This is the best pumpkin snickerdoodles recipe for soft, perfectly chewy cookies with crisp edges. They’re filled with quintessentially comforting fall flavors from pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and pure pumpkin puree.
One of the most important things to remember for pumpkin snickerdoodles is to use canned 100% pure pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has sugar and other spices that will affect the pumpkin flavor and texture of the cookies. These items are usually stored close together in the baking aisle of the grocery store, so they’re easy to mix up! Just make sure the only item on the ingredient list is pumpkin, and you’ll be all set. For more easy cookie recipes, try my classic snickerdoodle recipe, double chocolate chip cookies, or gingersnap cookies.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Cinnamon sugar coating — you need granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for the classic coating.
Spices — pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon bring fall into every bite of these pumpkin snickerdoodles.
Leavening — you need baking soda and cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is essential for a perfectly puffed, chewy cookie with a hint of tang.
Butter — make sure the unsalted butter is softened so that it beats up well with the sugar. Whipping air into the butter and sugar mixture is key to getting the correct texture in the cookies. If you forget to set out the butter in advance, follow my simple tutorial for how to soften butter quickly.
Sugar — light brown sugar and white sugar give these pumpkin snickerdoodles the right amount of sweetness. Brown sugar also adds subtle molasses notes and helps make the cookies chewy.
Pumpkin — use pure pumpkin purée from a can. While you could use homemade pumpkin puree, canned pumpkin has just the right amount of moisture so you don’t have to blot or remove excess moisture from the puree.
Egg yolk — you don’t need the whole egg as egg whites tend to rise more in the oven, which can lead cookies like this to turn out cakey instead of chewy.
How To Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
1. Make the cinnamon sugar coating in a small bowl by whisking together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set aside for now.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the brown sugar and white sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add the pumpkin purée, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides as needed.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
6. Scoop 1½ tablespoons of chilled pumpkin snickerdoodle dough and drop it into the cinnamon sugar. Roll in the cinnamon sugar until well coated, then roll into a ball. Place cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on two prepared baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375°F for about 10 minutes or until puffed and golden on the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Variations
- Add baking chips: White chocolate chips and butterscotch chips are divine in these pumpkin snickerdoodles. Add ½ cup to 1 cup to the cookie dough right at the end of mixing and fold them in.
- Add nuts: Add ½ cup to 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for a lovely crunch.
- Spiced sugar variation: Swap the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice in the sugar coating.
- Brown the butter for deeper flavor: Cook the butter over medium heat in a stainless steel pan or one with a light-colored interior. Once it smells nutty and has turned a deep golden brown color, the brown butter is ready. Transfer the melted butter to a bowl and refrigerate, stirring it every 15 minutes, until solidified but still soft. Combine it with the sugar, and continue the rest of the recipe as written.
- Top with cream cheese frosting: To play off the tang that cream of tartar gives these cookies, top them with my luscious cream cheese frosting.
Make Ahead Tips
You can chill the dough for up to 24 hours, but do not roll the cookies into balls or coat them with sugar until you are ready to bake. Pumpkin snickerdoodles taste even better the next day, so feel free to bake them a day in advance to give the flavors time to meld and intensify.
How to Store
Once completely cooled, store cookies in an airtight container on your kitchen counter for up to 1 week. To keep them even longer, freeze them for up to 3 months. Once cooled to room temperature, freeze the cookies in freezer bags. Allow to thaw before enjoying.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Measure flour correctly: The easiest way to accurately measure flour is to weigh it using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour up in its container, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Set the butter and egg out 30 minutes to an hour in advance so they soften and are easier to incorporate.
- If the pumpkin puree appears watery, you can spread it on paper towels and let it sit to blot excess moisture. Excess moisture can lead to cakey cookies.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Do not skip this step. The dough won’t roll in your hands if it isn’t chilled. The cookies will also spread too much if warm.
- For cookies that spread a bit more and bake up less puffy with crispier edges, bake them at 350°F for 14 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely: This gives them time to set up perfectly so they develop that addictive chewy texture with crisp edges.
- Use leftover pumpkin: This recipe only uses part of a can of pumpkin puree. You can use the rest by making pumpkin pancakes or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you use too much flour, the cookie dough will be too stiff and will not spread enough. To avoid using too much flour, use a kitchen scale to weigh it. Additionally, if the oven is too hot, the outside will set before the middle, not giving the cookies a chance to spread.
If your cookies spread too much, there are a few possible reasons. An oven that is not hot enough will cause more spreading because it will take longer for the outside of the cookies to set. (The opposite of the oven being too hot!) Not chilling the dough will also cause spreading since the butter in the dough was not given a chance to harden up.
Yes, you can freeze the pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie dough. Roll the dough into balls, but do not coat them in cinnamon sugar. Place the dough balls on a lined baking sheet and freeze for about an hour or until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake your cookies, arrange them on your baking sheet and let them thaw while the oven preheats or for at least 15 minutes. Then, roll them in cinnamon sugar and bake. You’ll need to add a minute or two to the baking time.
Yes, you can use an equal amount of cooked sweet potato instead of pumpkin. Just puree it in a food processor first and blot excess moisture if it appears watery. The cookies will obviously taste different from classic pumpkin snickerdoodles, but will have a lovely flavor regardless.
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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
For the Cookie Dough:
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (210g)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g/1 stick)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (110g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ⅓ cup pumpkin purée (82g)
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
For the Cookie Dough:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin purée, egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. (Do not skip this step. The dough won’t roll in your hands if it isn’t chilled.)
- Scoop 1½ tablespoons (32g) of chilled dough and drop it into the cinnamon sugar. Roll in the cinnamon sugar until well coated, then roll into a ball between your palms. Place balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until puffed and golden on the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Notes
- Measure flour correctly: The easiest way to accurately measure flour is to weigh it using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour up in its container, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Set the butter and egg out 30 minutes to an hour in advance so they soften and are easier to incorporate.
- If the pumpkin puree appears watery, you can spread it on paper towels and let it sit to blot excess moisture. Excess moisture can lead to cakey cookies.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Do not skip this step. The dough won’t roll in your hands if it isn’t chilled. The cookies will also spread too much if warm.
- For cookies that spread a bit more and bake up less puffy with crispier edges, bake them at 350°F for 14 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely: This gives them time to set up perfectly so they develop that addictive chewy texture with crisp edges.
- Use leftover pumpkin: This recipe only uses part of a can of pumpkin puree. You can use the rest by making pumpkin pancakes or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
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