When you bake a tray of pumpkin cookies, do you often end up disappointed? “Pumpkin cookies can be tricky. I find they are often a bit too cakey and never have enough pumpkin flavor,” Half Baked Harvest‘s Tieghan Gerard writes in her cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy. Luckily for us, she used her expertise (and her frustration) to pinpoint the perfect solution.

“The key is to use pumpkin butter instead of canned pumpkin puree,” she claims. “It’s much more concentrated and creamier than the puree, and it has the most delicious pumpkin flavor. It’s what makes these cookies so special.”

According to Gerard, the pumpkin butter all but ensures a successful cookie: “They have the most perfect chewy edge with very soft (but not cakey!) centers, plus puddles of melted chocolate chunks. I’m obsessed.”

You can make these cookies at any time of year, but let’s be honest: They’re basically made for fall and winter snacking. As Gerard writes, “These will be everyone’s favorite autumn cookies, and if you make these for Thanksgiving, they’ll be the first dessert to disappear. Tip: Always make a double batch!”

Tieghan Gerard’s Chewy Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

PREP TIME 30 minutes
COOK TIME 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME 45 minutes
MAKES 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
⅓ cup pumpkin butter
¼ cup maple syrup
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine pink Himalayan salt
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chunks
Flaky sea salt (optional)

Maple Icing

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
1½ cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup maple syrup
Fine pink Himalayan salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking until the butter begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
To the brown butter, add the brown sugar, pumpkin butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla and stir until smooth. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and pink salt and mix to combine well. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
Using 1 generously rounded tablespoon for each, roll the dough into balls. It might be a little bit sticky; if so, lightly flour your hands. Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gently press the dough down to slightly flatten.
Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and tap them firmly against the counter a few times to flatten the cookies. Return to the oven and bake until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges, 2 to 3 minutes more. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets; they will continue to cook slightly.
While the cookies cool, make the maple icing. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook until the butter begins to brown and smells toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt.
The icing sets quickly, so work fast and immediately spread it over the cookies. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if you like. Serve immediately, or let cool and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.