These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are a fun fall spin on classic snickerdoodles! My recipe has the perfect soft and chewy (not cakey!) texture with a buttery pumpkin flavor. Recipe includes a how-to video!
A Seasonal Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe
If you love snickerdoodles, wait until you try these pumpkin snickerdoodles! These fall-flavored cookies are incredibly soft, chewy, and buttery. They have a distinct snickerdoodle flavor accented by pumpkin, cinnamon sugar, and other fall spices, and they’re truly the perfect fall cookie!
This recipe has been a favorite on the blog for years, and for good reason. Not only is it easy, but there’s no mixer required (yay!). You will need a bit of patience (there’s some chilling involved), but this is one cookie recipe that is absolutely worth the wait!
So often pumpkin cookies end up being cakey, but I designed my pumpkin snickerdoodles to have the perfect soft and chewy texture. You’ll find yourself eating one… and then another… and then another… so I typically recommend making a double batch just to be safe 😊
What You Need
Most of these ingredients will be expected, but there’s a few you should pay close attention to, including:
- Melted butter. Rather than creaming together our butter and sugar, which creates air bubbles and leads to thicker, fluffier cookies, we’re going to melt our butter. This is a long-time favorite trick of mine for soft, chewy cookies that have the best flavor (like my chocolate chip cookies!). It’s especially important in today’s recipe, where the extra moisture from the pumpkin could make our cookies cakey. Using melted butter is key in helping combat this!
- Pumpkin. Use pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has additives that we don’t need in our pumpkin snickerdoodles.
- Egg yolk. Pumpkin has a lot of water in it, and the water can lead to cakey cookies. Because we’re adding all of this moisture from the pumpkin, we will omit the egg white to reduce excess moisture. We leave the egg yolk which is mostly fat and will help make our pumpkin snickerdoodles tender, but toss that egg white (or use it to make candied pecans!).
- Cream of tartar. You simply can’t make snickerdoodles without cream of tartar! This is an essential ingredient and I don’t have a good substitute, so make sure you have it before you start.
- Pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have the pre-made version, make my homemade pumpkin spice!
SAM’S TIP: Make sure your butter has cooled enough that it’s not warm to the touch before adding your sugar! Adding the sugar while the butter is too hot can cause your sugar to melt and leave you with a greasy, unusable cookie dough.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Combine the (cooled) butter and sugars, then stir in the pumpkin until combined.
- Stir in the egg and vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually add them to the wet ingredients.
- Cover the dough and let it chill for at least 45 minutes.
- Scoop and roll dough through cinnamon sugar before baking for 10-12 minutes.
SAM’S TIP: Never put cold cookie dough on a hot (or even warm) cookie sheet! This will cook/melt the cookies prematurely and can cause them to spread too much, leading to flat cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chilling your cookie dough longer than the recommended 45 minutes is fine. I’ve made pumpkin snickerdoodle dough as far as 3 days in advance. Just keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator. If you chill for longer than 45 minutes and the dough is too difficult to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for several minutes until it can easily be scooped.
Definitely! You can freeze the balls (before rolling in cinnamon sugar) on a cookie sheet before placing in an airtight bag or container for pumpkin snickerdoodles on demand.
Unfortunately I do not recommend it. Cream of tartar is what gives all snickerdoodles (and my snickerdoodle blondies) their classic flavor and tang. Don’t skip it!
Love these pumpkin snickerdoodles? I have so many more snickerdoodle recipes, from snickerdoodle scones to snickerdoodle cupcakes!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled for at least 10 minutes
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar tightly packed
- ¼ cup (73 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (190) all purpose (plain) flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar and stir until well-combined. Add pumpkin and stir well.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) sugar, ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (73 g) pumpkin puree
- Stir in egg yolk and vanilla extract.1 large egg yolk, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt until well-combined.1 ½ cups (190) all purpose (plain) flour, 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until ingredients are well-combined.
- Cover cookie dough with clear wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 45 minutes.
- One dough is nearly finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper. Prepare your cinnamon sugar mixture by whisking together ¼ cup sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon in a small bowl.¼ cup (50 g) sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Remove dough from refrigerator and scoop into 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized balls. Roll briefly between your palms until smooth and then roll through cinnamon sugar and transfer to prepared cookie sheet, spacing at least 2" apart.
- Bake cookies in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes. Keep your remaining dough refrigerated while cookies are baking and do not place cookie dough on a hot baking sheet.
- Allow baked cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before enjoying.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Justine
I made these and then I took the recipe and replaced the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice with homemade apple butter and spice for apple pie filling. Two great fall flavors!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Justine! Your changes sound really tasty. 🙂
Brianna
I made these and the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! Both are delicious 🙂 I’m planning on baking them both again for Thanksgiving this year! Thank you!!
Also, I appreciate that your recipes have the ingredients amounts in grams, so much easier to get a consistent accurate recipe that way.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed both recipes, Brianna! Thank you so much for trying them! I hope that the cookies are a hit at your Thanksgiving table this year as well. 🙂
Debra Fillingim
I have made these 6 times. Everyone says it is the best cookie they have had. Very easy and quick to do. Suggestion: you will eat a lot so making just this amount is good. If sharing for sure double the recipe.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Debra! 🙂
Janet M
I was making these cookies according to the recipe when I realized I had accidentally used almond extract instead of vanilla. I wasn’t going to throw everything out so I just went with it. Delicious! And now that’s how I prepare them. 😊
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Janet! 🙂
Liz
These cookies are delicious! I have my second batch in the fridge. This time I’m adding a half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to my cinnamon sugar. I can’t wait 😋
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Liz!! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Ginger
Your snickerdoodle blondies are the best, and I’d love to try this recipe in similar form. The dough looks like it would press and bake nicely in a 9×13 (or 8×8?) pan. Any thoughts or suggestions? And would adding a bit of pumpkin pie spice to the topping be overwhelming?
Sam
Hi Ginger! I haven’t tried this one in a pan but i think it would work great. I would probably do a 9×13 pan on 350F and for the bake time I’d recommend checking around 23 minutes or so (I’m not sure exactly how long they would take as I haven’t tried it myself… yet!). I think some pumpkin spice mixed in with the topping would be excellent, you can sub out some of the cinnamon or just add it along with the cinnamon and sugar for the topping. I would start with less and then add more as per your personal preference. I hope that helps!
Judy
Sam, I love your recipes! Rave reviews! You seem to really understand the chemistry of baking.
On the other hand, let’s just say I’m glad YOU do!
Since this recipe only makes 16 cookies at a time, my question is can you double the recipe if you just remember to keep the dough in the refrigerator between setting the cookie dough on the cookie sheet to bake?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Judy! Thank you so much! I am so glad that you enjoy my recipes. For the Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, doubling the recipe should be fine. I hope that you enjoy them! 🙂
Adelaide Gantt
Rave reviews from the outreach workday crew!
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Adelaide! I am so happy that everyone enjoyed the Pumpkin Snickerdoodles! 🙂
Judith
I am an experienced baker and my Snickerdoodles came out flat. Could it be because I didn’t have any Cream of Tartar on hand and substituted with a 1/4 tsp. of lemon juice. However, the cookies were soft and yummy. Please advise.
Note: I love, love, love all your recipes!!
Sam
I’m sorry to hear that, Judith! Yes, my best guess would be the substitution (though if the butter was too hot when the sugar was added that could also cause this). I hope if you try them again they are a success for you, and I”m glad you have been enjoying the other recipes! 🙂
Sophie
I made these at the weekend, for the first time this season. Just as yummy as I remembered from last year! I see these cookies being a fall baking staple in my family for years to come!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Sophie! I am so glad that your family enjoys the pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies. I hope you enjoy them year after year! 🙂
Candice
Making these next! I am a giant fan of your pumpkin cake with your butter cream frosting…I’m using the rest of the canned pumpkin to make the cake! I’d like to add that pumpkin cake freezes fantastically with the icing on it… Wrap it loosely with foil and put it in freezer bags…Enjoy!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Candice! I am glad that you enjoy them pumpkin cake and hope that you enjoy the pumpkin snickerdoodles just as much. Happy Baking! 🙂
Sarah
Best snickerdoodle ever woman!
Sugar Spun Run
Sarah, Thank you! I am so glad that you enjoyed the Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. 🙂
Liz DAgostino
My daughter, Sophie, made these for us and they are insanely good, her’s rose a bit more and were like a cross between a cake and a cookie, amazing,we had to put some in the freezer to stop us eating them in one go. I’m looking forward to trying more recipes from the site.
Sam
😂 Unfortunately I know how that goes! I routinely have to get rid of things so I don’t eat it all! I am so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Marie-Ange
I just have made them and ate two of them for now, but seriously these are the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. They are soft and taste so good, with the cinnamon and the pumpkin! So thanks Sam for this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them! ☺️
Sophie
I cant wait to try these! I LOVE that you put the weight in grams of the ingredients and not just the US cup system! So far I have enjoyed baking and eating all of your recipes that I have tried, especially your cookies. As have my family!!
Sam
I hope you love these too! ☺️