Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden and nutty-smelling, then cool slightly. You should see browned milk solids stuck to the bottom and hear gentle crackling as it browns.

Whisk the browned butter, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, and egg yolk together until smooth and glossy. The mixture should look evenly blended with no streaks of brown sugar.

Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together. Stop once the spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a soft dough forms. The dough should be thick and slightly sticky rather than stiff.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes. It should firm up so the scoops hold their shape.

Scoop the chilled dough onto a lined baking sheet, spacing the portions apart. Look for mounds with rounded tops that won’t spread too far.

Bake at 350°F for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers remain soft. The cookies should look slightly underdone in the middle while the rims are set and lightly darker.