Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are the best fall treat! Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies that are chewy in the center and crispy on the outside!
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If you love pumpkin, cinnamon and cookies, you NEED one of these freshly baked pumpkin snickerdoodles!
They're arguably the perfect cookie. Crispy on the outside, chewy in the center. Warm fall spices, sweet pumpkin- what's not to love!? If pumpkin isn't your thing- give this Best Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe a try.
This is of my favorite recipes that uses pumpkin, and I'm sure you're going to love it too. These Soft Pumpkin Cookies are a close second.
Other tasty pumpkin desserts like Easy Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes or Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats are perfect for a fall dessert table alongside our Ginger Cake!
Why we love this Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe
- Delicious: There's no doubt about it, snickerdoodles are one of the most delicious cookies. If you're a pumpkin lover, you have to try them!
- Budget-friendly: With most of these baking ingredients already on hand, this lovely dessert isn't going to break the bank.
- Fall Vibes: When you need that perfect fall cookie, this is the ultimate recipe!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe Ingredients
To make pumpkin snickerdoodles you'll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Cream of tartar
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Corn starch
- Salt
- Butter
- white sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin puree
- ground cinnamon
How to make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Here's how to make the best pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies:
- Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, pumpkin pie spice, corn starch, and salt together.
- In a stand mixer beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and pumpkin puree to the butter and sugar. Beat for another 30-60 seconds.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low until combined. Cover the bowl and chill in your fridge for at least 1 hour.
- When the dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar together in a shallow bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop, measure out 2 tablespoon balls. Roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then transfer to the prepared baking sheets 2-3 inches apart from each other.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just turning a light golden color. Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Storing Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Storing: You can store these pumpkin snickerdoodles at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week, these cookies will keep longer if refrigerated.
Freezing: You can also freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Freezing Cookie Dough: You can freeze this cookie dough. Scoop into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or use these cookie dough freezing trays. Don't freeze with the sugar coating. Defrost, then roll in cinnamon sugar!
Check out this post for How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips on saving cookie dough for later.
Substitutions for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Recipe:
All Purpose Flour: We don't recommend substituting the flour, but you can check out this article on Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour or Substitutions for All-Purpose Flour
Baking Soda: Baking soda is essential for this recipe. Do not substitute with baking powder.
Cream of Tartar: The cream of tartar gives snickerdoodle cookies that traditional tangy taste and chew we're all used to, it isn't recommended to substitute this ingredient.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: A jar of pumpkin spice can be replaced by a combination of 1 ½ teaspoons of Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of each Ginger, Allspice, Cloves, and Nutmeg.
Corn Starch: Essential in creating that super soft and fluffy snickerdoodle cookie you love, we don't recommend substituting.
Salt: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy-free butter but it might work! If you don't have salted butter add a pinch of salt to the batter.
Cane Sugar: We don't recommend substituting cane sugar unless you have to. Check out this post on Sugar Substitutes for Baking for other ideas.
Light Brown Sugar: If all you have is dark brown sugar or a combination of both sugars, that will still work well. Check out this post on Sugar Substitutes for Baking for other ideas.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Pumpkin Puree: Libby's canned pumpkin puree is a popular brand used in baking. Make sure you don't grab pumpkin pie filling, as that is already spiced.
Cinnamon: Helps to add additional flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Tips for a Perfect Pumpkin Snickerdoodle
- Pumpkin Puree: Canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree is best. The only ingredient should be pureed pumpkin, don't mix it up with pumpkin pie filling.
- Chilling: Chilling your dough helps to solidify your ingredients and lessen the spread of your cookies in the oven.
- Measure Flour Carefully: Measuring out your flour using a kitchen scale or the scoop and swipe method will ensure you end up with the proper amount.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Recipe FAQ
While both sugar cookies and snickerdoodle cookies contain mostly the same ingredients, traditionally snickerdoodles are made with the addition of Cream of Tartar. The cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their slightly tangy flavor, which pairs nicely with the cinnamon sugar topping.
'The Joy of Cooking' says that the word snickerdoodle is likely German and is a play on the word Schneckennudel. Other possibilities are that it's a nonsensical word coming from a New England tradition of giving cookies whimsical names.
Yes, gently press down on the round cookie dough ball before baking. Pressing down on them will prevent the center from becoming too puffy.
The most common issue as to why your snickerdoodles are not flattening is that there is too much flour. Taking care to measure the flour correctly should fix the issue of flat cookies. Using a kitchen scale to weigh the flour will give your the most accurate measurement and result in perfect cookies.
The amount of flour used in your cookie dough could also result in too much spread. When baking the cookie dough, the temperature is melting the ingredients, if there isn't enough flour in the dough the cookie will likely spread too much. Use a kitchen scale to accurately measure out the flour to prevent overspreading.
Other delicious cookie recipes:
- Delicious Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe
Ingredients
Dry
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
Topping
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Dry
- In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, pumpkin pie spice, corn starch, and salt together. Set aside.
Wet
- In a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, cane sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides throughout.
- Add the vanilla and pumpkin puree to the butter and sugar. Beat for another 30-60 seconds to incorporate, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low until combined. Cover the bowl and chill in your fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Roll
- When the dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Mix the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar together in a shallow bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop, measure out 2 tablespoon balls. Roll in the sugar mixture, then transfer to the prepared baking sheets 2-3 inches apart from each other.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just turning a light golden color.
- Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: These snickerdoodles will keep at room temperature for up to 7 days; Freezer for up to 3 months.
- Substitutions: Replace all-purpose flour with gluten-free blend 1:1; Replace regular butter with dairy-free sour butter 1:1.
Christine M.
This cookie recipe is definitely going into the fall baking rotation! These were quick and easy to throw together and they were delicious. Even my husband who doesn’t like much pumpkin stuff likes them!!
Kelly
Love, love, love! So easy and my whole family adored these fall cookies that will now be a staple in my home! The best flavors!
Eva
These are amazing. The perfect blending of a snickerdoodle with pumpkin spice! They are sweet without being overly so, with a perfect crunchy outside and soft inside. I'm gluten free and made with 1-1 Bob's Red Mill GF flour and they turned out perfectly! Seriously my favorite fall dessert now:)
Erin
Oh this is so good to know! Thanks for sharing that. I didn't share any with my mom because she's gluten free, but now I know I can make my next batch that way so she can enjoy them too 🙂
Erin
These are incredible! I made a double batch of the dough planning to freeze some to use during the holidays, but after tasting one from the first batch I knew I had to bake them all lol.
I am new to baking on silicone mats and found I had to flatten the cookie dough balls to achieve the normal shape of a snickerdoodle, but other than that which I'm sure is common knowledge to a seasoned silicone mat baker, this recipe is perfection and I will definitely be making these again!
Elizabeth Taylor
These were so easy to make and delicious!! I loved how subtle the pumpkin was, but still tasted so much like fall due to all the warm spices!