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
My husband asked me to bake these cookies after he ate them at a work event. They were a huge hit among our family members and the friends we shared them with. Even people who don’t generally care for pumpkin agreed to try them and loved them. I made half the recipe with no add-ins, and half the recipe with added dried cranberries. Next time I will try another of the recommended add-ins.
The hype is REAL; I made these yesterday and they are AMAZING. The perfect autumn treat; I was tempted to eat one for breakfast today!
Hi Sally! Can I use quick oats instead?
Hi Corinne, quick oats will work in a pinch, but for best taste and texture we recommend waiting until you can get whole oats.
So delicious for fall! Alles love your recipes
Fabulous brown-butter flavor!
So tasty! and easy instructions to follow. I’ve never made a sally recipe that I don’t love. These are delicious made exactly as is and without the icing!
I made these today for the first time. I used Seminole pumpkins I grew in my garden. They are so delicious and addictive! The brown butter flavor really comes through. I will definitely make again!
I just finished your three loaf pumpkin bread recipe and my husband and I eat it warm with butter…. My oh my very moist so soooooo delicious. Now I am going to try the Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies…
Thank you
First snow today for this year what better then warn Pumpkin bread
Is the weight for the pumpkin give before or after blotting?
Hi Allison, before. After blotting, you will have about 1 cup (225g) of pumpkin.
Absolutely amazing! I gave a plateful to my next-door neighbor; she immediately called to say that these are the “best cookies she has ever had” and wanted the recipe.
OMG! I’m not a baker, but these cookies came out perfect! Clear directions. My 1st time baking homemade cookies. My son loved these . He said the cookies must be baked, must be in the house during the entire Fall season. It has become a family tradition.
My husband and I just made these cookies. Instead of using the pumpkin we used a quarter can of Walmart Great Value 100% Pumpkin Pie Filling. The results were OUTSTANDING!!!! I have found a new love!!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Good Morning,
This recipe is excellent, big hit with everyone. I would like to make the cookies slightly smaller, what bake time would you recommend for 1.5 tablespoons of dough?
Hi Jill, the bake time will be shorter, but not much—maybe just two minutes or so. Keep a close eye on your first batch and remove when lightly browned and set on the edges. Glad these are a favorite!
Ty. I ended up going with 12.5 mins, approx 32 grams of dough per cookie. I also added in 1 cup of golden raisins this time, turned out really well. Looking forward to the next cookbook.
I made these because I had most ingredients on hand except for the rice flour. I used corn starch instead and they still turned out amazing (I made only a half batch in case that threw them off). Even my husband, who is not normal and doesn’t “like” cookies, LOVED them. I’m going to get rice flour and see how that changes the texture and flavor.
the cookies were delicious
I have had my eye on this recipe for a while and finally took time to make these cookies last weekend, along with Sally’s Maple Brown Sugar cookies (which are amazing and I’ll review those separately). These cookies are some of the best I’ve had in a long time. I followed the recipe exactly as written and they turned out beautifully. The brown butter makes such a difference. We have already finished them and I’m checking to see if I have the ingredients on hand to whip up another batch this coming weekend. Thanks so much for this great recipe!
These are the best fall cookie! Chewy, sweet and just the perfect amount of spice. The brown butter icing puts these cookies over the top delicious! Making these for a bake sale.
Hi! Can this recipe use oat flour to substitute all purpose?
Hi Amanda, we don’t recommend it—it wouldn’t necessarily be a 1:1 swap, so it would take some recipe testing to figure out how best to incorporate oat flour in this recipe. Best to stick with all-purpose here!
Can the brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies be made as a bar?
Hi Anita, cookie bars could definitely work, though I’m not sure which size pan would be appropriate. Perhaps a 9×9 square pan or an 11×7 pan. I’m unsure of the bake time.
I clearly did something wrong because they were too soft. Not cookie-ish more muffiny. Delicious taste though!
Hi Alana, I’m sorry to hear that! Did you blot as much moisture out of the pumpkin as you could?
These are so good! I followed recipe exactly but mine still spread a lot. I used a scoop that is slightly bigger than 2 tbsp and I only got about 20 cookies. They spread a good amount and look much bigger than all the pictures.
Hi Jamie, we are happy to help! If you try again, try to blot a little more moisture out or you can chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for an hour or so to help reduce over-spreading. For even more troubleshooting tips you can see this post on How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading. So glad you enjoyed the cookies!
I know this are delicious bc we ate them despite the fact that I clearly did something wrong! Perhaps made them too big bc they didn’t seem cooked thru. And the oats were still chewy? So weird but the flavor was amazing. Icing so good. Wish I knew what I did wrong tho!
These are certainly a chewy cookie, but feel free to increase the bake time by a minute or two next time if you’d like them a bit firmer. Be sure to pat them down before baking, too, to help initiate spread. So glad you enjoyed these reader-favorite cookies!
Do you know how many calories are in each cookie?
Hi Jessica, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I took these into work and people loved them! They were a hit!
I followed the recipe as written, and it worked out great (the order, the timing, etc)
I made this recipe once and the cookies turned out amazing. I don’t love the flavor of brown butter in general though. Any tips on how to adjust the amount of butter if I just want to use regular melted butter? And I love that this recipe is chewier than your other recipe, so I wanted to stick to this one as much as I can! Thanks so much!
Hi Hope, that should work just fine! You’ll still want 1/4 cup melted butter in the icing. For the cookies, you’ll need 14.5-15 Tablespoons, just a little less a cup since that’s what the browned butter would reduce down to. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the cookies!
Getting ready to make these tomorrow. Cannot wait! I’ve made countless recipes of yours but have a quick question. For this recipe you did not use a mixer but for other cookie recipes you do. What is the deciding factor to use or not use a mixer? Just curious. xoxo
Hi Ann, a mixer isn’t necessary here since we’re using melted browned butter, so we don’t need the power of a mixer to help cream the butter and sugars together. However, if you do prefer to use a mixer you certainly could. Be careful not to over mix. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the cookies!
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you getting back to me. Many thanks. Your word is Gospel. Lol.
Hi Sally! Thanks for another great recipe. Quick question: Are the butter quantities you listed pre-browning, or post? I browned all the butter at once and found that it reduced a lot. I had to use my entire browned butter mixture to get 226 g into the cookie dough. I’m guessing I did something wrong, because my dough was ended up being cake batter consistency, and I had to add quite a bit of flour to get it to doughy. Maybe I got confused: seems like maybe the frosting butter quantity is post-Browning and the dough is pre-?
Hi Lucy! For this recipe, the quantities listed are pre-browning. So start with 1 cup butter for the cookies, after browning it will be a bit less.
I posted this on the wrong recipe so I’m posting to the correct one, sorry! Absolutely delicious. I swapped out the all purpose flour with gluten free 1 to 1 mix from Bob’s Red Mill and they were definitely softer and more cakey. They needed about 20 minutes instead of 15 and are a great texture. The brown butter really takes them to the next level.
As soon as I saw this recipe I wanted to immediately try it. These were so amazing. Just the perfect amount of pumpkin. Thank you!!
Would it be possible to add a little molasses to the dough? Or do you think it would overpower the other flavors too much?
Hi Kate! You could certainly give it a try. We would reduce the brown sugar by a couple Tbs and add that much molasses. Let us know how it goes!