Pumpkin Coffee Cake Cookies

Coffee cake meets cookies in this Fall-inspired recipe! These Pumpkin Coffee Cake Cookies have soft chewy brown butter pumpkin cookie dough with a buttery, lightly spiced brown sugar crumb topping baked right in. They're drizzled with a sugar glaze like traditional coffee cake and each bite is pure pleasure! There is so much rich buttery flavor and different textures from the slight crunch of the crumb to the soft and chewy pumpkin cookies. They even get better the next day. I highly recommend you also try my Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and my Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles are also a huge hit during the Fall.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Quick and simple - these pumpkin cookies are easy to make even though there is an extra step of making the crumb topping. You only need simple pantry ingredients and the method is straight forward.
• Brown butter pumpkin cookies - the flavor is elevated by brown butter which enhances the rich nutty undertones of pumpkin and warmth of the spice.
• Chewy texture - I love the chewy texture of these pumpkin coffee cake cookies and the buttery crumb in the middle has a melt-in-your-mouth quality.
• No need to dry the pumpkin - some recipes require blotting out the moisture from pumpkin puree, but this is not necessary for this recipe since the desired result is a slightly puffy and chewy cookie to be more similar to coffee cake. Also, using just the egg yolk will help eliminate some moisture to make up for the water in pumpkin puree.
• Spiced brown sugar crumb filling - just like classic coffee cake, these cookies are filled with a butter crumb mixture that bakes right in.
• Vanilla glaze - the easy sweet icing is what completes the coffee cake theme and it just melts on your tongue and it doesn't make these cookies too sweet, so I wouldn't leave it out. It really adds something special.

INGREDIENTS FOR PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE COOKIES

• Butter - you'll need to brown the butter for this recipe and you can use unsalted or salted butter. If you use salted butter, then reduce the added salt by half. Brown butter which makes these cookies taste incredible! It has a rich, nutty, butterscotch flavor that really adds so much depth and complements the pumpkin and spices. Also, browning the butter removes the moisture (butter is 15% water) to make up for the added moisture from the pumpkin puree. This is one of the secrets for making sure these cookies are chewy and not cakey. The instructions for how to brown butter are here.
• Brown sugar - this recipe uses a combination of white sugar and brown sugar. The molasses in brown sugar gives these cookies a rich toffee-like flavor and a chewy texture. You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar and the difference is that they will have a stronger molasses flavor with dark brown and they'll also have a slightly softer texture.
• Egg - you'll just need one egg yolk to make this cookie dough. The moisture from the pumpkin will make up for the moisture omitted with the egg white so that the cookie texture remains dense and chewy instead of cakey.

• Granulated sugar - some white sugar in addition to the brown sugar will give the edges just a bit of a crispness while still making these cookies chewy.
• Canned pumpkin - canned pumpkin is easily accessible and inexpensive. I recommend using store-bought pumpkin since it is more consistent. If you make your own, it is important to reduce it down so it is very thick otherwise the moisture balance will be off in the recipe. You do not need to dry out or blot out the pumpkin puree since it is the only source of moisture in this recipe.
• Pure vanilla extract - I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Pumpkin pie spice - use your favorite brand, or make your own from a blend cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and allspice. Here is my tried and true recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE COOKIES

