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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft, chewy fall cookies made with real pumpkin puree and a classic cinnamon-sugar coating. Beat for a light, creamy base, chill for scoopable dough, then bake at 350°F until the edges set but the centers stay soft.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
chilling 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 12 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 150
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cookies
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Softened
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup light brown sugar Packed
  • 0.333 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp cream of tartar
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp salt
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the cookie dough
  1. Beat softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and packed light brown sugar for 2–3 minutes until light and creamy.
  2. Add pumpkin puree, large egg yolk, and vanilla extract, then mix until smooth.
  3. Whisk all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt in a separate bowl.
  4. Add the dry ingredients gradually to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until a soft dough forms.
  5. Chill the dough for 30–45 minutes to make it easier to shape.
Coat and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Combine granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for the coating in a shallow bowl.
  3. Scoop dough into 1½-tablespoon portions, roll into balls, and coat thoroughly in cinnamon sugar.
  4. Arrange cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  5. Bake for 10–12 minutes until the edges are set while the centers remain soft.
  6. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

For the soft, chewy texture, don’t overbake—pull the cookies when the edges look set but the centers still look slightly underdone. Store airtight at room temperature up to 4 days; refrigerate up to 1 week. Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months. If you want a lighter option, swap in a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for similar results.