Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are a classic fall cookie with soft baked pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie dough rolled in a cinnamon & sugar coating. Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and pure pumpkin blend perfectly with the chewy, light texture of snickerdoodle cookies. No refrigeration time needed for this pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie recipe!

Once Fall hits my family loves all the pumpkin recipes. This pumpkin spice sheet cake is a crowd favorite and these bakery style pumpkin chocolate chips cookies are a family favorite as well. For all my pumpkin recipes check out this collection of the best pumpkin recipes. 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe

You will love these pumpkin snickerdoodles! I have made them more times than I can count and the only thing I regret is not making a double batch each time! 

Soft, thick and chewy snickerdoodles with the addition of warm pumpkin spice, ground cinnamon, and pure pumpkin make these cookies a must-make fall recipe. 

Snickerdoodles have always been my favorite cookie but when you add some pure pumpkin + pumpkin pie spice to them it makes them even better. I really hope you try this recipe!

What You’ll Need

This recipe calls for simple baking ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. 

• All-Purpose Flour – I prefer to use unbleached all-purpose flour. You can also use a gluten-free flour if wanted, just make sure it’s a 1:1 ratio to regular flour. 
• Cream of Tartar – This might not be something you have in your kitchen but it can easily be found at the grocery store by the other dried spices. This is an essential ingredient in snickerdoodles so don’t skip it. 
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Baking Soda – Helps the cookies turn out soft and puffy. 
• Ground Cinnamon
• Salt – I use table salt in this recipe. Just regular, iodized salt. 
• Butter – Make sure the butter is softened so it mixes in easily with the sugars. 
• Granulated Sugar
• Light Brown Sugar
• Egg Yolk – You need the yolk of a large egg for this recipe. 
• Vanilla Extract
• Pure Pumpkin – Use 100% pure pumpkin.

How To Make Perfect Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

Here are the easy steps needed to make this recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies. 

• Preparation : Heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper, using a silpat liner, or spray with cooking spray. Set aside for later. 
• Dry Ingredients : In a small bowl combine the dry ingredients like the flour, spices, and salt and mix with a whisk to break up any clumps. Doing this is like sifting but without the extra tools needed. Just a whisk. 
• Cream Butter + Sugars : In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugars, on medium speed until light in color, combined, and fluffy looking. At first, this mixture will appear crumbly but keep mixing it for the 1-2 minutes and it will come together to form a soft dough. 
• Pumpkin : Add the pure pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until combined. 
• Cookie Dough : Add the dry ingredients into the butter and pumpkin bowl, and mix together until combined. This will appear dry and crumbly at first but keep mixing on low speed until it forms a soft dough. 
• Snickerdoodles : Roll the dough into 16 balls (about the size of golf balls) and then roll each ball into the cinnamon & sugar coating. 
• Bake : Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are done, puffy, and slightly cracked. There should be no brown on the cookies (which means they have overcooked).
• Cool : Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes and then eat one warm or move them to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Tips For Success

Here are a few of my tips which will hopefully help you make this recipe in your own kitchen. 

• Parchment Paper : This is the best thing to use for cookies. It prevents the bottom of the cookies from browning and it helps the cookies cook more evenly. When I don’t use parchment paper I notice a big difference in how my cookies turn out. I have an affiliate link below for the pre-cut parchment sheets by Reynolds brand that I use all the time in my kitchen. 
• Softened Butter : Make sure the butter is well softened before making this recipe. If it’s too cold it will not blend in easily with the sugars and you will be left with lumps of butter. I put my stick of butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Every 4-5 seconds I open the microwave up and move the butter stick to a different side. Continue doing this as many times as needed for the butter to be soft but NOT melted. 
• Use a Cookie Scoop : A medium sized cookie scoop is what I use. It makes scooping and rolling the dough much easier and it makes all the cookies the same size. 

Variation & Substitution Ideas

There are not many ways to switch up this recipe. I suggest making it as is, but there are a couple things you can do. 

• Pumpkin Spice : If you love those warm fall spices and want more of a pumpkin spice kick to the cookies, you can add about 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice into the cinnamon & sugar mixture that you roll the dough balls in.
• Smaller Cookies : This recipe makes 16 cookies with a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons, the size of a golf ball). But if you want smaller cookies then use a small cookie scoop. Watch the time carefully as they will not need as long in the oven. 
• Double The Recipe : This recipe easily doubles to feed a crowd or if you want extras. With how scrumptious these cookies are you may just want to make a double batch 

How To Store Leftovers

Store leftover snickerdoodle cookies in an air-tight container, at room temperature, for up to 1 week. 

Can I Freeze Pumpkin Snickerdoodles?

Yes you can freeze pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies.

If you are freezing the cookies unbaked (so just the dough balls) do not roll them in the cinnamon & sugar. It’s best to roll the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet or something else that will fit in your freezer. Freeze them and then place the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon & sugar before baking and bake the cookies for an extra 1-3 minutes. 

You can also freeze the baked snickerdoodle cookies. Store them in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature before eating or warm it up in the microwave. 

Supplies Needed

Here are a few supplies that you will need to make this recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles. These are an affiliate link, meaning that if you purchase, I will make a very small percentage from the sale. As always, I appreciate the support for the free recipes I post ? I only will recommend things that I personally own and love! Promise.

Parchment Paper – I could talk all day about these pre-cut parchment sheets and how amazing they are! If you love to bake cookies then these are a must to have in your kitchen.

Cookies Sheets – I love these ones from USA Brand. They are good quality and clean up is a breeze. I probably have about 10 of these in my kitchen!

Medium Cookie Scoop – Makes scooping the cookie dough so easy! Plus, all the cookies will be the same size if you use a cookie scoop. I linked to the one that I love and use all the time, but any medium sized cookie scoop will work just fine. 

Hand Mixer – I actually prefer using a hand mixer over a bulky and expensive stand mixer. I love these Kitchen Aid hand mixers because they last forever.