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Home » Pumpkin Recipes » Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

October 28, 2011

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

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These pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft and chewy with crispy edges. Coated with pumpkin spice cinnamon sugar, these pumpkin cookies burst with flavors of fall!

These pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft and chewy with crispy edges. Coated with pumpkin spice cinnamon sugar, these pumpkin cookies burst with flavors of fall!

A long time ago we shared a recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles that many of you made and reviewed. Some of you loved them, some of you hated them. So we took your notes, tested and retested, and came up with what I think is a huge improvement from the original. In fact, these pumpkin cookies are SO good that we've already made them countless times this season.

plate of pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies with coffee in background

What Makes the Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

We really do think these are the best pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies. Here's why:

  • They are the easiest cookies, so any home cook can make this recipe with little to no experience.
  • The warm spices of fall really shine through without overpowering the pumpkin flavor.
  • They are not too puffy like the original recipe. Snickerdoodles shouldn't be that thick and puffy.
  • It is the best tasting cookie dough. Sneaking bites of raw cookie dough is not recommended, although suggested.

Original Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Recipe

The original recipe we posted had too much flour and not enough pumpkin pie spice. Although I loved the cakey cookies at first, I grew to be disappointed with the lack of pumpkin flavor. I also learned over the years that snickerdoodle cookies shouldn't be so thick. They were more like scones. (I already have a delicious pumpkin scones recipe!)

If you were one that loved the original cookies, I saved it and reposted it on a separate page so you can still make them. Click here for the original recipe.

pumpkin snickerdoodles stacked

Ingredients

(full printable recipe at end of post)

These cookies include your typical baking essentials. You may have to pick up a can of pumpkin puree and maybe a couple of spices if you don't have them already.

Here's what you need:

  • Unsalted butter -- We melt the butter and slightly cool to create a softer cookie.
  • Sugars -- We use a combination of white sugar (for crispy edges) and brown sugar (to keep the middles soft).
  • Pumpkin -- Be sure to buy the can of pure pumpkin puree and NOT the can of pumpkin pie filling.
  • Egg -- The egg keeps the cookie stable, but to reduce the moisture and thickness of the cookies we're eliminating the egg white and just using the yolk.
  • Pure vanilla extract -- Opt for the real stuff, not imitation.
  • Baking soda -- Creates chewy and perfect snickerdoodle texture.
  • Spices -- We're using pumpkin pie flavors like cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger and allspice.
  • Cream of tartar -- Contributes to the tang and chewiness of the cookies that is unique to snickerdoodles. Find this in the spice aisle.

stack of pumpkin cookies

How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

We have tested this recipe so many times, and came up with the easiest most delicious method. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. The general steps are as follows:

raw snickerdoodle cookie dough

First, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugars and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg, vanilla and pumpkin.

Next, whisk together the flour, baking soda and spices in a separate medium bowl. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

Then, cover the bowl of dough and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner. In a small bowl, combine sugar with cinnamon, ginger and allspice; set aside.

When ready to bake the cookies, use a medium cookie scoop to spoon 1 ½ tablespoon dough balls into bowl of cinnamon sugar. Coat each dough ball and place onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

plate of pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

Like regular snickerdoodles, these cookies are rolled into a cinnamon sugar mixture before baking. But for this pumpkin version, the sugar coating is stepped up a notch with added pumpkin pie spices.

Should I flatten snickerdoodles before baking?

As I was testing many batches of these cookies, I tried different variations to turn out a flatter cookie. I lessened the amount of flour, omitted the baking powder and used only baking soda,  and then used melted butter. These methods worked, but one thing I tried and didn't like was flattening the cookie before baking. I found that if I flattened the cookie dough balls before baking, even ever so slightly, the cookies didn't turn out as soft and chewy.

Best Tips

  • Do not overbake these cookies. They may look underdone, even at 10 to 12 minutes, but they will continue to cook after removing from oven.
  • When removing from oven, bang the hot pan on the stovetop. This will create rippled edges and slightly flatten the cookies.
  • You can chill the cookie dough up to 48 hours. If chilling longer than 8 hours, remove dough from fridge about 30 minutes before so it softens enough to scoop.
  • Roll dough ball gently in hands before coating in cinnamon sugar. Shake bowl to coat, then place on baking sheet.

close up of pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie with perfect shape

Storage

These cookies keep well at room temperature in an airtight container. Best consumed within 3 to 4 days.

