Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing
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These Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing are soft, chewy and flavored with brown butter. They’re easy to make and full of warm fall spices!
These Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing are going to become your new favorite fall cookie! They’re flavored with nutty brown butter, lots of pumpkin spice and drizzled with a simple maple icing! They’re soft, chewy and so easy to make!
Looking for more pumpkin cookie recipes? You’ll love my Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles or Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the cookies structure.
Baking soda – helps the cookies spread. Do not use baking powder!
Cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger – needed to help give the cookies their pumpkin spice flavor.
Brown butter – provides flavor and structure. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Granulated & brown sugar – sweetens the cookies.
Pumpkin puree – make sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree has 100% pumpkin while pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sugar added to it.
Egg yolks – binds the ingredients and provides structure without making the cookies cakey.
Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
How To Make Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing
1. Brown the butter: Cut the butter into cubes and place into a small pot. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally. The butter will bubble and foam until it reaches a light brown color, has little browned bits on the bottom and smells nutty and delicious. This happens quickly so don’t walk away from it! Pour browned butter into a heat proof bowl then set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
2. Make the Pumpkin Cookies: in a small bowl whisk the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the brown butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
4. Whisk the pumpkin puree, egg yolks and vanilla extract into the butter sugar mixture.
5. Add the dry ingredients all at once and fold until just combined.
6. Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough then place onto lined baking sheets (be sure to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger). Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. Let cookies cool completely.
7. Make the Maple Icing: in a small bowl combine the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, milk, maple extract and salt. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Store Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Pro Tips For Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Don’t over mix the dough! Only mix until the dry ingredients are just combined. Over mixing = more gluten development which means tough cookies. We don’t want any tough cookies here!
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle oven rack. This ensures that there is even heat circulation.
- Don’t over bake them! They will still look a little raw when they come out of the oven but will continue to bake as they cool on the baking sheet. This is the secret to crisp edges and chewy centers.
- Wait until the cookies are COMPLETELY COOLED before decorating them otherwise the maple icing will melt.
What To Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree?
Make one of my other pumpkin recipes! Some of my favorites are:
Did you know that you can also freeze leftover pumpkin puree? Simply transfer it to an airtight container or a zip-top bag and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to use it!
Recipes To Use Up Leftover Egg Whites
My Favorite Cookie Tools
- Kitchen scale I love this scale, I’ve been using it for years!
- Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Scoop
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Cookie scoop (I use a 3 tablespoon scoop)
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookie Dough
- 300 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ginger
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, cubed
- 200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 120 g (1/2 cup) pumpkin puree
- 2 egg yolks (save the whites for another recipe!)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Maple Icing
- 120 g (1 cup) confectioners' sugar
- 30 g (2 tbsp) maple syrup
- 15 g (1 tbsp) milk
- 1 tsp maple extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
Pumpkin Cookie Dough
- Cut the butter into cubes and place into a small pot. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally. The butter will bubble and foam until it reaches a light brown color, has little browned bits on the bottom and smells nutty and delicious. This happens quickly so don’t walk away from it! Pour browned butter into a heat proof bowl then set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small bowl whisk the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the brown butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Whisk the pumpkin puree, egg yolks and vanilla extract into the butter sugar mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once and fold until just combined.
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough then place onto lined baking sheets (be sure to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger). Bake for 10 minutes. Let cookies cool completely.
Maple Icing
- In a small bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, milk, maple extract and salt. Drizzle over cooled cookies.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the 1/2 tsp salt.
- Store Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
