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Soft Pumpkin Spice Ginger Cookies with Brown Butter Icing. A cross between a delicious soft and chewy ginger cookie and a yummy pumpkin spice cookie with the autumn addition of sweet, spiced pumpkin butter. These cookies are made with dark brown sugar, pumpkin butter, molasses (this makes them chewy), cinnamon, and the real secret – candied ginger pieces. They’re generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy brown butter icing. Each cookie melts in your mouth. These are the perfect cookies to bake, share, and gift from now through the holidays.
Happy gosh darn Friday! Wow, what a week! It is very much fall here. In fact, we’re pretty much past our fall, as many of our leaves have fallen from their branches. It even snowed most of the day yesterday. We have chilly temps and snow on the ground.
Yes, cozy season has arrived! And I’m happy to be sharing these very cozy, very delicious pumpkin cookies today. My first cozy cookies of the season actually. And you all, these pumpkin cookies are totally not your average pumpkin cookies.
These are so special with a unique blend of warming fall spices and pumpkiny flavor. And they’re just perfectly baked to be extra chewy.
When I set out to make these, I really wanted to achieve a pumpkin cookie that was chewy all around, soft, and not cakey. I also wanted a lot of ginger and spice.
I thought back to the pumpkin cookies I created long ago. And then forward to the crystallized candied ginger I’ve been loving so much. The sweet ginger pieces add a nice chewiness when mixed with the yummy pumpkin butter. Together they make for the BEST pumpkin cookies.
Here are the details
Step 1: make the cookie dough
Beat the butter with dark brown sugar and vanilla. Then add an egg, pumpkin butter, and molasses. The molasses really gives this cookie a great amount of chewiness.
Next, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the candied ginger pieces I told you about above.
Now, let the dough rest for 10 minutes. This will help the cookies bake perfectly and will make the dough a bit easier to roll too.
Step 2: roll and bake the cookies
Roll the dough into decently-sized balls. This is a sticky dough, but if you’re having trouble, add a couple of tablespoons of additional flour.
Then bake, that’s literally it.
Step 3: make the icing
This icing is my favorite. It’s made with just a handful of ingredients and I love the nutty brown butter flavor and creaminess. It’s what makes these cookies really melt in your mouth.
The ingredients: butter, milk, sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Brown the butter on the stove. Then add everything to the brown butter and thin it out with some milk. Ice each cookie quickly, the frosting does set up pretty quickly.
This combo of pumpkin, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and brown butter is unexpected, but I’m finding that everyone LOVES it. The result is a perfectly chewy, pumpkiny, gingery, molasses cookie with rich notes of ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin, and vanilla.
These cookies smell incredible, like the warming scents of fall.
Easy to make, no chilling, and they take less than a half hour to make, love that! Plus they’re full of actual pumpkin flavor and real ginger!
Looking for other fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Roll Bread
Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Butter Bread
6 Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter
Chai Pumpkin Cake with Maple Browned Butter Frosting
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Butter Bread
Fluffy Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles
Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Lastly, if you make these Soft Pumpkin Spice Ginger Cookies with Brown Butter Icing 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!
Chewy Pumpkin Spice Ginger Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 171 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup pumpkin butter
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2-4 tablespoons candied/crystallized ginger pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Brown Butter Icing
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons warm milk
- cinnamon/nutmeg, for dusting
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg, mixing to combine. Next, add the pumpkin butter and molasses and mix to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, beating until combined. 3. Fold in the candied ginger pieces. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.4. Roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls (if the dough is too sticky add 2-4 additional tablespoons flour). Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to set around the edges, the centers should be doughy. Tap the pan 2-3 times on the counter to set the cookies. Let cool on the pan.5. 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, 2 tablespoons milk, and a pinch of salt. Immediately spread the icing over the cookies, it will set quickly. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon, if desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
These turned out really nice and full of fall vibes. Just what my taste buds wanted as we step into fall 🍁🎃. I used the Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter; same amount as the recipe called for. I’m sure your recipe for it is better but I just didn’t have time to make it!
Hey Jay,
Happy Thursday:) Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Thanks for your comment! Xx
Can I bake these and freeze them without the icing? Then ice them when they thaw? I need to make 10 dozen for a wedding.
Hey Diney,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT