There’s nothing better than a simple and delicious cookie recipe, and while I LOVE my classic snickerdoodles recipe, I’ve been experimenting with adding pumpkin to it, and they are the perfect fall treat! Packed with fall flavors, this pumpkin snickerdoodle is perfect with its crinkly crispy edges and tender, chewy centers.
Even if you’ve got a pumpkin-hater in your life, they will love these cookies as they’re made with real pumpkin, loaded with warming spices, and coated in cinnamon sugar. Who doesn’t love cinnamon sugar?! These cookies will disappear fast, so make sure to eat a couple of them before setting them out. Want to try another easy cookie recipe? Try making my Double Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Gingersnap Cookies.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Sugar — I use both white and brown sugar. White sugar adds sweetness and structure to the cookie, whereas brown sugar adds a delicious caramelized flavor. Brown sugar also contributes to the chewy texture. If you do not have brown sugar, you can follow my guide on how to make brown sugar.
Cinnamon — a snickerdoodle is not complete without being rolled in cinnamon sugar. You’ll need cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar as well as flavor the cookie.
Pumpkin purée — be sure to purchase 100% pure pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. I suggest Libby’s as the store brands just never seem to be as good.
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLES
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until smooth before adding the sugars. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla, and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
5. 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.
6. Roll 1 to 2 tablespoons of chilled dough into balls between your palms before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar until well coated. Place them on a lined sheet pan and bake for 12 minutes. Let the pumpkin cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and letting them cool completely.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Make sure your light brown sugar is soft and moist for the best pumpkin snickerdoodles cookies. If your brown sugar has hardened, it’s an easy fix! I wrote a detailed post on how to soften brown sugar.
- If the dough is not rolling into a ball, allow it to chill in the fridge longer. It should chill for a minimum of 30 minutes, or the dough will not be firm enough to roll. If your kitchen is on the warmer side, you might have to roll them in batches, keeping half of the dough in the fridge.
- Unlike most snickerdoodles, this pumpkin snickerdoodles recipe doesn’t contain any eggs! The addition of an egg will make the cookies more cakey than chewy. If you like your cookies on the fluffier side, you can add 1 large egg or 1 egg yolk to the batter. Just beat it into the butter mixture with the pumpkin puree. Then chill and bake as instructed.
- For pumpkin cookies that spread a bit more and bake up more crispy on the edges, bake the cookies at 350F for 14 minutes.
- The cookie dough can be chilled overnight, but do not roll the cookies into balls and coat with sugar until you are ready to bake.
- Avoid overmixing the cookie dough, or the cookies will come out dense.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I skip cream of tartar?
The cream of tartar gives these pumpkin snickerdoodles their traditional tangy taste and chewy texture. It also reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise as it bakes. Without cream of tartar, this will turn out similar to a sugar cookie as it prevents the white sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing, leading to a crunchy cookie.
Why are my cookies coming out flat?
If your pumpkin snickerdoodles are coming out flat, it usually means you did not chill the dough for long enough. Also, double-check that the cream of tartar and baking soda have not expired. Overmixed dough is also a reason cookies come out flat. If you have a silicone mat, I recommend using that when baking cookies as well. The silicone will give the cookies something to grip onto and spread less compared to greasing a pan.
What is the difference between a sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle?
Traditional sugar cookies are rolled in just white sugar (or none), whereas snickerdoodles are rolled in cinnamon sugar. Sugar cookies are also much crunchier and do not have the crinkly edges that these pumpkin snickerdoodles have. Sugar cookies also do not contain cream of tartar. Check out my Sugar Cookie Recipe if you’d like to make a batch to compare!
How do I store these cookies?
To store leftover pumpkin cookies, fully cool the cookies before transferring them to an airtight container or Ziplock bag. You can leave the cookies at room temperature for up to five days. You can also freeze these cookies for up to three months. Again, allow them to cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container.
How do you store fresh pumpkin purée?
As this cookie recipe only uses ⅓ cup of pumpkin purée, you’ll have leftover purée unless you are scaling this recipe up. Once opened, you should transfer the leftover purée in the can into an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for a week or freeze it for up to 6 months. Try making my Pumpkin Pancakes or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with the leftover purée!
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Mixer
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
For the Cookie Dough:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (150g)
- 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)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
For the Cookie Dough:
- 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 and vanilla, and beat until well 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 1 to 2 tablespoons of chilled dough and roll into balls between your palms. Roll in the cinnamon sugar until well coated and place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 12 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
- Make sure your light brown sugar is soft and moist for the best cookies. If your brown sugar has hardened, it’s an easy fix! I wrote a detailed post on how to soften brown sugar.
- If the dough is not rolling into a ball, allow it to chill in the fridge longer. It should chill for a minimum of 30 minutes, or the dough will not be firm enough to roll. If your kitchen is on the warmer side, you might have to roll them in batches, keeping half of the dough in the fridge.
- Unlike most snickerdoodles, this pumpkin snickerdoodles recipe doesn’t contain any eggs! The addition of the egg made the cookies more cakey than chewy. If you like your cookies on the fluffier side, you can add 1 large egg or 1 egg yolk to the batter. Just beat it into the butter mixture with the pumpkin puree. Then chill and bake as instructed.
- For pumpkin cookies that spread a bit more and bake up more crispy on the edges, bake the cookies at 350F for 14 minutes.
- The cookie dough can be chilled overnight, but do not roll the cookies into balls and coat with sugar until you are ready to bake.
- Avoid overmixing the cookie dough, or the cookies will come out dense.
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