• STEP 1). First brown the butter. Follow the instructions in this post here to learn how to brown butter. It's easy! A dense foam will form at the surface when it is nearly ready. Pour it out into a clean bowl and let it cool for 20 minutes. It needs to be close to room temperature (not hot - just slightly warm) and still liquid. If it is too warm, then the cookies may spread a lot and feel greasy. If it is too cool, then it will solidify and stiffen up once you whisk in the other ingredients.
• STEP 2). Add sugars. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled brown butter and whisk gently to blend. It will look like clumpy wet sand.
• STEP 3). Mix in egg and pumpkin. Add egg yolk and vanilla and whisk until it is smooth and glossy. Add the pumpkin puree and mix it in to incorporate.
• STEP 4). Mix in dry ingredients. Combing flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add it to the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula fold it in until just combined.
• STEP 5). Rest the batter. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour while you preheat the oven and make the streusel.
• STEP 6). Make the streusel. Combine flour, brown sugar, pumpkin spice and salt in a small bowl. Add pieces of soft butter and blend it in evenly until the mixture looks clumpy.
• STEP 7). Assemble. Use a 1.35-oz cookie scoop to portion mounds of dough and roll into smooth balls about 1 ½ inch diameter. If you don't have a scoop, divide the dough into 14 equal balls. Place them onto the baking sheet, spaced about 3 inches apart from each other and make a well in the center using the back of a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon. Dip the spoon in flour first so it doesn't stick to the cookie dough. Use your fingers to open up the well to make room for more streusel (so it is about 1 inch diameter) and press together the dough if any cracks form. Pile the streusel high inside the well.
• STEP 8). Bake. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are browned and the center looks puffed and slightly cracked. Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for a 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
• STEP 9). Make the icing. Combine all icing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. It should be pourable but still thick and opaque. Drizzle icing over cooled cookies, then let the icing set before storing.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Measure the flour accurately to ensure you get the right texture. Too much flour will make these bars dry and too little will mean that they will be too flat.
• Let the brown butter cool. Brown butter is VERY hot just after you make it because you are essentially boiling pure fat so think of bubbling oil and how hot that can be! Using brown butter right away will make the dough quite greasy and the cookies are likely to spread more. Let the brown butter cool so it is close to room temperature yet still in a liquid state.
• Make your own pumpkin spice. It is so easy and my recipe is perfectly balanced.

RECIPE FAQ

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Video

Pumpkin Coffee Cake Cookies

Christina Marsigliese

Coffee cake meets cookies in these perfectly Fall-flavored Pumpkin Coffee Cake Cookies! There's soft chewy brown butter pumpkin cookie dough with a buttery, spiced brown sugar crumb topping baked right in. They're drizzled with a sugar glaze like traditional coffee cake and each bite is pure pleasure. These are made for Autumn baking!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 11 minutes mins

Servings 14 cookies

Ingredients

  

Cookie dough:

• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, browned
• ½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup (80ml) pumpkin puree
• 1 ⅓ cups plus 1 tbsp (200g) all purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Streusel:

• ⅓ cup (71g) all purpose flour
• ¼ cup (110g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice)
• pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoon (42g) unsalted butter, softened

Icing:

• ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoon (10ml) milk
• pinch of cinnamon
• 3 drops of pure vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• First brown the butter. Follow the instructions in this post here to learn how to brown butter. It's easy! A dense foam will form at the surface when it is nearly ready. Pour it out into a clean bowl and let it cool for 20 minutes. It needs to be close to room temperature (not hot - just slightly warm) and still liquid. If it is too warm, then the cookies may spread a lot and feel greasy. If it is too cool, then it will solidify and stiffen up once you whisk in the other ingredients.
• Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled brown butter and whisk gently to blend. It will look like clumpy wet sand. Add egg yolk and vanilla and whisk until it is smooth and glossy. Add the pumpkin puree and mix it in to incorporate.
• Combing flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add it to the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula fold it in until just combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour while you preheat the oven and make the streusel.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Make the streusel. Combine flour, brown sugar, pumpkin spice and salt in a small bowl. Add pieces of soft butter and blend it in evenly until the mixture looks clumpy.
• Use a 1.35-oz cookie scoop to portion mounds of dough and roll into smooth balls about 1 ½ inch diameter. If you don't have a scoop, divide the dough into 14 equal balls. Place them onto the baking sheet, spaced about 3 inches apart from each other and make a well in the center using the back of a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon. Dip the spoon in flour first so it doesn't stick to the cookie dough. Use your fingers to open up the well to make room for more streusel (so it is about 1 inch diameter) and press together the dough if any cracks form. Pile the streusel high inside the well. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are browned and the center looks puffed and slightly cracked.
• Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for a 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
• Make the icing. Combine all icing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. It should be pourable but still thick and opaque. Drizzle icing over cooled cookies, then let the icing set before storing.