Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Mix pumpkin in to this classic cookie recipe to get Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, a sweet cookie just bursting with fall flavor! They are soft cookies with a chewy exterior. Serve them with a glass of cold milk or a cup of hot tea for a delightful fall treat.
My grandmother was the best baker and taught me how to make many of her perfect cookies over the years. Every fall I would ask her to make her delicious Snickerdoodles, they were soft and chewy and tasted like cinnamon and sugar. There is nothing quite like Grandma’s Snickerdoodles.
So what could be better than adding the flavors of fall to this classic cookie? Pumpkin gets stirred into the batter to make these delightful Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. They are a great way to celebrate fall and will quickly become one of your favorite fall cookie recipes!
Tips on making Pumpkin Snickerdoodles:
- Use Pure Pumpkin– Most importantly, you want to use pure pumpkin. Libby’s is a trusted brand and pure pumpkin is affordable and available in grocery stores and online. It is a great addition to many desserts. Do NOT use pumpkin pie mix. It has spices and other ingredients added to the pumpkin, which is fine for baking a pie, but not for using in a cookie recipe.
- Cream of Tartar– Check the expiration date and make sure your cream of tartar is fresh. Baking powder and cream of tartar will lose their effectiveness over time. Make sure to use it before it reaches its expiration date. Cream of tartar is used in snickerdoodle recipes to give the cookies that chewy exterior with crinkles and cracks on top and to help the cookies rise.
- Sugar Coating– Add your cinnamon and sugar to a small bowl and mix thoroughly. This dough can be sticky, so use a scoop sprayed with cooking spray to drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough into the sugar mixture. I often pick up the bowl and move it in a circular motion to coat the cookie balls before placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe
What’s needed?
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Coating:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
How to make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles?
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the sugar and the softened butter together in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin. Set aside.
- Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. This will eliminate lumps in your cookies. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until blended.
- Stir together the 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set it aside. Using a scoop, roll the dough into one inch balls and then roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Recipe makes 30 cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Can I frost Pumpkin Snickerdoodles?
These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are yummy as is, but if you really want to push this cookie over the top you can add a swirl of frosting to each one. This makes them especially sweet…and oh, so delicious! Use cream cheese frosting for the best combination of flavors.
And why stop there? You can also use frosting between two cookies sandwiched together, essentially making a Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pie! Wrap them individually and refrigerate for a sweet grab-n-go snack for hungry kids and busy adults. This is truly one of fall’s best cookie recipes!
For more fall desserts, check out these yummy seasonal recipes:
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Coating:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the sugar and the softened butter together in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin. Set aside.
- Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. This will eliminate lumps in your cookies. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until blended.
- Stir together the 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set it aside. Using a scoop, roll the dough into one inch balls and then roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. For larger cookies, bake them longer. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Recipe makes 30 cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Equipment
- 1 stand or hand mixer
- 1 large baking sheet