Salted Pumpkin Brown Butter Snickerdoodles (Best ever)
Thanks to my go-to secret ingredient (molasses) and the addition of some much-needed salt both inside (salted butter!) and all around the cookies (salted cinnamon-sugar), these are more deeply flavorful than the average snickerdoodle. The addition of some pumpkin and warm spices makes them a close cousin to the spice cookie, but it’s that iconic cinnamon-sugar crust that puts them squarely in snickerdoodle territory. This makes about 10 cookies, depending on exactly how big yours are.
- Yield: About 10 cookies 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
- 2/3 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (cinnamon can be subbed)
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Pinch salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
Instructions
- Put the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and allow it to fully melt. Once it has melted, let it continue to simmer until it smells nutty, looks golden brown, and has quieted down (that’s when you know butter is done browning), takes about 4 or 5 additional minutes. Transfer the browned butter to a large mixing bowl, and pop it in the fridge just until the butter is cool but not solid. Wipe/rinse out the pan.
- Add the pumpkin to the same pan and let it cook gently, drying it out and enabling the water to evaporate/cook away. Stirring occasionally, cook the pumpkin until it more closely resembles a dry paste than a wet puree; about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- When the browned butter is cool (but not solid), add the ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup of the granulated sugar, the vanilla, egg yolks, and molasses. Whisk until smooth and combined. Add the pumpkin, and whisk to combine.
- Add the baking soda, cream of tartar, pumpkin pie spice, and flour to the wet ingredients and, using a spoon now, stir until well mixed.
- Combine the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar with the cinnamon and just enough salt to be noticeable – salted but not salty. I start with about ¼ to ½ teaspoon, taste a little, and go from there. Stir to combine.
- Allotting ¼ cup of dough per cookie, roll the dough into balls and then roll them through the salted cinnamon sugar mixture, fully coating each one. Place them at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet(s) and bake for about 12 to 13 minutes, or until golden around the edges and still a bit soft/tender in the centers. Allow them to cool for a few minutes (until easily handled) and then carefully toss them through the cinnamon-sugar once more, giving them a nice crust.
- Let them cool almost all the way before transferring them elsewhere.