{recipe} Spiced Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

It’s that time of year again, when leaves are falling, the weather is turning, and every last little thing is offered in pumpkin spice flavor. I will admit that I think the pumpkin spice craze is a little overdone! I certainly have no need for it in my latte or my Pringles. But a chewy, soft, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin spice cookie: now that’s something I can get behind. Especially when it’s topped with a super luscious brown butter icing.

So if you’re going to eat just one pumpkin spice thing this season, I highly recommend going straight to these.

A note: this recipe calls for pumpkin puree. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling, just the pure pumpkin.

RECIPE: Spiced Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
makes about 25-30 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

for the cookies: 

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• about 8 oz pumpkin puree (roughly half of a 15 oz. can)
• 2 cups flour

for the icing: 

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (you may need a little more to make the icing thick enough)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tblsp milk (you may need a little more if the icing is too thick)
• 4 Tblsp butter

METHOD:

for the cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with a piece of ungreased parchment paper.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy.
• Add egg and vanilla and mix until completely combined.
• Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and pumpkin puree and mix together to combine. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix slowly until it’s completely combined. Don’t overmix.
• Drop dough by heaping tablespoons on the cookie sheet. (They will spread a bit but not too much.) Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F until the tops are set and lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

for the icing:

• In the bowl of a mixer, put the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
• Put the butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan frequently. When butter turns golden brown and starts to smell nutty, pour it over the powdered sugar mixture.
• Beat on medium speed until smooth. If it’s too think, add a touch more milk. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar.
• Spread on cooled cookies with a knife or offset spatula.
• Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.