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Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodles with nutty browned butter folded into soft pumpkin cookie dough, then rolled in cinnamon sugar for classic crackle. Bake until the edges set but the centers stay soft and chewy for a warm pumpkin spice bite.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
dough rest 20 minutes
Total Time 52 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 170
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookies
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Brown for nutty flavor; use a light-colored skillet so you can see when it turns amber.
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg white Use only egg white for a softer, lighter dough.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.333 cup pumpkin puree, blotted dry Blot to prevent excess moisture so cookies bake up properly.
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon For dough flavor and part of the spice balance.
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar For rolling.
  • 1 tsp cinnamon For rolling.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the butter and cool
  1. Melt the butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and nutty-smelling, about 5-8 minutes.
  2. Pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl and let cool slightly.
Mix the dough
  1. Beat the cooled brown butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy.
  2. Beat in the egg white, vanilla, and blotted pumpkin puree.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, then mix into the wet ingredients.
Rest the dough
  1. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Roll and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Roll the dough into balls, then roll each in the cinnamon sugar mixture before placing on the sheets.
  3. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set but the centers still look soft.

Notes

Pro tip: blotting the pumpkin puree keeps the cookies from spreading too much. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature before serving. For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 vegan butter made for baking and brown it carefully until it turns nutty amber.