Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are chewy cookies with a crisp, browned outside and a soft center and plenty of warm flavors throughout, plus the classic cinnamon sugar topping!
We love fall baking. Our peanut butter blossoms are perfect all year long. But be sure to try our apple shortbread bars for a delicious fall treat.
Why This Recipe is Best
The deliciousness of a traditional snickerdoodle recipe meets warm pumpkin flavors and spices in this updated and fun twist!
Pumpkin snickerdoodles are the ultimate fall cookie and will have everyone grabbing for another one.
- We’re getting pumpkin flavor from pumpkin puree AND pumpkin pie spice in these cookies.
- No need to chill the dough. One of the best parts of today’s cookie is there’s no chilling required!
- This means you can make the dough, bake the cookies and be devouring these cookies in less than 25 minutes!
Love pumpkin desserts? Our classic pumpkin roll is easier to make than you might think! Or you can give our pumpkin cinnamon rolls a try for a delicious breakfast idea!
Ingredient Notes
Reminder
Scroll to the bottom of the blog post for the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Unsalted butter – I use unsalted butter in almost all of my baking and cooking to help me control the amount of salt. We’re also using melted butter in this recipe, which helps with the texture of the cookie.
- Egg yolk – We only need the egg yolk for this recipe, not the egg white, since we have some extra liquid from the pumpkin puree. Using the whole egg will create a more cake-like texture in the cookies.
- No cream of tartar – While many traditional snickerdoodle cookie recipes use cream of tartar to add a bit of tang, we’ve got that covered with the pumpkin puree. So this recipe uses baking soda and baking powder instead.
- Vanilla extract – Be sure to use PURE vanilla extract, not an imitation. My homemade vanilla extract is extra delicious in all my baking recipes.
Aimee’s Tip
Feel free to add white chocolate chips and pecans to the cookie, similar to our cinnamon cookie recipe!
Easy Instructions
Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the melted butter and sugars until combined. Add the vanilla, egg yolk and pumpkin puree and mix well.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Roll cookies. Stir together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping. Roll the cookie dough into balls, each about 1 1/2 tablespoons, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Bake and cool. Place the rolled cookies on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake at 350 degrees F for 11-12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Tips & Tricks
- Line the baking sheets with parchment paper, which helps prevent the cookies from sticking. It also makes clean up a breeze!
- Be sure to melt the butter. Melted butter helps to create a chewy cookie texture that is a characteristic of classic snickerdoodles with an outside that’s crispy and brown and a soft inside. You can melt the butter in a small microwaveable bowl on high for about 1 minute.
- Use the egg yolk ONLY. We don’t need the egg white in this recipe because of the liquid in the pumpkin puree. You can save it to make meringue cookies!
- Make cookie bars! Use our snickerdoodle bars recipe to make delicious and EASY cookie bars instead.
Recipe FAQs
These cookies can be stored, once completely cooled, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can freeze these cookies. Place baked cookies, once cooled, in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Yes, you can freeze the dough before you bake the pumpkin snickerdoodles. Scoop the dough into balls, dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture then place on a baking sheet. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour, just until frozen. Immediately transfer the frozen cookie dough to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
No, the beauty of these cookies is that you don’t need to chill the dough. You can bake them immediately.
However, you can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake the cookies, if desired.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Banana Pudding Recipe
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Pumpkin Pie Truffles
Easy Cookie Recipes
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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
For the dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pumpkin purée
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
For the topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk melted butter and sugars together.
- Add vanilla, egg, and pumpkin.
- In a separate bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon and sugar for the topping. Set aside.
- Using a 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop or a regular spoon, scoop cookie dough and roll it into a ball—about 2 inches in diameter.
- Drop into cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat.
- Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 11-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 mins before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Storage: Cookies will stay fresh, in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Baked cookies may be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Using melted butter – Melted butter helps to create a chewy cookie texture that is a characteristic of classic snickerdoodles. It aids in making the outside crispy and brown with a soft inside but not a cakey one.
- Absence of cream of tartar – In traditional snickerdoodles, the cream of tartar adds a tang to the taste. Because this is added by the pumpkin, we omitted it from the recipe and used baking soda and baking powder instead.
- Using only the egg yolk – because of the added moisture present in pumpkin, we can do without the egg white in this recipe. Using the whole egg would create a more cake-like cookie.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
These were amazing! Came out very light and rich, with a nice bit of crunch on the outside. Very simple but oh so delicious!
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies, thank you for the comment!
Going to make these for a Bake Sale coming up. Can’t wait to try them out. Thought something different might sell faster. =)