These chewy brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodles are the perfect spiced fall cookie. With a chewy center, a slightly crispy edge, and a sugary spice coating, these cookies just melt in your mouth!
Brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodles are bound to be good knowing that you're combining browned butter and pumpkin, but then roll it in a spiced sugar mixture and it gets even better! And, the best part is these are a chewy pumpkin cookie, not the cakey kind that leave you wondering if it was actually a cookie.
If you're a pumpkin cookie lover too, here's a couple more of my favorite recipes to try: Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles, or Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies.
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Why You Will Love These Cookies
- Browned Butter: The browned butter really elevates the flavor of these cookies.
- One Bowl: You only need to dirty one bowl, and a mixer isn't even required.
- Sugar & Spice: Rolling or covering a baked good in cinnamon, pumpkin spice and sugar always makes things better, and it's so pretty!
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter: You will start by browning your butter and then allowing it to completely cool off and thicken up a bit.
- Sugars: You use a combo of both brown sugar and granulated sugar in these for the perfect chewy center, crispy edge texture.
- Pumpkin: What makes these cookies chewy and not cake like is blotting most of the liquid out of the pumpkin.
- Pumpkin Spice: I usually just buy mine at Trader Joes, but you can easily make your own if needed.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup of butter (one stick) and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour all of it into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
- Step 2: Measure out ⅓ cup of pumpkin and place on a paper plate. Using some paper towels, blot the pumpkin, removing liquid until the paper towel wipes clean. When done the pumpkin should measure more like 3 tablespoons (50g).
- Step 3: Place browned butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment and mix together. Add pumpkin, egg yolk and vanilla and mix again.
- Step 4: Add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and flour to the bowl and mix on low, being careful not to over mix. I usually like to stop mixing when I still have flour remnants around the bowl.
- Step 5: Scoop the dough into large balls, I like to use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop. Mix together the sugar, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll cookie balls in it and place 4-5 cookies per baking sheet.
- Step 6: Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. You don't want to see any shiny dough in the middle of the cookie, but make sure not to over bake these. Allow cookies to cool on the pan before moving to a cooling rack to hold their shape. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar if you want.
Expert Baking Tips
- Blotting the pumpkin beforehand is what helps these cookies to become less cakey and more chewy. It's important not to skip this step.
- Make sure your butter has cooled completely before beginning. You can put it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to speed up the process.
- With browning the butter and blotting the pumpkin, everyone will have slightly different results. If your dough feels crumbly before scooping, add 1-2 tablespoon extra pumpkin in until it feels like a smoother cookie dough consistency.
FAQ
If your cookies didn't spread out the reason is most likely that you added too much flour. I always suggest weighing ingredients if possible.
Yes, 1 cup of chocolate chips would be a great addition. I also have a chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie or a pumpkin white chocolate chip recipe if you prefer to look at those.
No, you can use 7 tablespoons of soft butter as a substitute.
Storing & Freezing
These brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodles can be stored in an airtight container or a ziplock bag for 3-4 days at room temperature.
You can freeze your cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months with them remaining fresh. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls if you would like to bake them one at a time, or as needed, just allow to thaw before baking.
Other Popular Recipes to Try
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment if you make them and love them as much as I do!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) butter browned and cooled
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (81.67 g) pumpkin puree blotted to become 3 tablespoon (50g)
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cinnamon
- 1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar for rolling
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice for rolling
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon for rolling
Instructions
- Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup of butter (one stick) and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour all of it into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Measure out ⅓ cup of pumpkin and place on a paper plate. Using some paper towels, blot the pumpkin, removing liquid until the paper towel wipes clean. When done the pumpkin should measure more like 3 tablespoons (50g).
- Place browned butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment and mix together. Add pumpkin, egg yolk and vanilla and mix again.
- Add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and flour to the bowl and mix on low, being careful not to over mix. I usually like to stop mixing when I still have flour remnants around the bowl.
- Scoop the dough into large balls, I like to use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop. Mix together the sugar, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll cookie balls in it and place 4-5 cookies per baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. You don't want to see any shiny dough in the middle of the cookie, but make sure not to over bake these. Allow cookies to cool on the pan before moving to a cooling rack to hold their shape. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar if you want.
Danielle
Go ahead and double this recipe. It is that good I promise. I've already written it down on a recipe card to keep forever in my kitchen. I've made them twice in a WEEK (and the second time was a double batch). I'm making more in two days to bring to my daughter's teachers. These are the cookies you'll want everyone to try and know you made. My new go to for Fall. Amazingly soft and chewy. I can't decide what is better... the texture or the deep flavor that just screams fall.
Cindy DeVries
These cookies are an absolute 10/10. The cheesecake filling with the pumpkin is absolutely delicious. Thank you for another great recipe!
J Morse
This recipe was simple to follow and turned out amazing. My children and husband were so thrilled. A definite must for fall!
Texture is chewey with crisp along edge!
Jill
So good!! We always double or triple this recipe. Love them and will always be a fall favorite for us! Thanks for much for creating something so yummy!!
Rachel
Has anyone tried applesauce in place of the egg yolk? My daughter has an egg allergy so looking for a substitute. Thanks!
Babs
I don't love lots of pumpkin things but these cookies are the bomb! The browned butter really gives it a nutty/buttery flavor with just a hint of pumpkin. I brought to a dinner party tonight (along with a batch of the Salted Sweets Brookies - also a fan fave!) Everyone loved these cookies. I wished I would have doubled the batch. Definitely will double next time. I used a 1.5 TBL cookie scoop to make smaller cookies and feed more people.
Lauren Quesnell
Do you happen to recall how many cookies the 1.5 TBL scoop made, or what the adjusted cooking time was? Thanks!
Emma Dickey
These cookies are NEXT LEVEL! The perfect way to get into the fall spirit. I used to be obsessed with chewy ginger snaps every year but these take the cake. The recipe is so easy to follow and well explained (THANK YOU for giving ingredients in grams. Makes it so accurate and I don’t have to dirty a million measuring cups). They come out perfectly chewy and stay that way even left over for a few days. These are new favorite for sure!
Janee
This cookie is simply fall in your mouth! Perfect combination of flavors!
Michelle
Hi! Wondering if you’ve ever tried to substitute gf 1:1 flour? Thank you!
Brooke Homec
yes.. works great!
Debbie Wronka
These were AMAZING! Big hit with the neighbors and my family! Tripled the recipe and still weren’t enough!
Allison
These are delicious! But not sure I’d call them snickerdoodles (no cream of tartar).
Katherine Gordon
This recipe is a slam dunk. And I am a petty experienced cookie baker. Perfect density and bite, great flavor, enough excitement to get props from people you make them for. 100% recommend!!
Leah Mei
These are amazing! So yummy with the brown butter.
BRANDI HOLIMAN
These are amazing! Is it possible to make a large batch of dough ahead of time and freeze?
BRANDI HOLIMAN
Is it possible to make a large batch of dough ahead of time and freeze?
Brooke Homec
yes! but I wouldn't roll in the cinnamon and sugar until baking.