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
These cookies are insane!! Even my daughter who hates oatmeal in any cookie loves these. I really appreciate the tip to squeeze the water from the pumpkin, the cookies are perfectly chewy. The browned butter takes these cookies to the next level, so if you skip that step, you are truly missing out on the best part of these babies!
I only used 3/4 cup powdered sugar for the glaze, and we felt that was plenty sweet. The glaze is delicious but my whole family actually prefers the cookies without it, of course, that’s just personal preference. Thanks for another keeper! 🙂
I thought the cookies needed something, a bit more salt or more spice, I’m not sure. They are better with the browned butter frosting. Absolutely. I wonder if they sit for a day if the flavor will develop more.
I’m not sure I will make them again.
Love browned butter frosting. It’s yummy.
I believe the texture of these cookies adds to their appeal with all my friends. Also, I have never previously blotted the pumpkin in recipes and it seems to intensify the flavor.
Everyone I’ve shared them with say they are a new favorite.
I had a great time making this recipe, even as an amateur baker! Since you are working with heated butter, I would recommend mixing the dry ingredients first, lining your baking sheets beforehand, etc. Have all of your ingredients pre measured and you’ll be golden. Make sure you know what browned butter looks like so you don’t burn it, undercook, etc. Great recipe!
Hi! I’d like to make this recipe soon and wondering if using meringue powder would help the brown butter glaze set faster/better? If so, how much would you recommend? Thanks so much, in advance!
Hi Kelly, we haven’t tested adding meringue powder to this glaze, but it sets beautifully on its own!
Thanks for the quick response!
When I first read the rave reviews I thought – could they really be that special. The answer is yes!the cookie is fabulous and the frosting almost tastes like cream cheese frosting. So very good.
thank you Sally
I am a Volunteer baker for a Hospice and am always looking for new and interesting recipes. I made these today and they were a huge hit. Because I have to individually package each serving frosting is problematic. I made a cinnamon sugar mixture to sprinkle on top when I flattened the cookie. It added just a bit of sweetness and a bit of crunch. I will be making these again. (OH, and blotted pumpkin I ended up using the whole can I had only about a tablespoon more than the 1 cup called for)
I made these tonight and they are such a warm and cozy Fall treat! For anyone looking to sub in some whole food ingredients, I subbed half the flour for whole wheat and subbed the white and brown sugar for 2/3 C coconut sugar and 2/3 C maple syrup. For me, this gave them the perfect amount of sweetness, but you could do the sugar/maple syrup 1:1 if you like them sweeter. I didn’t have any issues with the bake with these substitutions.
What would you recommend for an egg yolk substitute? My son is very allergic. Applesauce substitute would probably be too moist.
Hi Kelly, we haven’t tested this recipe with egg substitutes, but let us know what you try! You may enjoy our egg-free pumpkin snickerdoodles instead. Here are all of our egg-free baking recipes if you’re interested.
This is a solid fall cookie recipe I’ll probably come back to every year. If you haven’t learned how to brown butter yet, do it!! It makes all the difference and makes these cookies SO yummy. You just may want to brown butter in everything afterwards. Also, TY Sally for always including weighted measurements in your recipes. Purchasing a digital scale and weighing ingredients in a game changer!
Oh my gourd, these are the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Can these cookies be frozen once frosted? Thanks
Absolutely! See freezing instructions.
I’ve baked loads of cookie recipes of all kinds, and these are some of my all-time favorites! They received rave reviews from friends, too (even self-proclaimed cookie haters!) Be sure to drain the moisture from that pumpkin, and you will have perfectly textured, chewy cookies. And good gracious––don’t skip the brown butter glaze. Thank you, Sally!
These cookies are amazing!!! The browned butter is spectacular. Love that it’s in the cookies and the icing. I used my own pumpkin which is 1/2 pumpkin puree and 1/2 kabocha squash puree. I squeezed out the water and it was amazing. Then I used only 1/3 of the granulated sugar and added allulose sugar substitute and coconut sugar to make up the rest to cut some calories out. Did use the regular powdered sugar for the glaze but left out a little so it wasn’t overly sweet. These are probably the best cookies I have ever made and fairly healthy too! Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Is it possible to make these with whole wheat flour? How much white whole wheat flour should I use?
