These soft and chewy brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies are the perfect choice if you’re looking for a fun, flavorful, and satisfying fall cookie recipe. To simplify the entire process, brown the butter for both the cookies and the icing at the same time. This recipe has a HUGE fanbase!
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added some new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. You’ll also find this recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
There is no question that fall is the best baking season. We’re talking homemade pies, warm and cozy spices, comforting desserts, and of course, a few pumpkin treats. Pumpkin pie is always top of the list, but I usually like to kick off the fall baking season with cookies—I’ve done maple brown sugar cookies, apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies, pumpkin snickerdoodles, apple spice whoopie pies, pumpkin crumb cake cookies, and the constant favorite… brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies. You’ll love the double dose of brown butter… in the cookies and the icing.
One reader, Brittany, commented: “The absolute best cookie recipe ever. I’ve made this recipe twice and both times people have obsessed over them. It’s child and husband approved. I leave a few without the glaze for those who don’t like sweets and even they still taste fabulous. It makes a lot of cookies, so I always share with family and coworkers. Everyone raves about them! ★★★★★“
These are by far one of the best cookie recipes to come out of my kitchen. Let’s get started!
Tell Me About These Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Texture: We love the soft, yet dense centers and chewy crisp edges. You’ll appreciate that this is a CHEWY pumpkin cookie as opposed to a cake-like pumpkin cookie. If you love the texture of these, you’ll also love these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies. Or if you’re looking for a cakey pumpkin cookie, try these soft pumpkin cookies.
- Flavor: Brown butter is a massively underused ingredient. Browning butter takes about 5–10 minutes and the result promises extra flavor. And not just regular flavor—a deep toffee-like, toasty, nutty flavor that pairs wonderfully with pumpkin and fall spices.
- Ease: This simple recipe makes fall baking quick and easy. (With big flavorful results!) Browning the butter takes a little extra time, but there’s no dough chilling or mixer required. Here are more cookie recipes that don’t require chilling; shortbread cookies are another quick favorite.
I include directions for browning the butter below, but feel free to review my How to Brown Butter page, which includes a helpful video. You can also go ahead and prepare a batch of homemade pumpkin pie spice, because you WILL be making these on repeat.
The Secrets to Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Pumpkin is a really moist ingredient, which makes it useful in cakes, pumpkin muffins, and quick breads. But it poses a texture problem when we’re trying to make dense and chewy oatmeal cookies.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Blot the pumpkin. More moisture = cakier cookies. To prevent overly cakey cookies, blot some of the moisture out of the pumpkin. I know it sounds odd, but gently soaking liquid out of the pumpkin puree with paper towels is a trick that works. Take a look at the difference below.
- Left: Blotted the pumpkin—the cookie is denser and chewier.
- Right: Did not blot the pumpkin—the cookie is cakey.
Use only an egg yolk. Pumpkin acts like an egg in cookie dough and this is something I learned when testing pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Testing today’s pumpkin oatmeal cookies, however, proved that an egg—or at least part of an egg—is necessary. The cookies were a little dry and crumbly without it because of the oats in the dough. Use just 1 large egg yolk in the dough because that little extra bit of fat makes a difference.
Use a cookie scoop. I like to use a medium cookie scoop for this cookie dough. Why? This is a sticky dough, and a cookie scoop makes things a little more manageable. Once you scoop the dough, slightly flatten the tops of the dough mounds. The cookies don’t expand much but flattening them first encourages spreading, which helps seal in that chewy texture. Just like this:
Overview: How to Make Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it so you understand each step before getting started.
- Brown the butter. You’ll use browned butter in both the cookie dough AND the icing, so it’s helpful to brown the butter all at once. When you’re finished browning the butter, set aside 2 ounces for the glaze topping. Use the rest in the cookie dough.
- Whisk dry ingredients together. This includes whole oats, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Whisk the brown butter you need for the dough with granulated sugar and brown sugar. Then whisk in the egg yolk + vanilla extract.
