Pumpkin Bites with Brown Butter Glaze

These Pumpkin Bites with Brown Butter Glaze are essentially little mini muffin-sized bites of perfectly spiced pumpkin bread! They’re incredibly poppable, moist, and dipped in the most delicious brown butter glaze to top it all off. They are the epitome of fall and should be added to your baking list ASAP!

It’s hard for me to even describe in words how much I love these little pumpkin bites! Imagine if pumpkin bread was baked in mini muffin tins, then dipped in the most delicious vanilla brown butter glaze. They’re absolutely mouthwatering, and also adorable. They scream October, which is by far my favorite month of the year. I could go on and on (and I will). 🙂

These pumpkin bites start with my classic pumpkin bread batter.

The batter is almost identical to my cream cheese pumpkin bread with chai sugar that I shared last year. It’s perfectly spiced, which is one of my qualms with pumpkin bread recipes on the internet. They never have enough spice! This one has all of that warm, cinnamon fall flavor without being overpowering.

(And if you haven’t made the cream cheese pumpkin bread yet, you must.)

Next up, is the vanilla brown butter glaze, aka liquid gold.

Toasty, caramelly brown butter gets whisked together with powdered sugar, half & half, vanilla, and salt, and creates a practically drinkable glaze. The depth and richness of the brown butter counteracts the sweetness of the glaze, making it perfectly balanced. I mean, why not brown your butter when you can?

These pumpkin bites were actually inspired by a local coffee shop/bakery that starts selling brown butter pumpkin bites as soon as September hits. They are so delicious, and they have a lemon variety which is also AMAZING.

Now I can make them at home, and dare I say mine are better!

Here’s a quick rundown on how to make these perfect little pumpkin bites:

• Make the batter. All of your typical ingredients like eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, canned pumpkin, vanilla, flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt!
• Plop the batter into mini muffin tins. I like to use a 1 1/2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop for this. It works perfectly!
• Bake at 350℉. Just for a quick 15 minutes! The hardest part is letting them cool.
• Make the vanilla brown butter glaze. Brown your butter in a small saucepan or skillet. Once it has melted, start whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn easily. The butter will begin to bubble, get a little foamy, and develop a golden brown color with a nutty aroma. Once the little brown bits start to appear, keep cooking for about a minute, until the butter is golden brown, but not too dark. Remove from heat immediately and transfer to a heat-safe bowl.
• Make the glaze. Whisk together the cooled brown butter, powdered sugar, vanilla half & half or milk, and salt. Start with a couple tablespoons of milk and keep adding until you reach your desired consistency. Mine is usually perfect at 5 tablespoons.
• Dip the pumpkin bites. Once the bites have cooled, dip them in the glaze and place them on a wire rack to set.
• Devour! Trust me, you won’t be able to stop at just one. 😉

Full recipe and instructions are below in the recipe card!

I mean, look at that glaze!

If you love these pumpkin bites, you will also love:

Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread with Chai Sugar
Boozy Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate
Pumpkin Almond Butter Bars with Gingersnap Crust
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Nutella Crumb Muffins
Brown Butter Chai Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
Dirty Chai Cream Filled Doughnuts
Pear Chai Tahini Cake
Dark Chocolate Chai Cashew Butter Rice Crispy Treats
Dirty Chai Scones
Apple Cinnamon Banana Bread Snack Cake

And don’t forget to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @spicesinmydna if you make this recipe! Nothing makes me happier than seeing what you create in the kitchen!

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Pumpkin Bites with Vanilla Brown Butter Glaze

These Pumpkin Bites with Brown Butter Glaze are essentially little mini muffin-sized bites of perfectly spiced pumpkin bread! They're incredibly poppable, moist, and dipped in the most delicious brown butter glaze to top it all off. They are the epitome of fall and should be added to your baking list ASAP!

Course Breakfast, Breakfast/Snack, Brunch, Dessert, Dessert/Snack, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword brown butter glaze, mini pumpkin dessert, moist pumpkin bread, moist pumpkin bread recipe, pumpkin baking recipes, pumpkin bites, pumpkin bread, pumpkin bread bites, pumpkin bread recipe, pumpkin treat recipes, small pumpkin dessert recipes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 30 bites

Ingredients

For the pumpkin bites

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the vanilla brown butter glaze

• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons half & half or whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the oil and whisk again until combined. Add the pumpkin and vanilla, whisking until smooth and combined.

3. In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, folding together with a rubber spatula until just combined.

4. Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop, drop the batter into the mini muffin tins - you want them to be 3/4 the way full. Bake for 15 minutes until pumpkin bites are set, slightly golden on the edges, and spring back when you press on the tops. Let the bites cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the tins and let cool the remainder of the way on a cooling rack.

5. While pumpkin bites are baking, make the brown butter glaze. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Once it has melted, start whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn easily. The butter will begin to bubble, get a little foamy, and develop a golden brown color with a nutty aroma. Once the little brown bits start to appear, keep cooking for about a minute, until the butter is golden brown, but not too dark. Remove from heat immediately and transfer to a medium heat-safe mixing bowl. Let cool.

6. Once butter has cooled (it's okay if it's a little warm), add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of the half & half or milk. Whisk to combine, adding more half & half/milk by the tablespoon until you reach desired consistency. 5 tablespoons is usually perfect for me. Dip the cooled pumpkin bites in the glaze, then let sit on a wire rack to set. Once the glaze has set, enjoy immediately! (This step is totally optional, but you can sprinkle the tops of the bites with a pinch of pumpkin pie spice for a little extra flavor and prettiness!)