Soft pumpkin snickerdoodles bake up puffy in the center with lightly crisp, cinnamon-sugar edges. Real pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice give each cookie a warm fall flavor without turning the dough wet or cakey. Scoop the dough ahead, freeze the balls, and bake straight from the freezer when you need a last-minute dessert tray. If you want another cozy pumpkin bake for the same weekend, try our Pumpkin Bars!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, fluffy centers with a classic snickerdoodle crackle on the outside
- Concentrated pumpkin flavor from drained puree, not watery canned pumpkin
- Fast bake time and no dough chill
- Easy to freeze as scooped dough or baked cookies
- Makes a big batch for Thanksgiving, bake sales, and cookie exchanges
Tips for Success
- Use canned pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced and will throw off the dough.
- Squeeze the puree well. Start with ¾ cup and keep squeezing until you have about ⅓ cup thick pumpkin. Extra liquid makes the cookies spread and taste muted.
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy so the cookies stay tender.
- Scoop every dough ball first, then roll them in cinnamon sugar. The coating goes on faster and more evenly.
- Pull the cookies at 6 to 8 minutes. They should look set at the edges and slightly soft in the middle. They firm up as they cool.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Butter
Use room-temperature unsalted butter so it creams smoothly with the sugar. Salted butter works in a pinch; skip the kosher salt or reduce it to a small pinch.
Granulated sugar
White sugar keeps the cookies light and helps the cinnamon coating cling. Do not swap in all brown sugar. It will make the dough softer and the cookies darker and more caramel-like.
Egg
One large room-temperature egg binds the dough. If you forget to take it out early, place it in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
Pure pumpkin
Use canned pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Squeeze out the extra liquid until you have about â…“ cup thick puree. Homemade puree can work if it is well drained, but it is often wetter and may make the dough stickier and the cookies flatter.
Vanilla extract
This version uses 1 tablespoon for a little more warmth against the pumpkin spice. Pure vanilla is best. Imitation vanilla will work if that is what you have.
All-purpose flour
Spoon and level the flour, or weigh it. Too much flour makes dry, cakey cookies. A 1:1 gluten-free baking blend can be used, but the cookies may spread a little more.
Cream of tartar
This is what gives snickerdoodles their slight tang and soft lift with the baking soda. There is no perfect swap. If you leave it out, the cookies will still bake, but they will taste more like plain pumpkin sugar cookies.
Baking soda
Do not swap baking powder 1:1. The soda is meant to react with the cream of tartar.
Pumpkin pie spice
Store-bought or homemade both work. In a pinch, use 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ginger.
Cinnamon-sugar coating
The 4 tablespoons sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon is enough for the full batch. If you run short, mix another teaspoon of each and keep rolling.
Storage Tips
Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. To freeze unbaked dough, scoop the balls, freeze them solid on a sheet, then bag them for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes as needed.
Soft Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¾ cup (180 g) canned pure pumpkin, excess liquid squeezed out (about ⅓ cup remaining)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (352 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon Sugar
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Mix in the egg, drained pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth.
- On low speed, add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix just until no dry streaks remain.
- Scoop rounded 1-tablespoon balls and set them on one of the lined sheets.
Cinnamon Sugar
- Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
Bake
- Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar until coated. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on the remaining sheets.
- Bake 6 to 8 minutes, until the edges look set and the centers are still soft.
- Move the cookies to a wire rack right away and let them cool.
This recipe was inspired by Pumpkin Snickerdoodles by Iambaker.net