Pumpkin Snickerdoodles blend fall spices and canned pumpkin, resulting in buttery cookies with soft interiors, crisp edges, and a pumpkin-spiced sugar crust.
On a pumpkin kick? Try Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, Pumpkin Bread, or Pumpkin Bars next.
The BEST Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
If you’ve been here for a while, you know I’m obsessed with cookies! Snickerdoodles are at the top of my list. I’ve been talking about Snickerdoodles for years—first the classic snickerdoodles, then caramel snickerdoodles, and even snickerdoodle blondies.
With fall approaching and my pumpkin spice cravings kicking in, I knew I had to make a Pumpkin Snickerdoodle. And let me tell you, it might be my favorite combination yet. They’re unbelievably delicious, with perfect pumpkin flavors, a spiced, soft interior, and a crispy, tasty exterior. I’m hooked, and you will be too!
Ingredients In Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to control the salt. Higher-quality butter gives everything a better flavor!
- White Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar: Pack it tightly into the measuring cup. Use light brown sugar, not dark.
- Pumpkin: Always use 100% pure pumpkin puree and avoid pumpkin pie filling
- Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla for the best flavor.
- Flour: Just regular all purpose flour. If you have a food scale, use it for the most accurate measurement.
- Cream of Tartar: Helps the cookies rise and stay soft. It’s key for a fluffy texture.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors, so don’t skip it!
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise.
- Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ground Cloves, Allspice, Pumpkin Pie Spice: Gives it the warm fall flavors. Feel free to scale down or up any spice.
How To Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Butter & Sugars: Whisk melted, cooled butter with sugars to avoid greasy cookies.
- Pumpkin & Vanilla: Add dabbed pumpkin to prevent a cakey texture.
- Dry Ingredients: Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and spices. Adjust spices as needed.
- Combine: Blend wet and dry ingredients until mixed.
- Shape & Chill: Form tall cookie dough balls, roll in spiced sugar, and refrigerate for easier shaping.
- Bake: Place on baking sheets and bake. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool, and enjoy!
No Eggs?
Yes, that’s right! This Pumpkin Snickerdoodles recipe contains no eggs. The pumpkin replaces the need for eggs.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookie Tips
- Pumpkin: Use a dense, non-watery pumpkin like Libby’s® for a better pumpkin flavor.
- Flour: Weigh your flour to get 390 grams for perfect pumpkin cookies every time.
- Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar has a deeper flavor because it has more molasses, but light brown sugar works too.
- Dough Shape: Shape dough into tall, thin balls for chewy middles and crunchy edges.
- Chilling: So important for the right texture and to prevent spreading, especially with melted butter.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles FAQs
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles might turn out flat and crispy if there’s too much butter, not enough flour, or if the dough isn’t chilled enough. Measure ingredients carefully and chill the dough well for the best results.
Cream of tartar gives Pumpkin Snickerdoodles their classic tangy flavor and helps them stay soft and chewy.
Yes, freeze the uncooked dough by shaping it into balls, rolling them in cinnamon sugar, and freezing them on a sheet pan. Then, store the frozen dough balls in an airtight container or bag.
Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Add 1 cup of white chocolate chips for a creamy contrast.
- Consider 1 cup of dark chocolate chips for a richer taste.
- Stir in 1 cup of chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts, for added crunch.
- Insert an unwrapped Rolo® chocolate-covered caramel into the center for a gooey surprise, similar to these Caramel Snickerdoodles.
- Sprinkle with sea salt flakes before baking for a sweet-salty combo.
More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread with chocolate chips
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins flourless and low sugar
- Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with a streusel topping
- Frozen Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake no baking required!
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake with a simple sweet glaze
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter melted
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 6 tablespoons solid-pack pumpkin (I recommend Libby's)
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 and 3/4 cup white all-purpose flour (See Note 1)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon EACH: nutmeg, ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- MELT BUTTER: In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, then set it aside to cool to room temperature. Ensure the butter is not hot to prevent greasy cookies.
- WET INGREDIENTS: Once butter is cooled, add to a large bowl. Add in white and brown sugar; whisk until smooth. Mix in pumpkin and vanilla extract until combined.
- DRY INGREDIENTS:In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk to combine.
- COMBINE: Combine dry ingredients with wet, mixing until just combined. Avoid over-mixing. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes.Combine white sugar and pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon-sugar coating.
- FORM COOKIE BALLS: Portion the dough into 45-gram balls (~2 packed tablespoons) and shape them into tall balls. Roll the dough balls generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Add the shaped dough balls to a plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- OVEN: As they near the end of chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- BAKE: Place dough balls on a lined sheet, spacing about 6 apart with ample spacing between each. Bake for 9-12 minutes, aiming for slight underbaking. After baking, if cookies have uneven edges, press them inwards with a metal spatula. Let them sit on the tray for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- COOL: Remove and let stand on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
- STORAGE: Enjoy cookies within 1-2 days; we like these even better day 2! Store extras in an airtight container at room temperature. See Note 2 for Freezing.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved this. Have you ever considered trying a gingerbread snickerdoodle recipe?
Thanks Judy! I think you’d love these: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/gingersnap-cookies/
Could I substitute the pumpkin for apple butter?
Sorry Allison, I really don’t know how that would go. Baking can be finicky sometimes so I don’t want to recommend something I haven’t tried.
so delicious and the perfect beginning-of-fall treat!
So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
These were outstanding! Half the batch is staying original and the other half I made with a cream cheese filling to make cookie sandwiches.
So happy to hear that! Cream cheese filling sounds amazing, thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
They really are THE BEST. I’ve made them 6 times this holiday season.
Oh yay!! That makes my day to hear that 🙂 Thank you so much!!
I’m an experienced baker and I am a very tough critic of all baked goods, let me tell you, these cookies, were out of this world amazing! I put a salted maple frosting on top and they were so hard to stop eating! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Yay!! Love hearing that! Thanks Jen!