Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These fall-inspired cookies combine the nutty depth of brown butter with pumpkin’s earthiness, hearty oats, warming spices, and melty chocolate chips for a perfectly balanced treat that’s crisp-edged, chewy-centered, and utterly irresistible.
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats not quick oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or make your own with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or a mix of semi-sweet and dark chocolate
- Optional: ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Brown the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Swirl occasionally until butter foams, then develops golden brown specks and a nutty aroma (about 5-7 minutes). Immediately transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk both sugars into the cooled brown butter until well combined and no lumps remain. The mixture should look like wet sand.
- Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture and whisk until smooth and well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, whisking to distribute the spices evenly.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring just until no flour streaks remain. Over-mixing will make tough cookies!
- Fold in the chocolate chips (and nuts if using) until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) to enhance flavor and prevent excessive spreading.
- Scoop dough using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop and place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until edges are set and golden but centers still look slightly soft. They’ll continue cooking on the hot baking sheet.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Pat your pumpkin puree with paper towels to remove excess moisture before measuring—this helps achieve the perfect texture.
- The brown butter needs to cool slightly before adding sugar, or you’ll end up with melted sugar instead of the proper creamed texture.
- Chilling the dough is non-negotiable! This concentrates flavors and prevents flat cookies.
- These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.
- For a make-ahead option, freeze scooped dough balls and bake from frozen (adding 1-2 minutes to bake time).