(Photo is of some chocolate chip oatmeal pumpkin cookies that I made…will post the recipe soon)
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion”
-Henry David Thoreau
Hey ya’ll!
I just got back from a trip to New York City (will share later) and had a great time soaking in the East Coast and hanging out with some of the absolute best friends in the world. It was a wonderful few days of break and I am happy to be back in Boulder and in my cozy apartment. Being in New York made me miss my kitchen (as NYC kitchens are basically like a mini cubicle) and reminded me of all the delicious pumpkin baking I have been doing and can’t wait to keep doing! Baking is so much more simple than people make it and as long as you have the basics down, some intuition and put lots of joy (and sugar and butter) into whatever you make…it usually turns out. And if doesn’t, you still give it to your friends and they still smile. Or don’t have tastebuds.
Here is a recipe that I found online and modified for some amazing brown butter pumpkin cookies with a vanilla brown butter glaze that I took on a road trip to the Maroon Bells in Aspen. Brown butter is so underrated and I am officially obsessed with the flavor! But I mean…who doesn’t love butter?
Happy Baking and Happy Fall!
-Kaila
Recipe: Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (Inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 230g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (170g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 and 2/3 (208g) cup all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice1
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (228g) pumpkin puree (see note – not pumpkin pie filling and not the whole can)2
Brown Butter Glaze
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk
NOTE: I got lazy and didn’t have confectioners sugar so I mixed the brown butter and milk with some spare canned vanilla frosting I had in the fridge. So healthy.
Directions:
- Important before you begin! If topping the cookies with the brown butter icing, you can brown the butter for both the cookies AND the icing together. Once it is all browned, set 2 liquid ounces (1/4 volume cup) aside for the glaze. You can use it in step 8. The rest (about 8 liquid ounces) is for the cookies, used in step 5.
- Brown the butter: Slice the butter up into pieces and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring occasionally. 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. See photo above for a visual. Once browned, remove from heat immediately and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a medium bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Pour the slightly cooled brown butter into a large bowl. Whisk in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until combined, then whisk in the pumpkin. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough into balls (about 2 heaping Tbsp of dough each) and place 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Slightly flatten the balls out– see picture above– as the cookies won’t spread much unless you help out first!
- Bake for 14-15 minutes or until lightly browned and set on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before icing.
- Make the icing: Whisk together the 1/4 cup of brown butter you reserved for the icing, along with the remaining icing ingredients until smooth. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing.
Make ahead tip: 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 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.
Melting the butter
Preparing the dry ingredients
Melted butter…on its way to becoming brown butter.
The brown butter cooling…it should have some sediment floating around, smell delicious and have a nutty flavor to it.
Mixing the kind of cooled brown butter, vanilla and two sugars together.
Adding the pumpkin…Sally suggests you squeeze the extra juice out of the pumpkin..but I couldn’t be bothered.
Blending the oats, flower and wet mixture together.
Yummy! The final cookies…guaranteed to make friends and encourage you to do more yoga.
Kaila in the World 