I absolutely love pumpkin and browned butter maple frosting. That’s where these Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Brown Butter Maple Frosting come in. This recipe is one of my favorite creative cookie recipes when I want something cozy but a little different. The cookies themselves are soft and chewy with a mellow pumpkin flavor and just the right amount of spice. But the real magic? It’s that brown butter maple frosting. It’s sweet, nutty, a little smoky, and basically tastes like sweater weather in frosting form.
Whether you’re baking for a fall party, prepping a Friendsgiving dessert table, or just looking for some unique cookie ideas to spice up your weekend, these pumpkin sugar cookies are an absolute must. Let’s get baking!
Jump to Recipe
Ingredients for Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Brown Butter Maple Frosting
For the Pumpkin Sugar Cookies:
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ to 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (adjust to taste)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg yolk (omit white to balance moisture from pumpkin)
- 1 Tbsp sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Brown Butter Maple Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, browned and chilled
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1–2 tbsp milk or cream (optional, for texture)
How to Make Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Brown the Butter
Slice up your butter and melt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep stirring the butter throughout this browning process.
You’ll see the butter start to foam and froth. Eventually, the foam will die down a bit and you’ll see brown flecks floating in the bottom of your pan if you move the foam to the side.
When you see those brown flecks in the bottom and note a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat immediately. Browned butter can burn pretty easily.
Put your browned butter in a heat safe container and chill it until it’s solid again and you can use it for the maple frosting. You can put it in the fridge if you like to speed up the process.
Step 2: Make the cookie dough
Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice)
In a separate bowl, cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy.
Mix in pumpkin, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla until combined.
Slowly add in dry ingredients until just incorporated.
Step 3: Chill the dough
Because pumpkin adds extra moisture, chilling the dough for about 30–45 minutes will help the cookies hold their shape and get that perfect slightly chewy texture.
Step 4: Scoop and Bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie (I like using a cookie scoop for consistency) and space them a couple inches apart.
Gently press down on the tops of your cookie dough scoops to flatten them slightly.
Bake for 10–14 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops look just dry. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet, where they’ll firm up a bit more.
Step 5: Make the frosting
Once your browned butter is cooled and solidified again, you can use it to make your frosting. You don’t want butter that’s completely solid, more like softened butter.
Use a rubber spatula to scoop out all of those flavorful browned butter flecks from the container you put your butter in.
Beat your browned butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup and just enough milk to get a smooth, spreadable consistency.
Step 5: Frost and finish
Once your cookies are completely cool, spread a generous layer of frosting on top. You can get fancy with a piping bag with a plain round tip or keep it casual with a butter knife. If you’re feeling extra festive, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or crushed pecans.
Store in the fridge with parchment paper or wax paper between layers of cookies if you need to stack them. They also freeze nicely, but definitely store frozen cookies in an airtight container and/or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Pro Tips
-
- Use pure pumpkin puree: Make sure you’re not accidentally using pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugar and spices. The puree gives you full control over the flavor.
- Chill the dough: Don’t skip the chilling step! It helps the cookies keep their shape and prevents them from spreading too much.
- Let them cool on the cookie sheet: I wouldn’t recommend putting these on a wire rack to cool because they’re so cakey. Instead, you can just let them firm up on the cookie sheet, and I would even try to get them off the baking sheet with a spatula, as they’re kind of delicate when they’re fresh-baked.
- Store in the fridge: Store your frosted cookies on a flat surface in the fridge. If you need to stack your cookies on top of one another, place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between them so your frosting doesn’t get moved around too much.
- Brown your butter carefully: Brown butter adds such a rich, toasty note to the frosting, but keep an eye on it. It can burn in seconds once it starts browning.
- Maple syrup matters: Go for real maple syrup, not the artificial kind. It makes a huge difference in the depth of flavor.
FAQs
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Yes! The cookies actually taste even better the next day once the flavors have had time to settle. Store them in the fridge in an airtight container. If you stack cookies on top of one another, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between them.
Can I use canned frosting instead?
Technically yes, but the brown butter maple frosting is what makes these such a standout among other creative cookie recipes. If you’re short on time, you could make the frosting without browning the butter, as well. I am a firm believer in “the frosting makes the dessert.” Homemade frosting really makes desserts stand out, so to me it’s always worth it.
Are these cookies super pumpkiny?
Not overly! They have a subtle pumpkin flavor that pairs really well with the warm spices and the maple frosting. They’re perfect if you want fall cookies that aren’t too in-your-face with the pumpkin spice. In fact, I would have kind of liked them to be even more pumpkiny, but then the cookies would have been way too moist. I will definitely be experimenting with that in the future, though!
What’s the texture like?
Soft, chewy, and slightly cakey—but not too fluffy. The frosting adds a creamy contrast that makes every bite feel like a warm fall hug.
Can I make them smaller or bigger?
Totally! Just adjust the baking time accordingly. For mini cookies, check them at 8 minutes. For larger ones, you might need closer to 13–14 minutes.
These Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Brown Butter Maple Frosting are one of those fall cookie ideas you’ll want to come back to again and again. They’re cozy, comforting, and just the right mix of classic and unexpected. Perfect for when you want to impress friends with unique cookie ideas that feel homey but a little elevated.
Let me know in the comments if you try them—or if you have other favorite creative cookie recipes for fall. I’m always looking for new ones to add to the rotation!
Frosted Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- sauce pan for browning butter
- mixing bowls
- Electric or stand mixer
- Whisk
- rubber spatula
- piping bag with a plain round tip (or no tip) optional
Ingredients
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 - 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice adjust to your tastes
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg yolk omit the white to balance moisture from the pumpkin
- 1 Tbsp sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla
Brown Butter Maple Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter browned and chilled again until solid
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1-2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream optional, to adjust texture
Instructions
Brown Butter for Frosting
- Slice up your butter and melt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep stirring the butter throughout this browning process.
- You’ll see the butter start to foam and froth. Eventually, the foam will die down a bit and you’ll see brown flecks floating in the bottom of your pan if you move the foam to the side.
- When you see those brown flecks in the bottom and note a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat immediately. Browned butter can burn pretty easily.
- Put your browned butter in a heat safe container and chill it until it’s solid again and you can use it for the maple frosting. You can put it in the fridge if you like to speed up the process.
Make Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice)
- In a separate bowl, cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy.
- Mix in pumpkin, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla until combined.
- Slowly add in dry ingredients until just incorporated.
- Chill your dough 30-45 minutes in the fridge before baking
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper while your dough chills.
- Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie (I like using a cookie scoop for consistency) and space them a couple inches apart.
- Gently press down on the tops of your cookie dough scoops to flatten them slightly.
- Bake for 10–14 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops look just dry. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet, where they’ll firm up a bit more.
Make Brown Butter Maple Frosting and Decorate
- Once your browned butter is cooled and solidified again, you can use it to make your frosting. You don’t want butter that’s completely solid, more like softened butter. Use a rubber spatula to scoop out all of those flavorful browned butter flecks from the container you put your butter in.
- Beat your browned butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup and just enough milk to get a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Once your cookies are completely cool, spread a generous layer of frosting on top. You can get fancy with a piping bag with a plain round tip or keep it casual with a butter knife.
- If you're feeling extra festive, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or crushed pecans.
