baking and they were delicious but the texture is not quite right. Before I reduced the pumpkin, I started with 2/3 cups but after I pressed it 3 times, I was left with only 35g. I tried only reducing it twice the second time I made the cookies but I was still only left with around 45g. Do some pumpkin purees not need to be reduced? I'm using Farmer's Market organic canned pumpkin puree.
Hi, I'm sorry that you had a bit of difficulty with the recipe. It's certainly possible that different brands would have different water contents. The pumpkin purée I used was fairly dense to begin with so it took a while to get the moisture out. Was your pumpkin fairly loose or watery? I'm wondering if a less dense pumpkin purée would reduce more as the water is absorbed out of it. It just might have had more water in the 2/3 cup measurement than mine did. Next time I would either start with more and see if that helps or check it after each blotting to see how much is left and stop when you reach 1/3 cup. If you suspect that your pumpkin has a higher water content then I would start by using more pumpkin so that it becomes fairly thick by the time it has reduced to 1/3 cup. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for your reply. I tried it again and started with 3/4 cups pumpkin and only reduced it twice so I was left with about 1/3 of a cup. They turned out much better this time!
I'm so very happy to hear they worked out better for you!
Fingers they are more of a spice cookie than pumpkin. But good non the less!
Thanks Vanessa, we're happy that you enjoyed them!
Absolutely delicious I had no idea browning the butter would add so much flavour! Well worth the extra time and effort.
Thanks so much Jan! These cookies are definitely a labor of love, but I just love how the brown butter flavour really stands out. So happy to hear you enjoyed them 🙂
I love all the recipies you show and would love to try them.
Thanks Rochelle, so happy to hear that 🙂