- Blot the pumpkin, then whisk it into the wet ingredients. (By the way, here’s a list of recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree!)
- Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Combine to form a thick and sticky dough.
- Scoop & flatten. As noted above, scoop cookie dough onto baking sheets using a medium cookie scoop. Slightly flatten each cookie dough ball before baking.
- Bake until cookies are lightly browned and set on the edges.
- For the icing, whisk the reserved brown butter and the remaining icing ingredients together until smooth. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing.
Because it’s made with butter, which is solid at room temperature, the icing eventually sets, making the cookies a little easier to stack, store, and transport. This brown butter icing is also delicious on peach Bundt cake, apple blondies, pecan sugar cookies, and pistachio cookies. Or try it on pumpkin scones or apple cinnamon scones!
I love seeing all of your photos of these popular cookies. Thank you for sharing!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These soft and chewy brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies are the perfect choice if you’re looking for a fun, flavorful, and satisfying fall cookie recipe. To simplify the entire process, brown the butter for both the cookies and the icing at the same time. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (285g) canned pumpkin puree*
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
- 2 cups (170g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 and 2/3 cups (208g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (133g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Brown Butter Glaze
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional for garnish: sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Blot the pumpkin: Line a medium bowl with a double layer of paper towels. Place the pumpkin puree in the bowl. Using another paper towel, press down to blot excess moisture from the pumpkin. You may need to repeat a couple of times with new paper towels. After blotting, you will have about 1 cup (225g) of pumpkin. Set aside.
- Brown the butter: Brown the 16 Tablespoons of butter for the cookies together with the 4 Tablespoons for the glaze. Place all 20 pieces of butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat. (Light-colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Stir or whisk the butter constantly as it melts. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring. After 5–8 minutes, the butter will begin browning—you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and it will have a nutty aroma. As soon as the butter has browned, immediately remove from heat and pour it into a large heat-safe glass bowl or liquid measuring cup. Scrape up the browned solids at the bottom of the skillet and add them as well. Divide and set aside 2 Tbsp (28g) of the brown butter to use for the glaze in step 8. The rest of the brown butter will go in the cookie dough in step 5. Allow to slightly cool while you continue.
- Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- In another large bowl, whisk the brown butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until combined, then whisk in the blotted pumpkin. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be soft and sticky.
- Scoop the cookie dough, about 2 Tablespoons (45g) of dough each, and arrange them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 14–15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned and set. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: Give the brown butter you reserved for the glaze a quick stir. If it’s no longer thin and liquid, warm it on the stove or in the microwave. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Lightly dip the top of each cookie into the glaze. Sprinkle a pinch of pumpkin pie spice on top of each glazed cookie, if desired. Return the cookies to the cooling rack and let sit until the glaze has set. Store covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Iced cookies stay fresh covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 6. Baked and frosted or unfrosted cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Here are my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Mixing Bowls | Light-Colored Skillet or Stainless Steel Skillet (for browning butter) | Stand Mixer | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat | Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and an extra 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Do not leave out the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon that is also called for in this recipe.
- Pumpkin: Make sure to use the can labeled “pure pumpkin puree,” not “pumpkin pie filling.” Blot as much of the moisture out of the pumpkin puree as you can before using it in the cookie dough. I simply squeeze the puree with paper towels and repeat with new paper towels until I can’t get any more moisture out. See photo in the post for a visual. This will help produce a less cakey cookie. Less moisture is a good thing in these cookies!
- Chocolate Chips: Instead of icing (or in addition to!), you can add 1 heaping cup of chocolate chips to the cookie dough. Or 1 cup of chopped nuts, dried cranberries, raisins, white chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, etc.
Reader Comments and Reviews
4.5 stars – wow the texture and taste is amazing. They are very sweet so next time I’ll make half of the glaze and drizzle it on.
A chewy, perfectly spiced autumn treat! Our kids absolutely loved them. I love not having to wait for dough to chill. We’ll definitely make them again.
Hi, Could I substitute almond milk for the icing or does the recipe need the full fat coming from the whole milk? Thank You!
