Cookie Dough
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin purée — not pumpkin pie filling, people
2 eggs (room temp)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
Brown Butter Icing
1/3 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons half-and-half
fresh nutmeg, for dusting
Directions
For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Cream the sugars and butter, then add the vanilla, pumpkin purée and eggs. Mix until combined and don’t freak out, your flour will bring it all together.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined. Do not beat the living hell out of it.
Scoop the dough onto the prepared sheet pan with a large cookie scoop, leaving room between cookies since these queens spread out. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake them. They should be soft and tender, not suitable as a paper weight.
Cool completely before icing.
For the brown butter icing: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. It will foam and bubble, then little brown bits will begin forming on the bottom. Those brown bits are where the magic lives, so pay attention. Brown butter can go from glorious to burnt bullshit surprisingly fast.
As soon as the butter is beautifully browned and smells nutty, remove it from the heat. Strain and let cool for a minute.
Combine the browned butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the half-and-half gradually, mixing until the icing is thick, fluffy and spreadable. Add a little more half-and-half if needed. Figure it out.
Spread generously over the completely cooled cookies and finish with a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg.