Name: Chewy Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter; 1 ½ cups brown sugar; 1 egg yolk; 3 tablespoons maple syrup; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ⅓ cup pumpkin purée; 2 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 tablespoons sugar; ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Jump to Recipe

More pumpkin goodies coming at ya with these brown butter pumpkin cookies. Chewy gluten-free pumpkin cookies with a tasty sugar and spice coating are another delicious treat to add to your fall recipes.

Brown butter adds a deep flavor that goes nicely with pumpkin. The chewy texture and sugary coating make these cookies a full dessert experience.

Chewy Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies

Looking for a gluten-free recipe for pumpkin cookies? No need to miss out on pumpkin season due to gluten. Due to some health reasons, I have to avoid gluten myself lately.

Do you prefer your cookies soft or chewy? This recipe is on the chewier side. You can also try these soft pumpkin sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting.

I say get your fall baking on and make both! The weather here is cold enough now to put me into full baking mode for the season!

Butter, brown sugar, flour, and other ingredients for cookies on a table.

Chewy Pumpkin Cookies Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this recipe. The measurements are in the recipe card below.

Unsalted butter
Brown sugar
Egg yolk
Maple syrup
Vanilla extract
Pumpkin puree – Get 100% pure pumpkin.
Gluten-free all-purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon
Salt

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies Directions

Step One – Brown the Butter

Brown the butter by adding one cup of butter to a skillet on medium heat. Watch the butter carefully, stirring frequently until the butter turns an amber color. Remove the skillet from the heat right away.

Pour the browned butter into a glass measuring cup and place it into the refrigerator to cool for about 20 minutes.

Step Two – Prepare

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and set it aside.

Step Three – Make the Dough

Add the brown sugar to a medium-sized bowl. Pour in the browned butter and stir it to combine.

Add the egg yolk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and pumpkin purée to the bowl. Stir well to fully combine.

Add in the remaining dry ingredients, and mix well to incorporate.

Step Four – Make the Topping

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice for the topping.

Step Five – Scoop and Bake

Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Use your clean hands to roll the dough into balls. Place the dough balls into the sugar and spice topping, and roll to fully coat.

Rolling cookie dough into brown sugar coating.

Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Use your hand or the bottom of a glass to slightly flatten each dough ball.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for an extra five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Baked brown butter pumpkin cookies on a sheet.

Serve and enjoy!

Bowl of pumpkin cookies with a bite missing from the top one.

Chewy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies Recipe Notes and FAQ

Do I have to brown the butter?

This recipe is based around the flavor the brown butter provides. If you do not want to make browned butter, I would suggest making a different cookie recipe.

Browned butter pumpkin cookies on top of each other in a dish.

Can I use regular flour?

You should be able to swap the gluten-free flour for regular, but I did not test this yet.

Do I have to coat the cookies?

No, you can skip the sugar and pumpkin spice coating. It does add enough extra flavor and texture that I suggest keeping it.

Yield: 18 cookies

Chewy Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies

Rich and chewy brown butter pumpkin cookies.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Cooling Time 20 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup pumpkin purée
2 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Sugar + Spice Coating

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

To brown the butter, place one cup of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently until the butter turns an amber color, then promptly remove the skillet from the heat.
Pour the browned butter into a glass measuring cup and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to cool. If you need to speed up the process, you can place the glass measuring cup over a bowl of ice until it reaches room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar and browned butter. Stir in the egg yolk, maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin purée.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.
Use a two-ounce cookie scoop to portion out the dough and roll it into balls with your hands. Roll each ball in the sugar and spice mixture until it is fully coated.
Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet and lightly flatten them with your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Leave them on the baking sheet for an additional five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Chewy Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies