Hey, hey we are almost to the finish line with our 12 days of cookies and day 11 is sure to be a holiday hit! I say let’s bring pumpkin right on into Christmas and give Santa a little bit of an unexpected twist on his cookie plate this year with these delightfully cakey brown Butter Iced Pumpkin Cookies.
Look, I know what you are thinking – pumpkin is a fall thang, but my friend I implore you to break out that pumpkin puree for just a bit longer. These cookies are incredible – cakey, pillowy and light with a decadent brown butter icing that is sure to make your Santa baby swoon!
While easy to make, I highly suggest investing in a cookie scoop for this recipe as the batter is on the loose side – it will make measuring out mounds of dough much easier and your cookies will come out of the oven beautifully round and perfectly proportioned – although any oblong cookies you may pull out of the oven are still pretty darn tasty!
If you’ve made these Brown Butter Iced Pumpkin Cookies or any of the other recipes on our site, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you thought in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food, design, and decor.
PrintBrown Butter Iced Pumpkin Cookies
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour, I used King Arthur multi purpose gluten free flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the icing
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs. Reduce the speed to low and add the pumpkin, evaporated milk and vanilla; mix well about 2 minutes (Batter will be loose). Add the flour mixture; mix until combined.
- Use a small cookie scoop to place 1 1/2 tablespoon full mounds of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
For the icing
- Place the confectioner’s sugar in a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately, add the butter to the confectioner’s sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add the evaporated milk and vanilla then stir until smooth.
- Spread approximately 1 teaspoon of icing onto each cookie. If the icing becomes too stiff , stir in more evaporated milk a little at a time.
- Lightly grate fresh nutmeg over the tops of the iced cookies and store in a single layer at room temperature. These cookies are best the day they are made, but can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days
Could I substitute all purpose flour for the gluten free flour mix? Thanks.
You could try it, I’ve never tried it that way, but I imagine it would work.
Hello Meg! Best recipe you have shared with us. I love butter iced pumpkin cookies. Every time I order these cookies from outside stores. Now it is the time to learn new and creative recipes. Thanks.
★★★★★
Awwww thanks Malin! I am so glad you are excited about the recipe, it is one of my favorites too!
Hi Meg! Lovely recipe you have shared and this is exactly what I needed for today!! I always order butter iced pumpkin cookies from outside. Because I love this recipe. Now it’s about time that I learn to make one for myself! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Mikkel, thank you! I am so glad you will put the recipe to good use 😉 These cookies are a favorite around our house for sure.
Just made these and they are nothing short of awesome! Will be making again. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay Kendra!! I am so glad you enjoyed them. My son says they are his favorite cookie EVER!
Oh my goodness Meg! These look amazing. I’m going to try to bake them this afternoon. 🙂
Yay Lisa! I hope you love them as much as we do 🙂