Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Pumpkin spice, browned butter, and white chocolate are some of the best flavors of fall. These soft, chewy cookies begin with brown butter because it gives a warm depth to the cookie. Then, a subtle hint of pumpkin spice conjures up images of warm scarves and crisp leaves. Add a dash of white chocolate chips…and cozy up with a cup of coffee, your favorite blanket, and some of these delicious cookies to really celebrate the season.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of salted butter
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1 ½ Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temp.
• *1 cup white chocolate chips

Tools & Timing

• Small saucepan
• Flat-bottomed glass bowl/baking dish (for cooling your browned butter)
• Plastic wrap (or lid for glass container)
• Heatproof whisk and spatula
• 2 baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Beaters
• Wooden spatula
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• About 2 hours (including prep time for browned butter)

Background

            One of my favorite food blogs is Baker by Nature. I love her “Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookies” recipe (I highly recommend you try these)! Making these cookies was how I was first introduced to browned butter – and it is SO GOOD and SO WORTH IT! Browned butter lends a richer, warmer flavor to your baked goods. Anyways…I loved these cookies so much that I started using the base recipe for other cookie spin-offs. Here, in honor of fall, I give you Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from Baker by Nature

Step-by-step

Brown the Butter

*Begin this process 75 minutes before you want to start making your dough (you can always brown the butter the night before).

1. Measure out ½ cup of salted butter. Cut it into pats and place it in your saucepan (this is 1 stick of butter, if you buy it that way). Measure out your other ½ cup of salted butter and prep it by cutting it into pats (this makes it easier to incorporate later).
2. Turn heat to medium-high, and swirl the butter as it melts (so it doesn’t burn). Once the butter melts, continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the butter takes on a rich, caramel color (you’ll begin to smell a richer flavor, like brown sugar candy, and see a dark caramel color begin at the center of cooking butter – once this happens, keep cooking until all of the butter is brown – about 10-15 more seconds – watch closely). This entire process, once melted, takes about 1 ½ minutes.
3. Remove the butter from the heat and immediately whisk in your other ½ cup (stick) of butter. Keep whisking until the butter is fully incorporated. (This entire process takes about 3 minutes).
4. Pour into your flat-bottomed glass container (the butter may separate a bit during the cooling process, so a flat-bottomed container helps maintain consistency). Cover and pace in the refrigerator for 60-75 minutes (until firm). Once firm, and you are ready to make your dough, remove from fridge.

About 30 minutes before bake time, set out your eggs and butter to come to room temperature.

5. As the butter is returning to room temperature, begin to prep your other ingredients:
   • Blend your dry ingredients for your cookie dough: in your first prep bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
   • Prep your baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 375.
6. Once the butter is at room temperature (you can test this by pressing your finger into the butter – when it leaves an indentation, it’s ready), move to large prep bowl and cream (with beaters – this means to beat it until it’s smooth).
7. Whisk in brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy (1-2 minutes).
8. Reduce the speed to low and add eggs, one at a time (beat after each addition).
9. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.
10. Switch to your rubber spatula and gently fold in flour mixture until just combined. Add white chocolate chips.  
11. Scoop out a ball of dough – about 2 Tbsp. Continue until you have 12 balls of dough (placed at about 2 inches apart). Place this cookie sheet in the fridge while you prepare the other sheet.
12. Once your second sheet is prepared, switch it with the first in the fridge.
13. Bake one tray at a time for 11-14 minutes (the edges should be golden and the streusel will begin to brown – this takes 14 minutes in my oven).
14. Remove your tray and allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before moving them to wire cooling rack. *See Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks

Serve and Enjoy

Other Options

If you love these (and you love fall flavors), try my Brown Butter Apple Streusel Cookies, my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins, or my Caramel Apple Streusel Muffins!

Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks

The Spatula Tap: When cookies bake, often they get poofy. Years ago, I started using the back of a cookie spatula to gently pat my cookies down when they came out of the oven. This technique has served me well – I think it helps to ensure that the cookies cool more evenly on the cookie sheet (for recipes that call for this extra bake time) and it helps my cookies to look better!

Wire Rack Swap: Years ago, I read that you can use paper bags as “cooling racks” for your cookies – and they actually help make your cookies better because a bit of the oil gets drawn out of your baked cookies in the process. If you have extra brown paper grocery bags, give it a try!