Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies

Soft, warmly spiced and full of fall flavour, these brown butter pumpkin cookies are the kind of bake that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible.

Nutty brown butter meets pumpkin, cinnamon, maple syrup and MGO 85+ Mānuka Honey for a soft, tender cookie with just the right balance of sweetness and spice. Finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, they’re an easy fall baking recipe you’ll want to make more than once.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies with Mānuka Honey

Pumpkin cookies already have plenty going for them, but browning the butter first takes them to another level. As the butter cooks, the milk solids toast and develop a rich, nutty flavour that pairs perfectly with pumpkin and warming spices.

For sweetness, this recipe combines brown sugar, pure maple syrup and our MGO 85+ Raw Mānuka Honey. The Mānuka honey adds its distinctive flavour without overpowering the pumpkin, making these cookies sweet, spiced and seriously good with a cup of coffee.

Why We Use MGO 85+ Mānuka Honey

Our MGO 85+ Mānuka Honey from the Steens Table Collection is made for everyday moments just like this one.

With a mild Mānuka flavour, MGO 85+ is an easy way to bring raw New Zealand Mānuka honey into breakfasts, drinks, snacks and home baking. Here, it pairs beautifully with pumpkin, maple and brown butter while adding natural sweetness to every cookie.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (122 g) pumpkin puree

• 1 3/4 cups (219 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled

• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup (168 g) Mānuka honey (we used MGO85+)

• 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened

• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla extract
  

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

• Start by drying your pumpkin. (This step is not optional. The cookies will not bake properly if you skip this step.)Spread the pumpkin puree on a plate and lightly press with a paper towel to absorb the excess liquid. Repeat the step at least four more times. The pumpkin should be dry enough that it goes from being ½ cup (122 g) dried down to just about a ¼ cup (~42 g). Hardly any liquid should transfer onto a paper towel once it has been dried enough. Then set aside.

• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

• In a large bowl cream the softened butter and Mānuka honey together with an electric mixer on high speed for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.

• Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.

• Add in the pumpkin and mix on medium-low speed to combine.

• Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.(If the dough is too "sticky" chill it in the fridge for 10 minutes, then proceed.)

• Scoop the dough with a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and roll into balls. Transfer the cookie dough, six at a time, to a prepared baking sheet. 

• Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. When the cookies are straight out of the oven, scoot a large, round cookie cutter around them to give them a perfect circular shape. Let them cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy them slightly warm, save them for an afternoon treat, or make a batch ahead for easy fall snacking.

A Fall Cookie Worth Saving

Brown butter, pumpkin, maple, Mānuka honey and plenty of warming spice — this recipe has everything we want from fall baking.

The brown butter brings the nuttiness, pumpkin keeps the cookies beautifully soft, and MGO 85+ Mānuka Honey adds another layer of sweetness and flavour.

Make a batch for your next cozy weekend at home — and don’t forget the flaky sea salt on top.