Browned-Butter Pumpkin Maple Cookies

I love pumpkin desserts, but pumpkin cookies can be tricky. I wanted these to be soft and chewy, not cakey or overly wet, with plenty of pumpkin flavor and warm fall spices. After a little experimenting, I found that maple sugar works much better than maple syrup here. It gives the cookies even more maple flavor without adding the extra liquid that can cause them to spread, even when the dough is frozen. Browned butter adds a rich, nutty flavor, while letting the finished dough rest gives the flour time to absorb some of the extra moisture from the pumpkin. The result is a cozy fall cookie that’s a little crisp around the edges, chewy in the middle, and packed with browned butter, maple, pumpkin, and warm spices.

Ingredients

Cookies

• 226 grams / 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 200 grams brown sugar
• 80 grams maple sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 80 grams pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 190 grams bread flour
• 115 grams all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4-1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Place the butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Cook the butter until golden brown in color (it should smell nutty, but not burned), initially stirring occasionally, then more frequently as the butter simmers vigorously. This may take 10-15 minutes depending on your stovetop. Transfer the browned butter to a large, heat save mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer to cool to room temperature. The butter should re-solidify prior to using (approximately 2-3 hours). Do not chill.
2. Weigh out your pumpkin puree and place it in a bowl or on a plate lined with paper towels. Cover with a paper and pressed gently to the surface. Set aside so that the moisture can weep out while you’re prepping the other ingredients.
3. Combine the bread flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl with a whisk until fully incorporated.
4. Once the browned butter has solidified, add the brown sugar and maple sugar. Using a hand mixer or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, mix on medium-low speed until fully combined.
5. Add the large egg yolk, drained pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix on medium low speed for approximately 3 minutes.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined. Let this mixture sit for 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the moisture from the wet ingredients.
7. Portion out cookies using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop and freeze until frozen through (at least 2 hours). You may portion them on a cookie sheet to place in the freezer or in freezer safe plastic bags. I typically portion onto parchment paper in a single layer, place in a freezer bag, and freeze overnight.
8. Remove the pre-shaped cookie dough from the freezer and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. While the oven is preheating, combine the 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl or on a plate with a whisk until fully combined.
10. Once the oven is preheated, line standard baking sheets with parchment paper, then roll each portion of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture until they’re completely coated. Place cookies on lined baking sheets approximately 3-inches apart. I typically only put 6 cookies on each sheet.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
12. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks until ready to eat. Store in an airtight container for up to five days.
13. Enjoy!