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Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft pumpkin cookies are baked until their edges are set and their centers look just set, then topped with smooth brown butter cream cheese frosting. Chilling the dough helps the cookies bake up soft, while browned butter adds a nutty note to the frosting.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Chilling and cooling 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 1 minute
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 213
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cookies
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup unsalted butter divided: 1/2 cup softened for the cookies; 1/2 cup for the frosting
  • 0.75 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg large
  • 0.75 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract divided: 1 teaspoon for the cookies; 1 teaspoon for the frosting
For the frosting
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp milk

Equipment

  • 2 baking sheets
  • 1 small saucepan

Method
 

Make the cookies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
  4. Beat 1/2 cup softened butter, the brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  5. Beat in the egg, then the pumpkin puree and 1 teaspoon vanilla, until smooth.
  6. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until no dry streaks remain.
  7. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
  8. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
  9. Bake for 12–14 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the edges are set and the centers look just set.
  10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
  11. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
Make the frosting
  1. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling the pan for 5–7 minutes until the butter is amber and smells nutty; immediately pour it, including the browned bits, into a heatproof bowl.
  2. Cool the browned butter for 30–45 minutes, stirring once, until opaque and soft but not liquid.
  3. Beat the softened cream cheese and browned butter until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  4. Beat in the powdered sugar in two additions, then beat in the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and the milk until smooth.
  5. Spread the frosting over the completely cooled cookies.

Notes

For smooth frosting, let the browned butter cool until opaque and soft but not liquid before beating it with the cream cheese. Store frosted cookies in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months. A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend can replace the all-purpose flour.