What could be better than sinking your teeth into a chewy cookie? These Soft Butterscotch Healthy Pumpkin Cookies With Brown Butter are wholesome and perfect for dunking!
Whenever a friend visits, I take it as the perfect excuse to bake something delicious. This might explain why I have company at least a few times a week. I’m not sure if it’s my company they enjoy or my baking skills, but in just the past week, friends have sampled my Italian biscotti with hazelnuts and chocolate, apple pie, French custard tart, and these soft pumpkin cookies studded with butterscotch chips. The cookies were inspired by a moment of mild panic when a friend stopped by unexpectedly a few days ago, and, to my horror, I had nothing left to offer her. As I rummaged through my pantry, wondering what I could make, I spotted a pack of butterscotch chips hidden in a corner and remembered some leftover pumpkin purée in the fridge.
While the coffee brewed, and we chatted about everything and anything, I quickly whipped up a batch of these chewy, buttery cookies. And when I say “buttery,” I mean the deep, nutty flavor of brown butter, which adds delightful caramel notes to the cookies. Paired with the earthiness of pumpkin and the golden butterscotch morsels, these cookies should probably come with a warning: take one bite, and I dare you to stop.
The good news is, since they’re made with whole-wheat pastry flour, they’re actually not too unhealthy. I’m not giving you carte blanche to eat the whole batch, but I am giving you another reason to make them. And yes, my friend left with a box of cookies in hand. I wonder how soon she’ll show up at my doorstep again?
Are These Soft Butterscotch Pumpkin Cookies Healthy?
Well, let’s be realistic here. They have butter, sugar, and butterscotch chips. A health food? Not really. However, the use of whole-wheat pastry flour and pumpkin purée does add some fiber, which we should all be getting more of in our diet. Your best bet is to do like I do and always share. If nothing else, it will get you more friends.
All kidding aside, enjoy these cookies in moderation. By the way, they’re very easy to veganize. Just replace the butter with a high-quality plant-based butter and the egg with a flax “egg.” In a small bowl, mix one tablespoon of flax meal with three tablespoons of water. Leave this for ten minutes until it becomes gelatinous, and use it instead of the eggs.
What is Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour?
Whole-wheat pastry flour is a finely ground flour made from soft, white wheat. Compared to regular whole-wheat flour, it has a finer texture and a lower protein content (roughly 8-10% vs. 14%), making it similar to all-purpose flour in use. Whole-wheat pastry flour produces lighter, more tender results than regular whole-wheat flour while still retaining the nutritional benefits of whole grains. It’s ideal for recipes that benefit from a softer, more delicate crumb, like cookies, muffins, and cakes. For best results, avoid substituting regular whole-wheat flour in these recipes, as its higher protein content will yield denser, tougher textures. Whole-wheat pastry flour also has a mildly nutty flavor that subtly enhances baked goods without overpowering them.
how to make ahead and store
The cookie dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance by following steps 1 through 8 (without turning the oven on) and then refrigerate. Once baked, keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you want them to last longer and maintain their freshness, I recommend freezing them. Simply place the cookies in an airtight container or freezer-safe plastic bag and label it with the date. The cookies should last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Serving Suggestions
We all know and love the classic combination of milk and cookies, and these days, creamy oat milk is really giving regular milk a run for its money. If you’re serving these cookies to a friend who needs a little pick-me-up, I would also suggest skipping the drip coffee and treating them to a Homemade Caramel Vanilla Iced Coffee. And if you don’t have pumpkin purée but do have some orange spuds lying around, here’s How Long To Boil Sweet Potatoes if you want to mash them up and use them in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (210g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 6 tablespoons packed coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 6 tablespoons raw organic cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- In a medium pan, melt the butter, over medium heat. Swirl it around every once in a while to make sure that it is melting evenly. The butter will eventually begin to foam, turn bright yellow, and eventually brown. Once it has started to brown and smells nutty, pour it into a medium bowl. If there are burned bits on the bottom, pour it through a strainer.
- In a large bowl, combine the whole-wheat pastry flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- Stir the sugars into the browned butter until no lumps are left. (Since the butter is melted, you don't need to use an electric mixer.)
- Whisk the egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin purée into the butter mixture until well combined.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to form a dough. Your dough will be very soft and sticky. Then, stir in the butterscotch chips.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Once the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape the cookies into 1 1/2-inch balls (I use a cookie scoop) and flatten to about 1/2-inch thick.
- Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. You will think the cookies are underdone, but they continue baking on the sheet.
- Let them cool completely on the sheet and then serve.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
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