More Pumpkin Cookie Recipes

Love pumpkin cookies? Try these other favorite recipes:

  • Pumpkin Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
  • Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies
  • Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispies

Eat It, Rate It, Share It!

Made it and liked it? Leave a star rating, take a photo and tag me on social media @seededtable so I can share it!

Recipe Card

stack of pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies
Print Recipe
4.67 from 21 votes

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft and chewy with crispy edges. Coated with pumpkin spice cinnamon sugar, these pumpkin cookies burst the flavors of fall!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Chill Time1 hour hr
Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pumpkin snickerdoodles
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 131kcal
Author: Nikki Gladd

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 cups flour (make sure to fluff your flour before measuring)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the coating:

  • ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • Dash of allspice

Instructions

  • With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter with 1 cup granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla, then the pumpkin.
  • In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and spices. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour, up to 48 hours.
  • When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner.
  • Combine the coating ingredients in a small bowl. Remove dough from the fridge. Scoop 1 ½ tablespoon sized dough balls and roll into the sugar mixture. Set on cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. (Keep remaining dough chilled in fridge between batches.) Do not overbake. Remove pan from oven and bang on stovetop. (This will crates cracked edges.) Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Notes

  • Nutrition information is an estimate only.
  • Do not overbake these cookies. They may look underdone, even at 10 to 12 minutes, but they will continue to cook after removing from oven.
  • When removing from oven, bang the hot pan on the stovetop. This will create rippled edges and slightly flatten the cookies.
  • You can chill the cookie dough up to 48 hours. If chilling longer than 8 hours, remove dough from fridge about 30 minutes before so it softens enough to scoop.
  • Roll dough ball gently in hands before coating in cinnamon sugar. Shake bowl to coat, then place on baking sheet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 695IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Take a pic and tag @seededtable or #SeededAtTheTable to be featured!

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About Seeded At The Table

Thanks for visiting! We’re the Gladd family! We love donuts, Disney, LEGO and Jesus. Not in that order, of course. 🙂 Ben shares DIY wood-working projects and Nikki shares delicious recipes. You’ll also find a sprinkling of travel adventures and other family fun ideas!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jess says

    November 29, 2016 at 10:35 pm

    I love these!! I have made them a few times, and never heard one complaint! I did want to know how long we could keep the dough in the fridge?

    Reply
  2. Jm says

    November 22, 2016 at 1:50 pm

    How do you store them? How long will they last. Thinking of making them ahead of time for a party

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      November 22, 2016 at 9:24 pm

      Hi Jm,

      Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. You can freeze for longer storage.

      Reply
  3. Lindsey says

    October 10, 2015 at 5:09 pm

    Cannot wait to share these tomorrow!!! Love this recipe and love you blog 🙂

    Reply
  4. Sarah B says

    October 06, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    I found your recipe a couple years ago and after I made them, they instantly became one of my faves! I've taken them to work and given them out to friends and family, now when fall begins they start asking when the pumpkin snickerdoodles are coming. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!!!

    Reply
  5. Charlene says

    September 26, 2015 at 1:12 pm

    These are great. I have a person I work with who loves pumpkin anything (except pie) and she loved them. Of course everyone else ate them too and they were gone in no time. Great recipe.

    Reply
  6. Moria says

    March 15, 2015 at 1:30 am

    Great cookies. When I bake I always give a cookie to the goat cheese vendor at our local farmers market and she said these were her favorite cookies ever!

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      March 15, 2015 at 1:39 pm

      Thank you, Moria! How sweet that you share these with the cheese vendor! LOVE it!!

      Reply
  7. Meagan says

    November 26, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    I think these cookies are amazing! I've made them over and over - they're my husband's favorite!! He prefers things that aren't too sweet or overpowering, like these are - do you any have other suggestions?

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      November 26, 2014 at 5:20 pm

      Hi Meagan! Thanks for the feedback. I'm unsure of your question, though. Are you asking if I have any other recipes that aren't too sweet or overpowering, that your husband would also like? 🙂

      Reply
      • Meagan says

        December 01, 2014 at 12:50 pm

        Yes! Sorry for the confusion.

        Reply
  8. Erica says

    November 23, 2014 at 9:52 pm

    How long are these good for? If I make them Monday, still good on Thurs for Thanksgiving?

    Reply
    • Nikki Gladd says

      November 24, 2014 at 12:03 pm

      Hi Erica,
      These will last up to 4 days (longer if you freeze them or don't mind less fresh cookies), but when it comes to cookies, my personal preference is to eat them as fresh as possible, within 2-3 days.

      Reply
  9. SuAnn says

    October 17, 2014 at 12:05 pm

    I made these today and they are so good! Next time I'll double the recipe so I can give some away.

    Reply
  10. Danie says

    October 09, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    these are the best pumpkin cookies I have ever made!!!!!!

    Reply
  11. Julie says

    November 13, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    These have become a family favorite at our house. Thank you!! When I have time, we flip them upside down and ice them with maple icing. 🙂

    Reply
  12. colleen says

    April 06, 2013 at 11:37 am

    I've made these before and they were a HUGE success!!! It's my mom's bday tomorrow and I wanted to make her some. Any ideas on making these more Spring by eliminating the pumpkin and adding another ingredient? Let me know if anyone has ideas! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nikki says

      April 06, 2013 at 1:45 pm

      Hi Colleen,
      You could just make soft frosted sugar cookies with spring colored icing. 🙂 https://www.seededatthetable.com/2012/02/14/mini-soft-frosted-sugar-cookies/

      Reply
  13. Courtney says

    January 18, 2013 at 11:11 pm

    This has become my family's favorite cookie! They are fluffy and fat...perfect amount of pumpkin, just scrumptious!!! I feel like making a batch right now!

    Reply
  14. Kathy says

    November 16, 2012 at 11:12 am

    I have these chilling in the fridge right now. Can't wait to get them made and try one. I'm for anything pumpkin, but never heard of pumpkin sniickerdoodles. I have no doubt that they'll be amazing. Love finding things like this on Pinterest.

    Reply
  15. Ellen says

    November 15, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    Just wondering how to get around the allspice and ginger coating? Spices are so expensive these days.... 🙁 Could I just use a cinnamon and sugar coating like regular snickerdoodles?

    Reply
    • Nikki says

      November 16, 2012 at 9:14 am

      Hi Ellen, you can try cinnamon sugar coating but it will lack the other spice flavors.

      Reply
  16. Michelle says

    October 30, 2012 at 4:43 pm

    Hope you don't mind, I shared you and your recipe with my readers! I was very happy with them!

    Let me know if you need a guest poster sometime, I have a few great recipes of my own!

    Reply
  17. CW says

    October 19, 2012 at 10:46 am

    I found this recipe via Pinterest and have made them twice already!

    Reply
  18. Rach says

    October 13, 2012 at 11:50 am

    Just made these and they are absolutely scrumptious! I added some semi-sweet chocolate chips to part of the batch - delicious! They were good both with and without the chips. My dough was refrigerated overnight and they still turned out wonderful. The dough was pretty sticky, but the cookies turned out perfect. Thanks for another tasty pumpkin recipe!

    Reply
  19. Pin says

    October 07, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    I made these for a fall-themed party last night, and they were a big hit! I accidentally used 1 cup of the pumpkin puree, and the texture was still fine. I was told I had to make these again! 🙂

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    October 07, 2012 at 11:52 am

    Making these right now...added a bit more cinnamon to the flour mixture just because we like it and its good for you .

    Reply
  21. jmegyrl says

    September 29, 2012 at 11:25 pm

    Made these this weekend and they were amazing!

    Reply
  22. Timmons says

    September 24, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    Made these last night and they are amazing!!!

    Reply
  23. Jolene says

    September 23, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    We made these tonight and they are yummy! The texture is wonderful.

