Pumpkin Oatmeal Spice Cookies with Maple Brown Butter Icing

If you’re short of fridge space this Thanksgiving, and who isn’t, these pumpkin oatmeal spice cookies with their decadent maple brown butter icing are the perfect addition to your holiday dessert menu. 

Last year with my kids insisting on both turkey and ham along with at least five sides, I was so short on fridge space that I asked my son’s fiancé make the holiday pies.   But she’s not gluten free and neither were her delicious looking pies so I was left with no dessert. 

Now don’t be sad for me.  

I’m more of a savory person anyway.  And with all that delicious Thanksgiving fare, I probably couldn’t have even squeezed in the dessert.  Oh who am I kidding? Everyone wants a little sweet treat after the holiday meal no matter how stuffed they are. 

This year I re-worked my oatmeal cookie recipe by adding some pumpkin puree and festive fall spices to make big soft chewy cookies that scream Thanksgiving.  And to guild the lily, I mixed a quick maple brown butter icing to streak over the chewy almost cake-like cookies to make them the perfect fit for a holiday dessert menu.  

Guess who’ll be smiling on Thanksgiving this year. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Spice Cookies with Maple Brown Butter Icing 

Prep time: 20 min

Bake time: 14-16 min (for large cookies)

Servings: 30 – 36 ( I got 33 cookies)

Cookie Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 blend)
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ginger
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 3 cups gluten free rolled oats (I used Bobs Red Mill old fashion oats)
• 1 cup butter, (2 sticks well softened)
• 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Glaze Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Video Tutorial

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (or 190 °C) and line a few baking sheets with parchment.
2. In a large bowl stir together the gluten free flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice until well combined the stir in the rolled oats and set aside.
3. Beat together butter and brown sugar until light and creamy.
4. Add the eggs pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients and beat until a well incorporated dough forms.
6. For large cookies, use a large cookie scoop to drop by scant ¼ cup measures onto the prepared baking sheet.  Bake the cookies halfway for 8 minutes then remove from the oven and flatten slightly with a silicone spatula and bake for an additional 8 minutes for 16 minutes in total.
7. Allow them to cool of the pan for 2 minutes then remove them from the baking sheet to cool completely on a wire rack.
8. While the cookies are cooling to make the icing put the butter into a small stainless steel saucepan over a medium heat and melt the butter stirring continuously, until it’s a golden brown color and has a nutty aroma.
9. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the maple syrup.
10. Add slightly less than 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar and stir until you have a thick consistency that can easily be drizzled.  If the icing is too thin, continue to add more sugar (1 tbsp at a time) until the consistency looks right.
11. Drizzle or spoon the icing over the cookies and allow it to dry to the touch before serving.