Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

Soft and chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies with a cozy cinnamon sugar coating. A simple fall twist on the beloved classic cookie.

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 1

Course: Baking, Desserts

Cuisine: American

Calories: 133

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

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Cookie Dough

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method

 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, ground cinnamon, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree to the butter mixture. Mix until fully combined.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing.
5. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm enough to scoop.
6. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Scoop the chilled dough with a medium cookie scoop. In a small shallow bowl, stir together the coating sugar and cinnamon, then roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar.
8. Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 133kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 67mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 12g

Notes

Use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, since the filling is already sweetened and spiced.

Chilling the dough is essential for preventing cookies from spreading too much.

Spoon and level the flour, or weigh it, to avoid dense cookies.

Store baked snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freeze the rolled dough balls on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.

For a softer cookie, take them out of the oven when the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly soft.

These pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies pair wonderfully with coffee, tea, or cold milk.

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Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

There’s something about late August that makes me want to skip straight to fall. The heat’s still hanging around, sure, but I catch myself thinking about cozy evenings, warm spices, and the first real batch of pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies of the season. This is that recipe for me. The one I make before the leaves even turn.

These pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft and chewy in the center, with just a little crispness around the edges from that cinnamon sugar coating. They’re not cakey, not dry, not overly pumpkin-forward. Just a gentle warm spice flavor that feels like autumn in cookie form.

Here’s why you’ll love them:

• Soft snickerdoodles with a tender, chewy middle
• Only 30 minutes of chill time, so they come together fast
• A simple fall cookie recipe using pantry staples
• That classic cinnamon sugar coating with a pumpkin twist

If you’ve had bad luck with pumpkin cookies turning into muffins, I get it. The secret is in the details, and I’m going to walk you through every single one.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Ingredients

You don’t need anything fancy here. Most of these are standard baking staples, which makes this a dangerously easy pumpkin recipe to whip up on a whim.

For the cookie dough you’ll need all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, ground cinnamon, cream of tartar, salt, softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, one egg yolk, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree. That’s it.

And for the coating? Just granulated sugar and cinnamon. Simple, right?

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

A few of these deserve extra attention, because they’re the difference between great cookies and meh cookies.

• Pumpkin puree: Use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced, which throws off the whole balance of these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies.
• Cream of tartar: This gives snickerdoodles their signature tang and helps control spreading. There’s no perfect substitute, so try not to skip it.
• Light brown sugar: Adds moisture and that soft, chewy texture. Worth keeping on hand.
• Egg yolk only: The yolk adds richness without extra moisture. That’s the key to avoiding cakey pumpkin cookies.

Want to make your own pumpkin pie spice? Just combine cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a pinch of allspice. Works beautifully here. For a gluten-free version, some readers swear by Cup4Cup flour, though I haven’t tested that swap in my own kitchen.

How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Before You Begin: Blot the Pumpkin

Quick note before we start. This recipe uses just 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree, so the moisture load is already pretty controlled. You can use it straight from the can for these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies and get fantastic results. If you’re chasing an extra-chewy texture, pat it lightly with a paper towel. But don’t squeeze it dry. Too little moisture, and your cookies will crumble.

Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients and Cream the Butter

Whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set that aside. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This takes a couple of minutes with an electric mixer, and it’s worth every second. That trapped air is what gives the cookies their structure.

Step 2: Add the Wet Ingredients and Chill the Dough

Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree until everything is fully combined. Then switch to a spatula and fold the dry ingredients in gently, just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing develops gluten, and gluten makes tough cookies.

Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This step isn’t just a suggestion. Chilling firms up the butter, which means your pumpkin snickerdoodles bake up thick instead of spreading into thin pancakes.

Step 3: Scoop and Roll in Cinnamon Sugar

While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a medium cookie scoop for uniform cookies, about 1.5 tablespoons of dough each. Then stir the coating sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and roll each dough ball until it’s completely covered.

Don’t flatten the balls. They’ll spread on their own, and leaving them round gives you that lovely crackled, crinkled top.

Step 4: Bake and Cool

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Here’s the visual cue: the edges should be set, and the centers should still look slightly soft and underdone. That’s exactly what you want. Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. The centers finish setting as they cool, which is how you get that soft, chewy middle.

Tips for Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I’ve made these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies more times than I can count. Here are the lessons I learned the hard way so you don’t have to.

• Chill the dough. Non-negotiable. Even 15 extra minutes helps.
• Start with a cool baking sheet. Cold dough on a hot sheet melts the butter before the oven can set the structure, and you get flat cookies.
• Spoon and level your flour. Scooping straight from the bag can add way too much flour, which means dense, dry cookies.
• Take them out on the early side. Slightly underdone is the goal, because they keep baking as they cool.
• Don’t overmix, and never add sugar to warm butter. Both lead to the wrong texture.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Variations

This is a great base recipe, and it’s easy to make it your own. Here are a few ideas:

• White chocolate chips: Fold in about 1/2 cup before chilling. The sweetness pairs beautifully with the warm spices.
• Cinnamon chip morsels: Swap the white chocolate for cinnamon chips if you want even more spice in these chewy pumpkin cookies.
• Pumpkin spice-sugar coating: Mix the coating sugar with 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon for a deeper fall flavor.
• Double the batch: These pumpkin snickerdoodles go fast. Make two. You won’t regret it.

How to Store and Freeze Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

Baked pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Fun fact: they actually get chewier and more flavorful after a day. If you like them warm, a few seconds in the microwave brings back that fresh-from-the-oven feel. You can also warm them in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes.

For the dough, roll the chilled dough into balls but skip the cinnamon sugar coating. Freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, roll the frozen dough balls in the coating and bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.

These soft pumpkin snickerdoodles pair beautifully with a hot cup of coffee, a mug of tea, or a tall glass of cold milk. They’re also perfect for a Thanksgiving dessert table, a fall bake sale, or honestly, a random Tuesday when you need a little comfort. No judgment here.

If you make these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, I’d love to see how they turn out. Come say hi over on my Pinterest page and share your autumn baking photos with me.

FAQ: Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

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