Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

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I am so jacked up that it’s finally fall, you guys. Nothing says fall more than pumpkin food. So, I’m super excited to share these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies with you. They’re my newest love. They’re warm, a little spicy, very chewy, a tad crunchy, and most of all, pumpkin-y.

Cookies laying on a white tray with a small bowl of pumpkin puree.

The Small Details About These Cookies

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve heard about my little snickerdoodle project. I set out to create one new recipe that was a specific texture of puffy and soft, but not cakey and in the process, I created five new snickerdoodle recipes. Yes, FIVE!

These pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies were one of those recipes. I was trying to achieve a pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie that was perfectly cracked on top, remained relatively flat, soft, and chewy, but still had some volume without being cake-like. And TA-DA, here they are!

Ingredients to make pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies laying on a whitewashed wooden table.

Here’s What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe

  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Egg yolk
  • Vanilla extract
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Flour
  • Baking soda
  • Cream of tartar
  • Pumpkin pie spice
  • Cinnamon
  • Sea salt
  • Cinnamon and sugar for rolling
Cookies piled up with a small bowl of pumpkin puree nestled with them.

Step-by-step Instructions for Making These Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

  1. Start by creaming the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer for several minutes, until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree and continue mixing for another minute or so.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and sea salt.
  4. Then, add slowly add the flour to the wet ingredients (I’d say about half at a time) and stir until the flour is just combined, but don’t over-mix the dough.
  5. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough into your hands and roll into a nice fat ball. Then generously (and I mean generously!) roll the balls in cinnamon and sugar and place them on the baking sheet.
  6. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, let cool completely on a wire rack, and enjoy!
Cookies laying on a wire rack with a small bowl of cinnamon sugar next to them.

A Few Notes From Me to You

It’s important to measure your ingredients carefully for this recipe. If you get too much sugar or too much flour, the texture of the cookies will change and they might spread out or puff up on you. If you have a little food scale, I’d recommend weighing your sugars and flour at least.

Cookies piled up with one on top that's broken in two to show the inside of the cookie.

Questions About This Recipe

You can substitute baking powder if necessary. It will change the flavor of the cookies slightly. Substitute 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder instead.

Yes! Either one is fine, actually. Just make sure to let the dough come up to room temperature before you bake the cookies. If you freeze the dough, thaw it out in the fridge the night before and then let it come up to room temperature before baking the cookies.

Yes! Just use a smaller cookie scoop and keep a close eye on them towards the end of baking. Smaller cookies tend to bake up faster and you don’t want to over-bake them.

Yes you can. I personally find that canned pumpkin is more appealing in color and flavor, but if you prefer fresh pumpkin, it will definitely work in this recipe. Here’s how I make my own pumpkin puree if you’re interested.

Also, this cookie dough is soft, since there’s no chilling required for this recipe, so try to handle it as little as possible.

I’d also recommend sampling the dough if you’re a fellow cookie dough lover. It’s one of the best (…I know this is frowned upon, but I said what I said 😉).

Cookies piled up with a small bowl of pumpkin puree nestled with them.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

By: Kristine Underwood
The most perfect pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies that are warm, spicy, crispy, and chewy. You'll want to make these cookies over and over all season long.
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Course Sweets & Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 cookies
Calories 110 kcal

ingredients
 
 

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • Extra cinnamon and sugar for rolling (1/4 cup sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
    1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • Beat in egg yolk, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree for about 1 minute, until smooth.
    1 egg yolk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • In a separate bowl, gently whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and sea salt together.
    1½ cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients, half at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until just combined.
  • Using a 2 TBS cookie scoop, scoop dough, roll into a ball, and generously roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place coated cookies on a lined baking sheet 2 inches apart.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Avoid over-baking. Cookies will be slightly puffy and cracked on the top.
  • Let cookies cool on the baking sheet until they are sturdy enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Make sure to read the cookie baking tips to get answers to common questions about baking cookies.
Here’s how to make your own fresh pumpkin puree, if you’re interested.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 632IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
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8 Comments

  1. Hurray for more pumpkin! I loved these and they were super easy to make. I gave some to my neighbor because I was too tempted to eat the entire batch this weekend!5 stars

    1. Thank you so much, Cyndy! Haha, that sounds familiar. I give a lot of cookies away too because I’ve been known to eat way too many myself.

  2. I, too, am excited it’s fall! I was searching for a good pumpkin cookie recipe and I’m so glad I found this one. These cookies are delicious!5 stars

    1. I’m so glad to hear it, Janessa! Thanks for stopping back by to leave a review, I really appreciate it. Happy fall!

  3. I loved the idea of combining pumpkin with snickerdoodle cookies! Yum! These cookies have such a great flavor and texture. Thanks! 5 stars

    1. It’s a winning combo, that’s for sure Anjali! Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed them. Happy fall!

  4. Amanda Wren-Grimwood says:

    Can’t beat pumpkin cookies and these were really good! The recipe was easy to make too.5 stars