Saturday, October 3, 2015

Cooking Cove: Browned Butter Frosted Pumpkin Cookies




Pumpkin. Spice. Cookies. My friend Melissa posted a most scrumtrulescent photo of some Browned Butter Pumpkin Cookies on her Instagram and I could not get them out of my mind! I frantically messaged her asking if she minded if I posted about them. She gave the green light so here I am. Taunting you with the most delicious cookie ever. 

You see, I have a pumpkin cookie recipe that I adore but I usually drizzled royal icing over it. How boring! Browned Butter Frosting is decadent. I normally use this on my Fresh Apple Cake recipe from time to time but NEVER thought to combine that two. That's what friends are for. Thank you Melissa. A million times. Thank you. 

Now. These pumpkin cookies are very cake-like. Moist (sorry if you hate that word), springy, and almost like a muffin top (the good kind, not the bad). 

Pumpkin Cookies:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 stick plus 2 T softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (if you like cloves- leave out if not)
1 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. I wish I had that cool old sifter my mom used to have that was metal with the crank, but instead I use a sieve, which also doubles as the bug-getter-outter of the pool during the summer. Don't worry. We wash it. But it is funny to see the looks on people's faces when Scarlette hollers "Hey! We use that to get the bugs out of the pool!" while I am baking and company is over. 


In a large bowl, mix the two sugars, egg, butter and vanilla. 


Dump in the dry mixture into the sugar and butter mixture a cup or so at a time until blended. 


Stir in pumpkin.


Spoon onto greased cookie sheets and bake about 12 minutes. Cool.


While baking the cookies, make the frosting!

Browned Butter Frosting:

1 cup of butter (use the good stuff if you have it)
16 ounces of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of milk (or so)
1 teaspoon vanilla (beans too if you have them to spare)

Cook the butter over medium heat until the butter browns lightly.


It will seem to take FOREVER. It will foam and froth and you will stir and stir and FINALLY the foam will stop appearing and you will get glimpses of golden butter. Be careful! It can quickly go from golden brown to bear poop brown and burnt if you don't stop in enough time. And whisk, whisk, whisk.


Ah! Browned butter. This is kind of like caramelizing the butter, it adds a toasted nutty flavor making plain old butter taste a tad deeper and richer.


Set the butter in the fridge until it solidifies. Use this time to get the cookies out and have a taste or two. 

After the butter hardens, beat it with the sugar and vanilla, adding milk until the desired consistency.



Mmmmmmm.... pumpkin cookies.


Wait to frost until completely cooled.


Then devour.


This magical combination courtesy of Melissa makes me wonder if there are other dessert/topping combinations I am missing out on. The Pioneer Woman has a Whisky Maple Cream Sauce I am dying to try out this year. What to put it on....

Any ideas?

15 comments:

  1. Those look AMAZING! I pinned them and have to make them as soon as possible! And whisky maple cream sauce sounds insane! I am all about the awesome liquor-infused cream anything! :) Thank you so much for sharing such a great cookie recipe. As always, your blog is beautiful and inspiring!!! <3

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    1. That whiskey maple cream does sound incredible. I read she pairs it with pecan pie but I keep thinking ice cream, pound cake, pumpkin pie, vanilla cupcakes... Just so many things to pour it on! Thank you for reading and chatting and supporting me Nancy. You have become a dear friend!

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    2. The same to you, Julie! <3

      Oh my goodness, all of those combos sound incredible! Also, your cookie recipe reminds me of persimmon cookies. I never saw those in FL, but in CA where I'm from, we have two kinds of persimmons that grow -- the ones that go all over the country are the Fuyus, but we also have the hachiya, which can't ship well. We take those when they get super-soft (almost liquid) and make cookies with them. I think when I see my mom at Christmas this year I'm going to try this recipe, but substitute the pumpkin for hachiyas. I can't get them here in Texas, but I get the fuyus here and make persimmon salad with them. totally different flavors, though.

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    3. We have persimmons in the grocery store but I have never bought one. For some reason I always think they will taste like guavas (which I do love guava pastries and preserves). Your cookies sound amazing. You have set my mind to picking up a persimmon next time I am in Publix!

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  2. Julie! These cookies tasted so good. I can't wait to see how you use the Pioneer Woman recipe. Just to make sure I don't miss it.. I'll probably be stalking around your home... hiding in your wax closet... you can call me the peeping tasty!

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    1. I am thinking that bad boy needs to be busted out for Thanksgiving! We should do a Pioneer Woman Thanksgiving! Lol! Peeping tasty.

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  3. Shout out to you for making these and Melissa for putting her picture on Instagram! I am gonna make these, too!! I am excited, yours turned out beautifully!

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    1. Definite shout out to Melissa!!! I hope you do make them and let us know what you think! Have you baked lately??

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  4. Yum! I want to come to your house, where baking happens. I really should just get off my butt and do some baking myself instead of whining about how I want to do more of it. Does box mix brownies count?? I can put some Halloween sprinkles on!

    ~Deb

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    1. Box mixes TOTALLY count! I like to add crumbled candy bars and stuff to it. Sprinkles will be great! And you bought some didn't you?

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    2. I did! Most are just sugars, but I do have some older leftover Halloween sprinkles.

      ~Deb

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  5. Those look delicious and seem fairly simple. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Those look so delicious! Great job!

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