These Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Cookies are super soft and chewy (not cakey!), made with real pumpkin, and coated in cinnamon and sugar. The perfect cookie recipe for fall!
I have to admit, I’ve never really loved pumpkin cookies very much. I love pumpkin and cookies, but the problem with them is that they tend to be cakey and not really taste like cookies. I’d much rather just eat a piece of pumpkin cake.
I’ve had these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles on my mind for a while now, so a few weekends ago I set out to finally figure out how to make pumpkin cookies that weren’t cakey. I wanted to create a pumpkin cookie recipe that was soft, chewy, and loaded with pumpkin flavor.
And let me tell you, these Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles deliver all of that. Not only are they super soft and chewy, but these cookies have actual pumpkin in them too. If you love pumpkin and snickerdoodles, then this is one recipe you have to try this fall!
What You’ll Need For This Recipe
This recipe starts out with some of your usual snickerdoodle cookie ingredients, but it features some special ingredients to transform these into soft pumpkin cookies. Here’s what you’ll need to make these easy pumpkin cookies:
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it to avoid making cakey cookies.
- Pumpkin pie spice & ground cinnamon: If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice on hand, here is the recipe I like to use to make my own.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise.
- Cream of tartar: The cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodles a little bit of a tangy taste and also reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise.
- Salt: You need a little salt in the cookie dough to balance out the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands.
- Sugar: I used a mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar, both to add sweetness and a little moisture to these pumpkin spice snickerdoodles.
- Egg yolk: This recipe doesn’t call for a whole egg, just the egg yolk. I promise that’s not a mistake. One of the main reasons pumpkin cookies tend to turn out cakey is because pumpkin adds moisture to the batter. In order to avoid this problem, I removed some moisture from the batter by just using an egg yolk instead of the whole egg.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Pumpkin puree: Be careful to buy pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
How to Make Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Cookies
To make the cookies, start by whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set it aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl, cream together the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Then, mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Next, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix them together until just combined.
Once you make the cookie dough, it’s important to let the dough chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the cookie dough helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. Once the cookie dough is chilled, scoop it out and roll each ball of cookie dough in a cinnamon sugar mixture, then bake them.
The result? Perfectly soft and chewy pumpkin cookies. Not a cakey pumpkin cookie anywhere in sight!
FAQ’s
How to Store These Cookies
Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week.
Can I Freeze These Cookies?
Cookie dough balls may be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll in the cinnamon sugar coating just before baking and bake from frozen for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Baked cookies will also freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw to room temperature before serving.
Baking Tips
- When measuring your flour, don’t scoop it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree in these cookies and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree will just have pumpkin listed as the only ingredient on the back of the can.
- Be sure to chill your cookie dough for at least 30 minutes so your cookies don’t spread too much in the oven.
More Pumpkin Desserts to Try!
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Roll
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) pumpkin puree
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract, then mix in the pumpkin puree, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for the coating. Roll each ball of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar coating and place back on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Soooo good! I didn’t refrigerate & they came out perfect!!
Great recipe! I will be making more for the holidays!
Can I use fresh pumpkin purée? It’s been in my freezer and will likely be more watery than canned purée. Tips for using that?
I think it would be fine. If it’s more watery than canned pumpkin, I’d recommend spreading it onto some paper towels and blotting out the excess moisture.
I made a double batch of these cookies today for my Womans Club meeting. Actually I didn’t have the cream of tarter and they were still
delicious. I will definitely share this recipe with a friend. Thank you. They are delicious.
What about making the dough and refrigerating it to bake the next evening? Would I just take it out of the fridge and let get to room temperature before rolling and coating with sugar and cinnamon?
You can refrigerate it overnight. I wouldn’t let it come completely to room temperature though, because you do want the butter in the dough to be chilled. If it’s too hard to scoop, you can let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
Is there a substitute for cream of tartar? I live abroad and can’t get any here. 🙁
It would be fine to omit it from the recipe, it just adds a little tanginess to the cookies to give them the classic snickerdoodle taste.
These are absolutely the best snickerdoodles I have ever tasted! I made them for my daughter’s baby shower last fall and have had many requests to make them again. I love baking and gifting baked goods to people, and everyone has raved about these! I was wondering if you would have any recommendations for making gingerbread snickerdoodles? While I am sure I could find a recipe for them, your recipe for these is BY FAR the best! I don’t want to mess with perfection! 🙂
So glad everyone loved these cookies, Danielle! You could use my ginger molasses cookie recipe here and coat them in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. I hope that helps!
I made these according to the directions. The taste was doughy and the texture was undercooked. I will give these another shot with more time in the oven.
Amazing flavor soft perfect texture. A new family favorite. Followed recipe but chilled over a hour . Thanks for sharing.
These cookies are exceptionally tasty! I was drawn to this recipe because they’re described at chewy, not cakey, but unfortunately mine came out really cakey. Is there a way to get more of a chewy cookie?
Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour? If so, it may be that your pumpkin puree had too much moisture in it. You could try blotting out the excess moisture with some paper towels before using it.
Can you add chocolate chips to this recipe???
Yes, you can add 3/4 to 1 cup.
These were perfect for a fall treat, delicious! I rolled the balls and then couldn’t bake them for almost a week but kept them in the fridge and they baked wonderfully. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Im waiting my half hour to pull from the fridg. A bit nervous, I’ve baked regular snickerdooles with ok results. It looks like it doesn’t make alot. I may have to double it next time.
YUM!! I did not have cream of tartar to use and it didn’t miss it! I got some of the liquid out of the pumpkin with paper towels, and added 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips. Sooo good!