Pumpkin Coffee Cake Cookies

Ingredients (~5-6 large cookies)

For the Streusel Topping

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Cookies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (this will be blotted)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 7/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the Glaze

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Make the Streusel

First, make the streusel so it has time to chill. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

Use a fork or your fingers to work the butter in until a crumbly, sandy mixture forms. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill while you make the cookie dough.

Brown the Butter and Prep Pumpkin

Place the 1/2 cup of butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt, then continue to cook, stirring often.

The butter will foam and sputter. Once the sputtering quiets down, watch it closely. You are looking for nutty-smelling, amber-colored liquid with dark brown bits at the bottom.

Immediately pour the brown butter, including all the browned bits, into a heatproof bowl. Let it cool until it’s cool to the touch but still liquid. You can place it in the freezer for ~10-15 minutes to speed this up.

While the butter cools, blot the pumpkin puree. Place 1/3 cup of puree on a few layers of paper towels, fold them over, and press gently to remove as much liquid as possible. You should be left with about 3 tablespoons of thick, blotted pumpkin.

Make the Cookie Dough

Set your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the cooled brown butter and both sugars together.

Add the single egg yolk, the 3 tablespoons of blotted pumpkin puree, and the vanilla. Whisk until combined.

Add the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Use a spatula to fold everything together until just combined. Do not overmix.

Scoop and Bake the Cookies

Use a 2-ounce cookie scoop (or a 1/4 cup measure) to portion the dough, placing the mounds on the prepared baking sheet.

Make a small dent in the middle of each cookie dough ball with your thumb. Fill the dent with the chilled streusel, pressing it on top.

Bake for ~13-14 minutes.

About halfway through baking, the cookies will flatten. You can add more streusel on top at this point.

Once baked, remove the tray from the oven. You can use a large round cookie cutter to “scoot” the edges of the warm cookies into a perfect circle.

Glaze the Cookies

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

While they cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and maple syrup. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until you have a thick but drizzling consistency.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies.