Crisp, chewy pumpkin spice snickerdoodle cookies! They’re ultra buttery, have the crispiest edges, and a soft, chewy middle. And are PACKED full of pumpkin, spice, and snickerdoodle flavor. Pumpkin puree gets cooked down with spices to make flavorful cookies that aren’t wet and cakey at all. They’re the perfect fall cookie to make, and I love making ice cream sandwiches out of them!
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🍂 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Crisp edges, chewy centers: It's really the perfect cookie texture.
- Pumpkin spice: pumpkin puree gets cooked down with spices for a rich, concentrated spiced pumpkin flavor.
- Snickerdoodles: I added cream of tartar and rolled the cookies in a pumpkin spice sugar mixture for that signature tangy, chewy, cinnamoney snickerdoodle flavor.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Pumpkin puree: You can use a canned pumpkin puree or a thick homemade puree. You want it to be as thick as Greek yogurt. Strain through a cheesecloth or reduce it in a pan on medium low heat until you get that thick consistency.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Cream of tartar: This is an essential ingredient in snickerdoodle cookies - giving them that gorgeous crackly top and a slight tangy flavor.
Egg yolk: An egg yolk helps add richness and keeps the cookies chewy in the center.
Unsalted butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe because it has a lower moisture content and I love adding salt separately so that I can control the salt levels.
Pumpkin spice: A mixture of spices commonly used in pumpkin pie. You can make your own mix by using my pumpkin pie spice recipe, or pick a mix up at your local grocery store.
👩🍳 How to make pumpkin spice snickerdoodle cookies
Step 1: Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice into a saucepan and heat on medium heat. Cook until it becomes much more and darker brown, there should be just under ⅓ cup pumpkin puree left.
Step 2: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, pumpkin puree mixture, and vanilla, beat again.
Step 3: Sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar right into the bowl. Fold until a soft cookie dough forms.
Step 4: In a bowl, mix together the sugar and pumpkin spice for rolling. Scoop 1.5 tablespoon sized cookie dough balls and transfer it into the sugar mixture. Shake the bowl to cover completely in the sugar mixture. Freeze shaped cookie dough on a plate in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) while the cookie dough chills. Place cookies onto parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheets, leaving about 3” of space in between each cookie to allow for spreading.
Step 6: Bake for 10-12 minutes in batches, until the edges are crisp and the middle is puffed and not shiny. Let the pumpkin spice cookies cool on the baking sheet for one minute before transferring onto a cookie rack or plate to cool completely.
✔️ Expert pumpkin cookie tips
- For the best cookie dough consistency: Weigh your flour using a scale! If you don’t have a scale, fluff the flour with a spoon before spooning it into a measuring cup - don’t pack it in. Scrape any excess flour off the top with the back end of a knife without packing it in.
- Cook down the pumpkin: It's important to cook down the pumpkin to remove excess moisture. This prevents the cookies from becoming cakey, and will make sure that they stay chewy.
- Chill the cookie dough: Chilling the cookie dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading out too much.
- For pretty cookies: Give them a few inches of space to spread on the baking sheet while baking so that they don’t all merge into one cookie. You can gently push any uneven edges in with a spatula while they're hot right out of the oven.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
These cookies will stay soft and chewy in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 days. To store them for even longer, I recommend freezing them for up to 2 months in an airtight container or bag.
❔ How do I make chewy, not cakey, pumpkin cookies?
The key to a cakey cookie is lots of moisture. So the solution to a cakey cookie problem is to reduce moisture as much as possible. That's why in this recipe, I cook down the pumpkin puree even further until it's paste like. I also added the pumpkin spice mix right in with the pumpkin so that it blooms and the flavors become even stronger from the heat.
Cooking down the pumpkin helps prevent adding too much moisture and helps amplify the pumpkin flavor.
If you love pumpkin cookies, you can make my pumpkin pie cookies which are essentially mini pumpkin pies - but with a brown sugar shortbread cookie crust!
📖 Recipe FAQs
Yes make sure that it is the consistency of thick Greek yogurt or hummus before measuring it. This will ensure that you have the correct concentration of pumpkin flavor in the cookies.
I find that not only is the texture better after the cookie dough is chilled, but they tend to spread perfectly: not too much and not too little. I just pop them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes if I'm in a time crunch. I've also made them the day before and refrigerated the cookie dough until baking.
I haven't tested it, but the recipe should work if you substitute the all purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour. If you try it, let us know how it turned out in the comments!
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour 270g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
Rolling
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Instructions
- Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice into a pan and heat on medium heat. Cook until it becomes much more and darker brown, there should be just under ⅓ cup pumpkin puree left.⅔ cup pumpkin puree, 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- In a large bowl or standmixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, pumpkin puree mixture, and vanilla, beat again.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup dark brown sugar, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar right into the bowl. Fold until a soft cookie dough forms.2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- In a bowl, mix together the sugar and pumpkin spice for rolling. Scoop 1.5 tablespoon sized cookie dough balls and transfer it into the sugar mixture. Shake the bowl to cover completely in the sugar mixture. Freeze shaped cookie dough on a plate in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- Preheat the oven to 355°F while the cookie dough chills. Place cookies onto parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheets, leaving about 3” of space in between each cookie to allow for spreading.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes in batches, until the edges are crisp and the middle is puffed and not shiny. Let cool on the baking sheet for one minute before transferring onto a cookie rack or plate to cool completely.
Notes
- For the best cookie dough consistency weigh your flour using a scale
- Cook down the pumpkin to remove excess moisture to ensure that they are crisp and chewy - not cakey
- Chill the cookie dough to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- For pretty cookies give them a few inches of space to spread on the baking sheet while baking so that they don’t all merge into one cookie
E
I loved this recipe! They turned out great! Just a quick note you forgot to add when you should add the pumpkin puree and spice mix. I added it after the egg. Thanks for the recipe!❤️
Mary
Thank you so much for noticing that! I'm so sorry about that step missing from the recipe. I've updated the recipe to include that. Thank you so much for making the recipe! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
Noelle
I'm confused about one thing-- when do you add the browned pumpkin puree reduction to the cookie mix?
Mary
Ah I'm so sorry you add it in with the egg yolk! I've updated the recipe to include that.