Hi Ashley, We haven’t tested these with whole wheat flour but fear that they would be very dense and hearty. If you wish to try it, start by swapping out only part of the flour with white whole wheat instead of all of it. Let us know what you try!
Just wondering if you can make the icing before you start making the cookies?
Hi Mackenzie, If you make the icing too far in advance it may be too thick to dip your cookies when you are ready to use it. You can certainly brown all of the butter at once as we mention in the directions, so the only time consuming part will be done!
What are modifications for altitude at 7500 sea-level? level?
Hi Lisa, We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. We know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html .
My boyfriend has hailed these as the best cookies ever eaten (period).
We did a family cookie exchange and these were the ones everyone asked for more of!
Thank you for making me look like a rock star!
OMG!!! I had a pumpkin themed luncheon I had to do for a group at church. I made these for dessert. I make oatmeal cookies all the time, but these were hands down the best I’ve ever made. Every time I ran into someone they were either talking about how they loved them or how they hate they missed out
My family lived them too!
I’m definitely keeping this one in my arsenal! As a matter of fact, I’m getting ready to make a batch now!
Thanks for a winner!!
Can almond flour be substituted for the all purpose flour?
Hi Ronni, We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
Hi! Trying to understand why these cookies spread too thin? Followed recipe and even attempted to seperate batches: 1st batch pressed down to flatten cookies as directed and second batch did not flatten the dough- tried to plop on baking sheet more vertical to get better height. Any idea why these may have spread so thin ?
Hi Jenna, 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.
Mine also spread everywhere and ran together. Should I try increasing the flour and oats?
Mine also spread too much. I am assuming there was just too much water in the pumpkin puree maybe. I’m not sure where else I could have gone wrong.
Hi Sara, did you blot or ring out some of the moisture from the pumpkin?
These cookies are delicious! They have great texture and great taste! They have just the right amount of everything!❤️
Hi,
How do you think these cookies will hold up in place of the regular oatmeal cookies in the oatmeal pumpkin creme pie recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Claire, these cookies are nice and soft and would be delicious with the oatmeal creme pie filling sandwiched between two!
These are phenomenal. The chew is to die for. I left off the icing and added pecans and dried cranberries. Yum. They’ll be great no matter how you adorn them. Best baking blog!
Sally I absolutely adore these cookies. My neighbor made them first from watching Jennifer Garner make them. When she made them her cookies were very caramel and crunchy like. Ever since I’ve had her cookies I’ve been trying to make mine more caramel and crunchy. Although, mine are delicious, they are very cake. Do you have any tips on how to make them more crunchy . FYI Everybody I make them for absolutely loves them
Hi Renee! We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe – we loved that video Jennifer Garner made as well. These aren’t meant to be a crunchy cookie, but you could try baking for longer to get more crisp edges. And blotting the pumpkin is key to avoiding a cakey cookie as well (see recipe notes for details).
Everyone loved these cookies! In the past week I’ve made 3 batches and have a request for another. I didn’t make any changes to the recipe and I like that I didn’t need to pull out my big mixer to make.
Maybe I was in a particular mood for these flavors? But, kid you not, I feel these are in the top 3 of THE TASTIEST COOKIES I’ve ever made. The browned butter is magic; the icing irresistible. I prepared as written but used a small cookie scoop, about 1 Tbs, which baked for 9 mins and yielded about 4 dozen perfectly poppable cookies. Sat down right after and made a list of people I can’t wait to share these with. Thank you, Sally!
So nice to read today! Thank you Lulu!
I made them without browning the butter. So delicious & moist!
These were quite delicious but I have a question about the recipe is the total amount of brown butter in the recipe 2 1/4 sticks?‘s the first time I made them I must’ve read it wrong and only use two sticks. The next time I made them I used the larger amount but the door was very moist and they were more cake like So Iwanted to clarify?
Hi Christy! The total amount of butter needed for the recipe (cookies and glaze) is 1 and 1/4 cups. 1 cup (2 sticks) goes into the cookies themselves and 1/4 cup goes into the glaze. See step 1 for details!
Love these cookies …wondering if you could add a cup of fresh chopped apples to the
batter to add a little fruit goodness …
Hi Christie! Fresh apples could be a bit too moist for these pumpkin oatmeal cookies. You may love our apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies instead!
what would you think about adding the molasses to this recipe like you have in your original oatmeal raisin cookies