From the roundup: 24 Easy Fall Desserts Recipes to Bake This Season
Saturday morning, right before I load everyone into the van for back-to-back soccer games, is when I brown the butter and mix up the dough for these brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, because the required 30-minute chill actually fits perfectly into that pre-game scramble. The brown butter takes about five to seven minutes on the stove, but you have to pull it the second you see golden specks and smell something nutty, then let it cool a full 20 minutes before it touches anything else in the bowl. I also pat the pumpkin puree dry between several layers of paper towels until the paper stops pulling color, which sounds fussy but is what keeps the cookies chewy instead of soft and cakey. Skip the chill once like I did and you will pull flat, crispy discs out of the oven instead of thick, chewy cookies.
Why you will love this
- Brown butter adds a nutty, toasty depth that you cannot get from melted or creamed butter.
- Patting the pumpkin dry keeps the texture chewy rather than soft and cake-like.
- The cinnamon-sugar coating bakes into a lightly crackled shell with a tender center.
- The dough can chill up to 48 hours, so you can mix it the night before and bake fresh the next day.
- One egg yolk instead of a whole egg keeps the cookies rich without adding extra moisture.
Tips for success
- Use a light-colored saucepan to brown the butter so you can actually see when the milk solids turn golden. Dark pans hide the color and you will burn it before you realize.
- Cool the brown butter for the full 20 minutes. Test it by touching the bowl. It should feel just barely warm, not hot.
- Scoop the dough straight from the refrigerator and work quickly. If the dough warms up too much while you are rolling, the balls flatten in the oven. Pop the bowl back in the fridge between batches if your kitchen runs warm.
- Pull the cookies at 11 to 13 minutes even if the centers look underdone. They will look soft and slightly puffed, and that is correct. They firm up as they cool on the pan, and waiting too long means a dry cookie.
Common questions
- Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of puree? No. Pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and spices and will throw off the balance of the whole recipe.
- My dough seems really soft after mixing. Is that normal? Yes. The dough is soft before chilling. That is why the chill step matters. It firms the fat back up so the cookies hold their shape.
- Can I double the recipe? Yes, and the dough keeps well in the fridge for up to 48 hours, so you can bake in batches over two days.
Substitutions
For a gluten-free version, a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend works in place of all-purpose flour. If you only have salted butter, reduce the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Out of cream of tartar? Use 1 teaspoon baking powder total and leave out the baking soda. The cookies will be slightly less tangy but still good.
If you would rather use one spice instead of three, pumpkin pie spice swaps in at a 1:1 ratio for the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg combined. For anyone avoiding eggs, one egg yolk is a small amount, but a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes) can work, though the texture will be slightly less chewy.
Make-ahead and storage
The dough can be mixed and refrigerated, tightly covered, up to 48 hours before baking. You can also scoop and roll the balls in cinnamon sugar, freeze them on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a zip bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 350 degrees and add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
Baked cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They do soften a bit after day two, which honestly most people prefer. To freeze baked cookies, layer them with parchment in a container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Brown the butter first. Add the butter to a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally and watch closely. After about 5 to 7 minutes the butter will foam, then the foam will subside and you will see golden-brown specks form on the bottom of the pan. It should smell nutty and toasty, not burned. Pour it immediately into a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 20 minutes. Do not skip the cooling step or the heat will scramble your egg.
- Pat the pumpkin puree dry. Spread it on two or three layers of paper towels, press another layer on top, and press firmly. Repeat until the towels no longer look wet. You want to remove as much moisture as possible so the cookies stay chewy and not cakey.
- Make the dough. Once the brown butter has cooled, add 1 cup granulated sugar and the brown sugar to the bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium for about 1 minute. Mix in the dried pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a spatula until just combined. The dough will be soft.
- Chill the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 48 hours. Chilling firms the fat back up so the cookies bake thick and hold their shape without spreading flat.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon for rolling.
- Scoop and roll. Scoop the chilled dough into balls about 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Roll each ball between your palms until smooth, then roll generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat all sides. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges look set and the tops have a slightly crackled appearance. The centers will still look just barely underdone, which is exactly right. They finish setting as they cool on the pan. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
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