Complete your fall baking repertoire with these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles! With soft, chewy, and pumpkin-infused insides and a cinnamon-sugar coating, this baking recipe is great for after-school treats, fall cookie tables, and more!
Warm up on a cool fall afternoon by baking this pumpkin snickerdoodles recipe! With just a handful of easy-to-follow recipe steps and a big fall-inspired flavor, you’ll enjoy making these sweet treats as much as you will eating them. They’re delightfully soft and chewy, and the pumpkin spice seasoning blend will fill your kitchen with its warm and spicy aroma.
Serve this snickerdoodle pumpkin cookies recipe anywhere tasty fall treats are welcome – Halloween parties, pumpkin decorating get-togethers, and cozy fall evenings in with a movie or a book are some of my favorite picks. Keep the everyday ingredients on hand all season long to indulge in baking therapy anytime, or make a double batch at once and freeze the leftovers to enjoy single servings when cravings strike! For more cookie recipes, check out my White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies, and Molasses Cookies recipes.
What are pumpkin snickerdoodles?
Similar to its classic counterpart, this pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie recipe is a soft and buttery cookie with a creamy texture and a cinnamon sugar-crackled exterior. They are comforting, sweet, and boast warm cinnamon notes. The biggest difference between traditional and pumpkin snickerdoodles is that the latter contains pumpkin puree and spice blend, adding a cozy autumnal twist to the classic cookies.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour – Adds a neutral base to the easy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, giving them structure and flavor. Always use flour with a good expiration date and measure it by weight if possible. If you don’t have a food scale, scoop the flour into measuring cups and level off the tops with a knife.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – This fall seasoning blend is made of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. It adds a sweet, spicy profile to these cookies. You can make your own, or use store-bought. Always use spices with a good expiration date for the most potent flavor.
- Pumpkin Puree – This ingredient adds a light orange color and lightly sweet, earthy notes. Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. All you will need is ¼ cup.
- Cream of Tartar – Adds the pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe’s signature tang and helps stabilize the dough, giving it a smooth and creamy texture. You can find it in the grocery store’s baking aisle along with the spices.
- Unsalted Butter – For richness and creaming the sugars. Use unsalted to best control the pumpkin snickerdoodle seasoning. Melt it in the microwave or on the stovetop and let cool before using.
- Brown Sugar – Adds caramel and molasses notes to the cookies, enhancing their fall flavor. Use light brown sugar for a more classic flavor and dark brown sugar for a richer molasses touch. Pack the measuring cups firmly when measuring.
- Vanilla Extract – Contributes a warm and nutty flavor to the soft and chewy pumpkin snickerdoodles. For the best results, use pure vanilla extract.
- Egg Yolks – Separate the egg yolk from the white by gently moving the yolk from one cracked side of the egg to the other, letting the whites fall out into a bowl or the sink. For the easiest separation, bring the yolks to room temperature before cracking.
- Ground Cinnamon – This is mixed with granulated sugar to make the cinnamon-sugar coating for the cookies.
Helpful Tools
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Whisk
- Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients.
Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugars.
Add the melted and cooled butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined, light, and fluffy.
Step 3: Add wet ingredients.
Add the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredient mixture to the mixing bowl. Mix until just combined.
Step 5: Chill.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes.
Step 6: Make the sugar topping.
Whisk the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small bowl.
Step 7: Scoop the cookies and roll in the sugar topping.
Roll the cookie dough into 1½ tablespoon-sized balls, then roll them in the sugar topping. Place the sugar-coated pieces onto the baking sheet about two inches apart.
Step 8: Bake.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies have slightly spread and the tops have crackled. Cool completely on a wire cooling rack before enjoying.
Recipe Variations
- Double Pumpkin Spice: Satisfy pumpkin spice lovers by making a pumpkin spice cinnamon sugar coating. Mix two teaspoons of the seasoning blend with ¼ cup of sugar before rolling the cookie dough balls.
- Gluten-Free: To make this pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie recipe for those avoiding gluten, substitute a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour and follow the recipe directions as listed.
- Sweet Potato or Squash: Use leftovers while trying your hand at a different flavor profile by substituting sweet potato or butternut squash puree for the pumpkin.
Tips for Making Perfect
- Cool the butter before mixing. Hot melted butter may cook or curdle the egg yolk, so cool it until just warm before creaming it with the sugars.
- Don’t over-stir the dough. Doing so overdevelops the gluten and can result in tough, dense, or overly chewy cookies. Stir in the dry ingredients just until the streaks of flour have disappeared and the dough is combined.
- Chill the dough. This allows the flour to hydrate, resulting in tender and soft pumpkin spice snickerdoodles that don’t overspread.
- Use a cookie dough scooper for uniformity. A small scooper does the measuring work for you, resulting in evenly sized and baked cookies.
- Don’t press the cookies before baking. They will naturally spread as they bake, creating a beautiful crackled effect, so there is no need to press the cookies before baking.
Serving Suggestions
Delight your family with a fall-themed afterschool snack by serving these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies with a glass of milk for dunking. They also make a great fall house warming present or welcome to the neighborhood treat for friends and neighbors. Or, add them to a Halloween dessert spread for a crowd-pleasing treat!
Storage Directions
At room temperature – Cool the pumpkin snickerdoodles cookies to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container and storing up to 4 days.
In the refrigerator – To extend the shelf life of these treats, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
In the freezer – You can also freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for 30 minutes before enjoying.
Other Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Pumpkin Spice Latte Panna Cotta
This panna cotta has 3 distinct layers – vanilla, coffee and pumpkin spice. Scoop them all together and it’s the most autumnal panna cotta you’ve ever had!
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Pancakes
Perfectly spiced and perfectly indulgent for a weekend morning, these pancakes have a delicious swirl of cheesecake throughout!
Pumpkin Spice Pop Tarts
These pop tarts are filled with a toasted graham cracker, white chocolate and pumpkin filling!
Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
Homemade pumpkin spice ice cream served in PIE CRUST BOWLS! It doesn’t get any cuter than this!
No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
A much smoother, creamier alternative to classic pumpkin pie! If you’re not a huge fan of the original, I highly recommend trying this one out instead!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie dough:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice or combine 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp cloves
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup pure pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Sugar topping:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter and both the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and well combined.
- Add the pumpkin puree, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until just combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the ingredients for the sugar topping in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Roll the cookie dough into 1 ½ tbsp-sized balls, then roll them in the sugar topping. Place them on the baking sheet about 2” apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies have slightly spread and the top has crackled.
- Cool completely, then enjoy!
Notes
- Cool the butter before mixing. Hot melted butter may cook or curdle the egg yolk, so cool it until just warm before creaming it with the sugars.
- Don’t over-stir the dough. Doing so overdevelops the gluten and can result in tough, dense, or overly chewy cookies. Stir in the dry ingredients just until the streaks of flour have disappeared and the dough is combined.
- Chill the dough. This allows the flour to hydrate, resulting in tender and soft pumpkin spice snickerdoodles that don’t overspread.
- Use a cookie dough scooper for uniformity. A small scooper does the measuring work for you, resulting in evenly sized and baked cookies.
- Don’t press the cookies before baking. They will naturally spread as they bake, creating a beautiful crackled effect, so there is no need to press the cookies before baking.