Brown Butter Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies

adapted from: broma bakery

 INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup browned butter
1/3 cup pumpkin puree, cooked down*
1 cup brown sugar (213g)
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup a.p. flour (220g)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup cinnamon chips

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl mix together browned butter, pumpkin, and brown sugar until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Add egg yolk & vanilla, and mix until combined.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until *just* combined. Light streaks of flour will probably still be chilling there.
Fold in cinnamon chips.

Scoop cookie dough with a #30 scoop (2.25 Tbsp). Place on a cookie sheet.

Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Place on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough.

Bake for 13 minutes.

Let cook on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transfering to cooling rack.

*Take a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree, and over medium heat cook down to half the volume. The puree will become thick, and the color will deepen significantly.

Pumpkin Cake with Brown Sugar Caramel Frosting

Recipe adapted from: Our Best Bites
INGREDIENTS
Brown Sugar Caramel Frosting
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, divided
(2 sticks, and 1 stick)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1 lb powdered sugar

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat two sticks of butter, brown sugar, cream, and salt over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, and mixture is combined.

Turn heat up to medium high, and bring to a boil. Let mixture boil for 1 minute, pushing mixture down from sides of pot. Reduce heat, and let simmer for about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, and carefully* pour into a mixing bowl to cool. While the mixture is cooling, add remaining stick of butter 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until melted.
*Hot, simmering sugar is way hotter than simmering water.

When caramel has cooled to lukewarm, carefully incorporate  powdered sugar until fluffy and soft.

Use immediately, as frosting will thicken upon standing.

Okay friends, this frosting is my new favorite thing ever. It came about because the penuche frosting from my original post with this sheet cake has a tendency to become a little grainy, and is extra sweet. So I found the recipe for brown sugar caramel frosting from Our Best Bites, doubled the recipe, and added an extra stick of butter to give the sugar something to stay dissolved in. I also omitted the vanilla, because my vanilla was lost in our recent kitchen remodel, and I haven't made my way to Trader Joe's to purchase more. The extra butter does require that the cake stay fairly cool, because the butter makes the frosting extra soft and it will melt all over the place. But if you're looking for a frosting that has a warm, caramel flavor WITHOUT being sickly sweet, this is your jam.