Heya, friends. It’s that glorious time of year when we use fall as an excuse to stuff pumpkin into everything. Why yes, I would like some pumpkin in my lattes, my donuts, my pancakes, and my cake. And today, let’s put some pumpkin in snickerdoodles.
Pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are everything great about the classic snickerdoodle cookie. They’re chewy with slightly crispy edges, rolled in spicy-sweet cinnamon sugar, and are just a little tangy. But this version has extra fall spices and pumpkin flavor, which makes them that much more irresistible and perfect.
Ingredients
Baking staples: Most of the ingredients in these cookies are baking staples you probably always have in your cupboard, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, granulated and brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar is a classic snickerdoodle ingredient. It gives the cookies that signature snickerdoodle tang and also helps activate the baking soda to help the cookies rise. You can find it with the spices in the spice aisle, and it is a useful ingredient to keep stocked in your kitchen. BUT if you don’t have any, you can omit it. Fall spices: These cookies use a combo of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg for added fall flavor. If you have pumpkin pie spice, you can replace these spices with 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice. Butter: This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but you can substitute salted butter with no problems. Just cut the salt in the recipe by half, down to 1/8 teaspoon. Egg yolk: Because these are small-batch cookies and there’s so much liquid in the pumpkin puree, you only need an egg yolk. Using a whole egg will make these cookies too moist, and they won’t bake up properly. For ideas on what to do with that leftover egg white, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Egg Whites (I recommend a small batch of pumpkin cupcakes). Pumpkin puree: Pumpkin puree is pure, pureed pumpkin (don’t mix it up with pumpkin pie filling, which is pureed pumpkin with sweeteners and spices). You can usually find it in the baking aisle near the canned pie fillings. This recipe won’t use up an entire can of pumpkin puree, so see my post What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree for storage tips and recipe ideas for the leftovers.
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
To make your cookies, combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk together all your dry ingredients in a small bowl, and in a medium bowl, combine all the wet ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. Scoop rounded spoonfuls of the dough (this should make 8 cookies), and roll into balls. Roll the balls in cinnamon sugar and place the cookies on the cookie sheet. Use the fleshly part of your palm to gently smash the cookies down to 1/2-inch thick. Don’t skip this step or your cookies will be too thick and won’t look like the ones in the photographs. Bake until the cookies look set, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and enjoy!
How to Store Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze pumpkin snickerdoodles?
Yes! These cookies freeze well. Freeze baked cookies in a freezer bag and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. To eat, remove from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to defrost.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! This recipe doubles with no preparation changes needed. To change the yield, in the recipe card below, hover over the serving size or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
More Fall Recipes
Classic Pumpkin Bread Small-batch Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting The Best Dutch Apple Pie Pumpkin Pancakes Small No-bake Marshmallow Pumpkin Cheesecake
Baking Tips
As always, with small-batch recipes, flour measurement is very important for the best results. Be sure to measure your flour by weight or using the spoon and sweep method (stir the flour in your container to fluff it up and then spoon it into your measuring cup, sweep excess off with the flat of a knife). Too much flour and your cookies won’t spread properly. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