    Reply
  24. Anna says

    September 17, 2012 at 12:25 pm

    Would it be ok to make the dough the day before and just store it in the fridge till time to bake or is that too long in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Nikki says

      September 17, 2012 at 3:28 pm

      Hi Anna,
      That should be fine. If the dough seems to be too hard when you take it out of the fridge, just let it sit on the counter until it's soft enough to scoop. 🙂

      Reply
  25. natasha burnett says

    September 15, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    Omg perfect!!!! My favorite ingredient is pumpkin so I googled some recipes and this one happened to come up and I thought why not? These are so softand sweet to the taste. Awesome thank you for sharing

    Reply
  26. Cathy says

    September 09, 2012 at 2:23 am

    Can you sub packed pumpkin or pumpkin pie filling?

    Reply
    • Nikki says

      September 09, 2012 at 8:55 am

      Hi Cathy,
      What do you mean by packed pumpkin? If you mean the pumpkin in the can, then definitely. But, no, do not use pumpkin pie filling because that includes extra spices. The can should be labeled pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Did I answer your question?

      Reply
      • Nikki says

        September 09, 2012 at 8:56 am

        I should also clarify that if you do mean canned pumpkin, then this would not be a substitute. This is what the recipe calls for...canned pumpkin is pumpkin puree. 🙂

        Reply
        • Cathy says

          September 09, 2012 at 8:40 pm

          I was talking about Libby's canned pumpkin.

          Reply
          • Nikki says

            September 09, 2012 at 9:05 pm

            Yep! That's pumpkin puree. 🙂

            Reply
  27. Ann Baker says

    September 07, 2012 at 7:53 am

    These are going right to the top of my "fall baking" list. Already pinned and shared on Facebook!

    Reply
  28. Julie @ Outtakes on the Outskirts says

    August 21, 2012 at 7:36 am

    I found this recipe via Pinterest and I wanted to let you know that these cookies are amazing! I made them over the weekend for a church picnic and they were a hit. Thank you for creating this recipe!

    Reply
    • Nikki says

      August 21, 2012 at 8:17 am

      Thanks, Julie! 🙂

      Reply
  29. Sephonnie says

    July 15, 2012 at 9:56 am

    Okay, I don't usually take the time to comment on things like this, but I have to say, these cookies are wildly delicious. We slathered them in milk chocolate and they were absolutely to die for. I love pumpkin, so I've tried a lot of pumpkin cookie recipes, and these are my favorite. Absolutely. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nikki says

      July 15, 2012 at 1:41 pm

      Thanks, Sephonnie, for coming back to tell me! Slathering them in chocolate sounds divine! 🙂

      Reply
  30. Diane says

    November 19, 2011 at 7:05 pm

    Just baked up a batch of these and they're fantastic! They're everything a snickerdoodle SHOULD be...light, spicy,...pumpkin just makes it even better! I'm thinking of adapting it even to make GINGERBREAD ones in December!

    Reply
    • Cassie M says

      November 01, 2012 at 6:02 pm

      gingerbread snickerdoodles now theres an idea that sound amazing as well i am gonna bake these pumpkin ones tonight hope they turn out as well as everyone says

      Reply
  31. Kelly L. says

    November 05, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    I am making these RIGHT NOW. As in: the dough is chilling in my fridge as we speak. I took a quick peek at the ingredient list, realized I had everything on hand, and thus: Saturday Night Baking commenced. I am excited to see how they turn out! The dough tasted really good, anyway. 🙂

    Reply
    • Nikki says

      November 06, 2011 at 1:38 pm

      Sometimes you just can't help yourself away from the dough... it's my biggest weakness. 😉 Bonus that you had everything on hand!

      Reply
  32. Danelle @ www.danellesdish.com says

    October 28, 2011 at 4:46 pm

    I have made these several times this fall and my family loves them.

    Reply
  33. Karen M. says

    October 28, 2011 at 8:00 am

    I just made these on Tuesday for my husband's pot luck! Everyone loved them!! Wonderful recipe 😉

    Reply
  34. Amber says

    October 28, 2011 at 7:14 am

    These sound remarkable! Who would have ever thought to put pumpkin into a snickerdoodle. I think I need to give these a try. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

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