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Best Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

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These brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with warm fall spices. The nutty brown butter and pumpkin create a rich, comforting flavor that’s perfect for autumn baking.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), blotted dry
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (for coating)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (for coating)

Instructions

  1. Brown the butter: Place the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly with a spatula as it melts. The butter will foam and crackle. Keep stirring. After about 5-7 minutes, the foam will subside and you’ll see golden-brown specks forming at the bottom. The butter will smell nutty. As soon as it turns a deep amber color, remove it from the heat immediately and pour it into a heatproof bowl. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Prepare the pumpkin: While the butter cools, place the pumpkin puree on a plate lined with a few paper towels. Spread it out and press another paper towel on top to absorb excess moisture. Let it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
  4. Cream the butter and sugars: In a large bowl, combine the cooled brown butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  5. Add the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla: Add the egg, the blotted pumpkin puree, and the vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until just combined. The mixture might look a little curdled.
  6. Combine wet and dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
  7. Chill the dough: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
  8. Preheat and prepare: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon for the coating.
  9. Shape and coat: Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop portions of dough and roll them into balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
  10. Bake: Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should look puffed and slightly cracked on top, and the edges should be set but the centers will still look soft.
  11. Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Don’t skip the brown butter step; it’s what makes these cookies special. Blot the pumpkin thoroughly to remove excess moisture for puffy cookies. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading. For softer cookies, bake for 10 minutes; for slightly crispier edges, bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.

Nutrition

Keywords: brown butter, pumpkin, snickerdoodle, cookies, fall baking, cinnamon sugar

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