The Best Pumpkin Sourdough Cookies with Maple Frosting

There are cookies that you can snack mindlessly on and then there are cookies that completely stop you in your tracks! These Pumpkin Sourdough Cookies with Maple Frosting hands down fall into the second category.

Their perfect blend of brown butter spiced cookie and maple frosting are a bit magical. It’s the kind of cookie that makes your kitchen smell like a crisp autumn morning wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket.

And what really takes these over the top is the fact that they aren’t just delicious, they’re the kind of cookie that’s better for you! Thanks to the fully fermented sourdough base, these cookies are easier to digest and more nutrient rich thanks to the fermented grains.

I brought these to a gathering where the family was largely Crumbl Cookie fans. One bite was all it took and they said these were hands down better than anything they had ever eaten at Crumbl! Wow, with a review like that, I knew I had a winner of a recipe that the world needs to make ASAP!

Bake these once and I promise you’ll make these every year when the leaves turn!

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Ingredients to make The Best Pumpkin Sourdough Cookies with Maple Frosting

Ferment:

• Brown Butter (see below for how to make)
• Flour
• Sourdough Starter

After Ferment Cookie Ingredients:

• Brown Sugar
• Sugar
• Pumpkin
• Vanilla
• Egg
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Molasses
• Spices: Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves
• Unrefined Salt
• Mini Chocolate Chips (optional)

Maple Frosting:

• Powdered Sugar
• Maple Syrup
• Butter
• Whole Milk
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon

How to make The Best Pumpkin Sourdough Cookies with Maple Frosting

Ferment Cookie:

-In a small saucepan make brown butter. Let cool a little before adding into the flour and starter. Combine brown butter, flour and starter in a small bowl, cover and ferment 2-12 hours. (can also be baked immediately)

-After ferment, add ferment along with the remaining cookie ingredients to a large mixer bowl: brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, egg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, molasses, pumpkin, spices and chocolate chips. Mix until well combined.

-With a large cookie scoop, add batter to a cookie sheet leaving about 2 1/2 inches of space between each dough ball. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes until the edges are ever so slightly browned. Cool completely on cooling rack.

Maple Frosting:

-In medium size bowl, mix powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, vanilla and cinnamon until it’s a thick and smooth icing.

-Dip cookies upside down into icing to frost OR scoop a teaspoon onto each cookie and gently smooth around cookie to cover.

-Allow cookies to dry on cooling rack so the frosting hardens slightly.

ENJOY! 🙂

How to make Brown Butter

-Melt one cup of butter on stove in a medium size pan over low heat. Bring butter to a slow boil. The butter will appear foamy and grow slightly, that’s why I suggest using a medium sized pan.

-After about 5 minutes, whisk the butter. It will still be foamy, but as you keep mixing you will slowly start to see the color change from yellow to brown. There will be some brown specks at the bottom too.

-The smell will also change and become nutty flavored. Once you have reached this brown butter status, remove from the heat. That’s it!

Can I cold ferment the dough?

Yes! Add the brown butter, flour and sourdough starter together and add to the fridge. Bring to room temperature about 2 hours before adding in the rest of the ingredients to bake because it will be too hard to mix straight from the fridge.

Want more fall baking inspiration?

Try our family’s favorite muffins. These spiced pumpkin chocolate chip muffins have been made every year in our home for more than 2 decades! They are perfect for Fall and my kids can’t stop eating them! If you love pumpkin, you have to give these a try!

Let’s make The Best Pumpkin Sourdough Cookies with Maple Frosting

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Large Cookie Scoop

Cooling Rack