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Chewy, sweet, Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Latte Cookies. A cross between a really great soft, chewy pumpkin cookie and a delicious steaming pumpkin latte made with real espresso. These cookies are made with sweet dark brown sugar, warming spices, and the real secret – espresso powder. They’re generously glazed with a thick, sweet, and creamy brown butter icing that melts in your mouth. So yummy. Equally perfect for Halloween night as they are for Thanksgiving dinner. A wonderful cookie to bake, share, and gift this holiday season!
I think we can all relate, but there are times when you just want a yummy simple chocolate chip cookie. Nothing fancy, nothing too sweet.
That was us recently. I knew sharing a simple pumpkin cookie was what I wanted and I knew that I wanted the pumpkin flavors to really come through. These took me a while to get just perfect, but I’m now so excited to share the recipe.
If you love a pumpkin spice latte, then you have to make these. They’re even better!
As with most of my cookies, I envisioned these would also include chocolate. But shockingly, after a few rounds of testing, I landed on this cookie. A straight pumpkin cookie.
Made with pumpkin butter, a mix of warm spices, brown butter, oats, and then a touch of espresso powder. I was shocked at how delicious the espresso powder made each cookie. Even better than a pumpkin spice latte from your favorite cafe.
Here are some details
Step 1: brown the butter
This pumpkin cookie starts with brown butter. I just love the rich nutty flavor it adds. It makes your cooking and baking even more special, especially at this time of year.
Step 2: make the dough
Brown the butter, then add it to a bowl with brown sugar and pumpkin butter. The key here is pumpkin butter, not pumpkin puree. I say this all of the time, but to me, you have to use pumpkin butter while baking, it makes such a difference.
Pumpkin butter is more reduced down than pumpkin purèe and contains less moisture. Less moisture will give you a chewier cookie, not a cakey cookie. You can use my homemade pumpkin butter or pick some up at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, your local market, or even via Amazon. Just make sure that whatever pumpkin butter you use is spiced for best flavor.
Next, mix in half the pumpkin butter along with an egg and vanilla. Then, add the espresso powder. Mix in the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
Dollop in the remaining pumpkin butter, but don’t mix the pumpkin butter fully into the dough. You want streaks. This gives you more pumpkin flavor without creating an overly cakey cookie.
Roll the dough into balls, I love to use a cookie scoop for this. It’s so much easier and works nicely with this dough since it’s a bit stickier. Then bake.
On to the icing
This icing is everything. Just a handful of ingredients, but I love the nutty brown butter flavor and creaminess. It’s what makes these cookies really melt in your mouth.
The ingredients: butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. I use this combination a lot, but it’s so delicious.
The key is to brown the butter on the stove. Then add everything to the brown butter and thin it out with some milk. Ice each cookie quickly, as the frosting sets up pretty fast.
This combo of pumpkin, pumpkin spice, espresso, and brown butter is unexpected. Certainly not one my mom or Asher thought they would care much for. But after some convincing, they gave these a try and agreed, even without the chocolate, these are the yummiest pumpkin cookies.
I’m finding that everyone LOVES these. You won’t even detect the espresso, it just compliments the brown sugar and cinnamon so wonderfully. The result is a perfectly chewy, sweet pumpkin cookie with rich notes of espresso, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.
We couldn’t love these easy pumpkin cookies more. And the frosting really makes them special. Hope you guys love these just as much as I do!
Looking for fall cookie recipes?Here are a few ideas:
Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Latte Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Vanilla Pumpkin Oatmeal Latte Cookies
Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Total Time 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 226 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup pumpkin butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons espresso powder or instant coffee
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie or chai spice (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- sea salt (optional)
Brown Butter Icing
- 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 -2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool 5 minutes or so.
3. To the browned butter, mix in the brown sugar, 1/3 cup pumpkin butter, the egg, vanilla, and espresso powder, mixing until smooth. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
4. Dollop the remaining 1/3 cup of pumpkin butter over the dough. Gently fold the butter into the dough, being careful to not over-mix. You want streaks of pumpkin butter.
5. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon-size balls, it might be a little sticky. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten the dough down. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, rotate, and tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten. Bake another 2-3 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges.
6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet.
7. Meanwhile, make the icing. Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, a pinch of salt. Immediately spread the icing over the cookies moving fast, as it will set quickly. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Chai Spice Blend: Mix 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon all-spice, and 1 tiny pinch black pepper.
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