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Chewy, sweet, Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Latte Cookies. A cross between a really great soft, chewy in texture pumpkin cookie and a delicious steaming pumpkin latte made with real espresso. These cookies are made with sweet dark brown sugar, warming spices, and the real secret โ espresso powder. Theyโre generously glazed with a thick, sweet, and creamy brown butter icing that melts in your mouth. So yummy. Equally perfect for Halloween night as they are for Thanksgiving dinner. A wonderful cookie to bake, share, and gift this holiday season!
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I think we can all relate, but there are times when you just want a yummy simple chocolate chip cookie. Nothing fancy, nothing too sweet.
That was us recently. I knew sharing a simple pumpkin cookie was what I wanted and I knew that I wanted the pumpkin flavors to really come through. These took me a while to get just perfect, but Iโm now so excited to share the recipe.
If you love a pumpkin spice latte, then you have to make these. Theyโre even better!
As with most of my cookies, I envisioned these would also include chocolate. But shockingly, after a few rounds of testing, I landed on this cookie. A straight pumpkin cookie.
Made with pumpkin butter, a mix of warm spices, brown butter, oats, and then a touch of espresso powder. I was shocked at how delicious the espresso powder made each cookie, a subtle yet recognizable coffee flavor. Even better than a pumpkin spice latte from your favorite cafe.
Here are some details
Step 1: brown the butter
This pumpkin cookie starts with brown butter. I just love the rich nutty flavor it adds. It makes your cooking and baking even more special, especially at this time of year.
Step 2: make the dough
Brown the butter, then add it to a large bowl with brown sugar and pumpkin butter. The key here is pumpkin butter, not pumpkin puree. I say this all of the time, but to me, you have to use pumpkin butter while baking, it makes such a difference.
Pumpkin butter is more reduced down than pumpkin purรจe and contains less moisture. Less moisture will give you a chewier cookie, not a cakey cookie. You can use my homemade pumpkin butter or pick some up at Trader Joeโs, Whole Foods, your local market, or even via Amazon. Just make sure that whatever pumpkin butter you use is spiced for best flavor.
Next, mix in half the pumpkin butter along with an egg and vanilla. Then, add the espresso powder. Mix in the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
Dollop in the remaining pumpkin butter, but donโt mix the pumpkin butter fully into the dough. You want streaks. This gives you more pumpkin flavor without creating an overly cakey cookie.
Roll the dough into balls, I love to use a cookie scoop for this. Itโs so much easier and works nicely with this dough since itโs a bit stickier. Drop mounds of the dough on prepared pans. Then bake.
On to the icing
This glaze is everything. Just a handful of ingredients, but I love the nutty brown butter flavor and creaminess. Itโs what makes these cookies really melt in your mouth.
The ingredients: butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. I use this combination a lot, but itโs so delicious.
The key is to brown the butter on the stove. Then add everything to the brown butter and thin it out with some milk. Ice the cooled cookies quickly on a wire rack, as the frosting sets up pretty fast.
This combo of pumpkin, pumpkin spice, espresso, and brown butter is unexpected. Certainly not one my mom or Asher thought they would care much for. But after some convincing, they gave these a try and agreed, even without the chocolate, these are the yummiest pumpkin cookies.
Iโm finding that everyone LOVES these. You wonโt even detect the espresso, it just compliments the brown sugar and cinnamon so wonderfully. The result is a perfectly chewy, sweet pumpkin cookie with rich notes of espresso, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.
We couldnโt love these easy pumpkin cookies more. And the frosting really makes them special. Hope you guys love these just as much as I do!
Looking for fall cookie recipes?ย Here are a few ideas:ย
Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles
Easy Slice โnโ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Latte Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Vanilla Pumpkin Oatmeal Latte Cookies
Ingredientsย
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup pumpkin butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons espresso powder or instant coffee
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 โ 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie or chai spice, (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- sea salt (optional)
Brown Butter Icing
- 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 -2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructionsย
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350ยฐ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool 5 minutes or so.3. To the browned butter, mix in the brown sugar, 1/3 cup pumpkin butter, the egg, vanilla, and espresso powder, mixing until smooth. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.4. Dollop the remaining 1/3 cup of pumpkin butter over the dough. Gently fold the butter into the dough, being careful to not over-mix. You want streaks of pumpkin butter.5. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon-size balls, it might be a little sticky. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten the dough down. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, rotate, and tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten. Bake another 2-3 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges.6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet.7. Meanwhile, make the icing. Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, a pinch of salt. Immediately spread the icing over the cookies moving fast, as it will set quickly. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.ย
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I made these cookies for a party last weekend and they were a HIT! So many people asked for the recipe. I am planning to make them again for a much bigger party coming up this weekend and wanted to bulk cook/prep them. Do you have any recommendations of what would hold up the best? Should I freeze the dough? Freeze the cookies with/without icing? What would keep the best for this type of cookie. I appreciate your help! I love these cookies and they will continue to be a party staple for me
Hey Meredith,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for choosing to make this recipe, Iโm so glad it was enjoyed.
I would make the dough, roll the balls, and then freeze. I think that would work best for you. Then you can bake from frozen, maybe just add a minute or two to the bake time. Have the best week!
I’m sorry to post a negative review but the oats tasted “uncooked”, though the cookie was definitely done in all other respects. I was astonished that a cookie with so many flavorful ingredients tasted just okay. Perhaps using quick oats or blending the old fashioned oats could help? Also perhaps using less flour and/or oats could intensify the flavor? I wanted to love these. Perhaps it just needs some tweeks.
On the positive, I did love the icing and will use it in other recipes.
Hi Holly,
I appreciate you trying these cookies and sharing your feedback, I’m very sorry to hear you did not enjoy them!
Hi!
I made these today and they turned out delicious !! Everyone gobbled them up. I didnโt have pumpkin butter so I used pumpkin puree which changed the texture a bit and made them more of a thicker cookie. I adjusted the time and baked them 3-4 minutes longer since they were thicker. They were perfect and I want to try them with pumpkin butter too in the future. I also omitted the coffee but will add it next time.
Thank you for another fantastic recipe ๐
Hey Rebecca,
Happy Sunday! Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, Iโm happy to hear it was a win!
My family loves these. My icing didnโt turn out to look as yours. It was a little dry so I had to spread it rather than drizzle. Next time I will thin it out with a little milk or cream.
These are a great alternative to chocolate desserts for those with an allergy. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Lisa! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear the cookies were enjoyed!
These were the worst cookies I’ve ever made in my life. Too sweet, grainy, chalky and just overall gross. I even had a professional chef there following the recipe with me, and the instructions are simple enough. Just a bad recipe.
Hi Olive,
So very sorry to hear this. If there is anyway that I can help, please let me know! Again, sorry to hear they were not enjoyed!
Can I use pumpkin puree instead of butter?
Hi Roshelle,
I would recommend using the pumpkin butter for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
I couldnโt get ahold of pumpkin butter so subbed apple butter and they were still delicious!
Hey Lauren,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks for trying this recipe and letting me know it went well!