Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Brown the butter
- Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until golden brown and nutty smelling, about 5–6 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Mix the wet ingredients
- Whisk the browned butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth. Stop as soon as the mixture looks glossy and uniform.
Mix the dry ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk until the spices are evenly distributed.
Combine dough
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. The dough should look thick and no dry streaks should remain.
Chill
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes to firm up. It should be easier to scoop and hold its shape.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and scoop the dough into balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Space them apart so they can spread slightly.
- Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. The tops should look slightly underdone and matte as they cool.
Glaze and serve
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and maple syrup, then drizzle over the cooled cookies. Let the glaze set until it looks slightly firm and glossy.
Notes
For clean brown-butter results, use a light-colored saucepan and swirl often so you can pull it as soon as it turns deep amber. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days; freeze undecorated cookies up to 2 months and thaw, then glaze after thawing. For a lighter option, use part whole-wheat pastry flour (swap up to half of the all-purpose flour) for a nuttier texture without changing the bake time.