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Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Oct 15, 2020
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Get fall into full swing with sweet flavor, warm spices, and moist texture! Then, add your magic touch with a scene-stealing slightly burnt brown butter icing that adds just the right amount of richness and sweetness to take these cookies over the top, right where you like it. And while we don’t like to play favorites, we’d be lying if we didn’t mention these pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting are on our list of unbeatable recipes. Take our word for it, try them for yourself, and create a bite of amazing 100% from scratch. It all comes together in just over an hour! So what are you waiting for?

More About This Recipe

  • When an ingredient becomes so popular that it’s almost eclipsed the season it’s come to represent, you might expect the ingredient to be exotic and difficult to come by. But nope, plain old pumpkin — the squash once used mostly for carving into jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween and baking into pies come Thanksgiving — is everywhere starting as early as August. And even with the plethora of pumpkin recipes out there, it’s not hard for us to decide which recipe to bake when we’re ready for a taste of fall! These perfectly spiced pumpkin cookies are chewy, moist and made from scratch. The healthy dollop of brown butter frosting adds the perfect amount of sweetness and transforms these cookies into showstoppers fit for any fall party! Discover more pumpkin cookie recipes to make to make this season. And if you really love pumpkin season, check out the rest of our pumpkin pies, pumpkin cakes, pumpkin breads and more pumpkin recipes!

Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

  • Prep Time 1 hr 10 min
  • Total 1 hr 55 min
  • Servings 30
  • Ingredients 14
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Ingredients

Cookies

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup (from 15-oz can) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Browned Butter Frosting

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
  • 1/3 cup butter (do not use margarine or spread; it will burn)
Make With
Gold Medal Flour

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3/4 cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Beat in pumpkin and eggs until well mixed. On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
  • Step 
    2
    On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls.
  • Step 
    3
    Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
  • Step 
    4
    In medium bowl, place powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until light brown.
  • Step 
    5
    Pour browned butter over powdered sugar mixture. Beat on low speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Gradually add just enough of the remaining 1 tablespoon milk to make frosting creamy and spreadable. Generously frost cooled cookies.

Nutrition

190 Calories
7g Total Fat
2g Protein
29g Total Carbohydrate
21g Sugars

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Spice up these cookies by adding 1/8 teaspoon each ground cloves and ground ginger to the dry ingredients. Then, garnish frosted cookies with a dusting of cinnamon.
  • tip 2
    Instead of making Browned Butter Frosting, use a 1-pound container of Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy dulce de leche (caramel) frosting.
  • tip 3
    It’s important to use canned pumpkin, rather than pumpkin pie filling, in this recipe. The difference between the two is that the latter includes spices and additional sugar, while the canned pumpkin is simply puree. Using the plain version will give you better control ...
  • tip 4
    If you’re a fan of pumpkin desserts, you’ll want to check out the Great Pumpkin Recipe List great pumpkin recipe list for the rest of Betty’s best.
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