
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting Recipe | Soft and Chewy, Egg-Free
These soft and chewy brown sugar pumpkin cookies with maple frosting are baked with our favorite Fall flavors all in one cookie: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, maple, and brown sugar. Baked to chewy perfection with pantry and fridge-friendly ingredients like flour, vanilla extract, butter, sugar, and pumpkin puree. All in a quick-prep, easy-to-follow recipe.
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cookie:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons blotted pumpkin puree (start with a heaping 1/2 cup, see instructions below)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, scooped and leveled
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Maple Frosting:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon milk
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cookies
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the Pumpkin Puree: Spread 8 heaping tablespoons of pumpkin puree (a heaping half cup) onto a stack of paper towels. Blot to remove excess moisture. Repeat as needed until you’re left with 6 tablespoons of blotted pumpkin puree. This step is essential for creating a chewy rather than cakey cookie.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup unsalted butter (melted and then cooled) and ¾ cup brown sugar until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and the 6 tablespoons blotted pumpkin puree, mix until fully combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt until evenly mixed.
- Combine Wet and Dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough, as this can lead to tough cookies. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. While optional, chilling the dough helps with the thick, chewy texture and enhances the flavor.
- Form the Cookies: Once the dough has chilled, use a 2-inch cookie scoop to form dough balls. Roll into a ball and then flatten each one slightly (about an inch thick) with the back of a measuring cup or spatula to ensure the cookies spread evenly.
- Bake: Arrange the cookie dough discs on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one. Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until the edges are set and starting to brown, but the centers are still soft and look slightly underdone. Oven temperature can vary, so be sure to check the cookies at the 9-10 minute mark to ensure you don’t overbake them.
- Cool and Enjoy: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. As the cookies cool, they will firm up and develop a chewy texture. The longer they cool, the better their texture and flavor.
Maple Frosting:
- Cream Butter: In a stand mixer beat the 1 stick of softened butter until creamy.
- Add Ingredients and Mix: Add confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, maple extract, vanilla extract, salt, and milk. Mix the ingredients together until fully incorporated and smooth. Feel free to adjust the amount of milk as needed to create desired texture.
Notes
These brown sugar cookies are some of my favorite cookies! I want to make them year-round and not just as a Fall dessert.Â
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While the cookies work perfectly with the maple frosting, the two can be quite sweet together. Taste the frosting first to decide how much you would like on each cookie.Â
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I love to serve these brown sugar pumpkin cookies two ways. One, is with the frosting on top. The other is as a maple pumpkin cookie sandwich where the frosting is in between two cookies. I recommend trying it both ways!Â
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Enjoy!Â