Hi Terry, almond milk should be fine here!
Delicious! I thought they were great even without the glaze. Plenty sweet! I wish your note about gently flattening them to achieve their great texture was also incorporated in the steps of the actual recipe.
I made the Brown butter pumpkin cookies the smell is heavenly and they are absolutely delicious I didn’t dip the cookie in the icing but I did put the icing into a plastic bag cut very little off the corner and lightly drizzled the frosting all over the top and then very carefully sprinkled the spice on top
These cookies are so good! Made them for the first time today. I used heavy cream instead of milk for the glaze and needed way more than 3 tablespoons. I also put a little more vanilla extract and I used 1 teaspoon of maple extract and it is so delicious!
Yeah, you needed more than three Tablespoons of heavy cream because it’s not milk and has way less water in it. Recipes are formulated based on specific ingredients, if you change an ingredient you shouldnt expect the same results…
I made the batter and froze the dough balls last month, baked them yesterday. They came out almost like muffin tops, not really a cookie at all. Maybe I need to bake at a higher temperature? Any ideas?
I made them today also. They stayed very plump, ha. Took longer to bake, I flattened them a bit. Tastes good, but I’m curious about other comments.
Looking forward to sharing these tomorrow. Like someone else said, I had exactly 226 grams of browned butter, and needed to brown a bit more for the glaze. I wonder if it’s a difference in brands? Or maybe some of us take it a bit farther on the stove? I do measure everything by weight. I also allowed my browned butter to cool 20-30 minutes, and did not have trouble with spreading. I used the mason jar ring trick to make them extra pretty. I’m sure they’ll be a hit at the shelter!
This recipe does not account for the loss of moisture when browning the butter. We had to brown extra to put in the glaze. Luckily, we had more butter on hand, but we lost about 1/4 cup in moisture, so be prepared to brown an extra 4 tablespoons of butter.
Hi Madeline, the recipe actually does account for the loss of moisture in browning the butter–we tested and re-tested to make sure we got it right! You only need a couple of Tbsp of brown butter for the glaze, and you should only lose a couple of Tbsp to moisture loss. Hope you still enjoyed the cookies!
After browning 20tbsp total of butter, we had 1 cup remaining. This did not provide the 4tbsp for the glaze, only the 16tbsp for the cookies. We are very familiar with browning butter and it was not burnt/overcooked.
When I browned the butter (1 cup + 4 tbsp.), I also only ended up with 226g of butter. I had to brown an extra 4 tbsp for the glaze. My cookies ended up much flatter than I imagine they should have.
If this happens again, should I again use the full 226g in the batter and make more for the glaze? Or should I set aside 4 tbsp from what I browned and use the remainder for the batter? Or maybe compensate for the lost volume with another liquid?
Hi Natalie, the amount of moisture loss can vary, so if you lose too much moisture to evaporation, you can make up for the volume with either water or milk in the cookie dough.
These cookies are beyond wonderful and flavorful. We love the thickness and the chewiness of the cookie. I did use your recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice, the browning of the butter was easy thanks to your great directions and the glaze is perfect. Thanks for a great recipe!
Amazing! I actually turned these gluten feee without any issues subbing in 1:1 for weight with gluten free oat flour, increasing the soda to 1.5tsp, and 2 egg yolks. These cookies are so delicious!
Thanks for this info!
Made these and they are so good! My new obsession for sure!
Love love love these! I didn’t frost them and next time I’ll add some raisins. They were a huge hit with my family.
Would it be possible to dump the pumpkin into a fine mesh sieve for a time (say 20 minutes or so) instead of blotting with paper towels?
Hi Andrea! Blotting is the method we recommend here – you don’t want to remove *all* the liquid. But let us know if you try a sieve instead!
You can sautee it in a pan for 10 mins or put it in cheesecloth or a fine sieve over a bowl in the fridge overnight too. The same way for draining ricotta for cannoli filling.
This is the first recipe I made from Sally’s new book Baking 101. I chose it for its fall flavors, and it did not disappoint! The flavor combination is divine, and the addition of the brown butter icing, elevate them until the next level! The cookies were very easy to make, and one of the few recipes that don’t require any refrigeration time, so they can be made right away. I will definitely be making these again!
The cookies are nice but serious amount of dishes….
can i make these cookies larger?
We’re sure you could, Kubra!
These cookies are delicious! I did not have a problem with the amount of browned butter. It was perfect. I ate one from the first batch and decided I would like to add raisins. With or without raisins, I will be making them again. Taking them tomorrow to share for dessert with rum raisin ice cream.
Delicious in every way! These lasted 2 days in my house! Granted we are a family of 8, but they were amazing! The recipe is easy to follow, everything turned out just as described and the flavors/textures were spot on! Thanks for the wonderful recipe Sally!!!
Can I turn these extremely delicious cookies into bars ?
Hi Carmen, Cookie bars could definitely work, though we’re not sure which size pan would be appropriate. Perhaps a 9×9 square pan or an 11×7 pan. We’re unsure of the bake time.
These cookies are the best recipe I have found. I did add two yolks (my eggs said large on the carton but look medium). Thank you for your trial and error in perfecting a healthier option as a sweet treat!
I made this recipe with gluten free flour and oats using the same amounts of each. I also added semi sweet mini chocolate chips and they were delicious! The consistency of the baked cookies was slightly crumbly so instead of dipping, I generously dribbled the icing on top. I like a generous amount of icing so I did double just the icing part of the recipe only and have some leftover which I can use on other baked goods.
I made these for my niece’s 5th birthday party. The kids didn’t care but the adults really loved these cookies!
I have gotten so many rave reviews when I make these! Such a hit
These taste AMAZING, but I would love to make some that are more dense and chewy, like standard oatmeal raisin cookies. Is that possible and if so how might I do it?
I love this recipe! I’ve made it so many times. Thanks Sally!
This has quickly become a family favorite! I get requests for it multiple times throughout the year and getting ready to prepare a batch for Christmas. The brown butter just makes it so rich and flavorful and they are super tender and pumpkin-y!
I haven’t baked them yet but the dough tastes amazing! I added dried cranberries because why not? It’s Christmas! I cut 1/4 C granulated sugar because I want to glaze them. They will make a perfect addition to my cookie gift boxes! Thanx Sally!
What a flop…we hated the texture..it wasn’t a cookie but more like a glob of batter that didn’t bake correctly
Hi LA, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Did the cookies spread too much? Here’s our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading.
I think ours came out too cake y because I only blotted the pumpkin once and it sounds like I should have drained it 2 or 3 times. Any ideas on salvaging the remaining dough? The flavors are lovely but the texture isn’t what my family wants in a cookie.
Hi C! Blotting is what we always do for this recipe. Did you bake any of the dough? Once it’s all mixed together there isn’t much you can do. You could try baking it as bars instead if you prefer.
hi sally, how much butter would i need if im not icing the cookies since the recipe amount calls for both dough & icing.
also, is the icing necessary? i’m making the dough & freezing to take on vacation to then bake. thank you. 😉
Hi Sonny! The cookies call for 1 cup butter, and the icing calls for 1/4 cup, listed separately under the cookie ingredients. You certainly don’t have to add the icing, but it is delicious!
I don’t normally write recipe reviews, but this one is a winner. A true crowd pleaser – every time I have used it people ask for the recipe. AND I use GF Flour (I’m GF) but no one else around me is – but they have no idea they were eating a GF cookie. Browning the butter is everything. I do have to add more butter than the recipe calls for because it cooks down, I think I use about 1/4c more to yield the actual amount of browned butter called for in the recipe. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, idk – but my butter cooks down.
I used to make this cookie before becoming celiac/needing to be gluten free. It’s a cookie I miss the most. I was looking for a GF review, and was so relieved to see yours! Do you just sub the GF flour for the regular, and no other changes to the recipe? I was considering if I would need to add cornstarch to get a nice texture.