Pumpkin snickerdoodles, your new go-to cookie full of pumpkin pie spices and real pumpkin!
There is not a single day that can’t be improved upon with a warm, chewy cinnamon cookie. Every time I eat cinnamon, I feel like I just received a hug. It's so warm and comforting!
Snickerdoodles make me smile any day of the year. But pumpkin snickerdoodles?! This is exactly why everyone says Fall is the best time of year.
I took my basic recipe for a small batch of snickerdoodles, stirred in pumpkin and rolled them in my homemade pumpkin pie spice from my homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe. And then I ate every last one by myself.
(If you're not up for making your own pumpkin spice mix, I love this one from Penzey's--it's super pungent and powerful!)
If I can’t confess my dessert sins here, where can I confess? I made another batch of these pumpkin snickerdoodles soon after so I could have other taste-testers verify they were good enough to share here. I may be slightly biased when it comes to warm cookies right from the sheet pan.
It was hard to share.
Pumpkin snickerdoodles, the origins:
Truthfully, I should pack up a triple batch of these cookies and send them to my friend Shenlyn. Remember the wedding cheesecake I made a few months ago? When I was cooking in her kitchen one night, I spotted this amazing vintage cookie sheet pan. I blurted out how much I would love to trade my new cookie sheet pans for this perfectly scuffed vintage specimen. I realize how crazy this sounded in a room full of non-food bloggers, but you guys? You get me. You know how much fun I had photographing these cookies on this pan. With a brand new cookie sheet, I would have been cursing the reflective properties and wanting to take steel wool to it.
Shenlyn packed up this perfect pan and mailed it to me. I practically squealed when I opened the box. Shenlyn is my cookie soul mate. Oh, and ice cream. We like it all. But we really like cookies. Thanks, Shen! xo
Baking tips--pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe:
If the dough feels a bit too soft for you, it's because your butter is too soft. Butter for cookies should be softened for 20-30 minutes on the counter, not room temperature. You should be able to press a finger into the butter and make an indent, but your finger should not go all the way through.
If you forget about your butter and it softens too much, go ahead and make the dough, and chill it for 15 minutes before rolling it out to bake.
I treat these pumpkin snickerdoodles like harbingers of Fall--the minute I eat one, the air cools off and sweater weather appears.
I love that this recipe only makes 10 cookies, because I've found that it's just enough cookies to share. You can eat a few right off the cookie sheet warm, save a few for later, and share a few, too.
I also love that this recipe has real pumpkin in it! I don't have many baking pet peeves (except cake mix, but you know this), it's when something is pumpkin spice flavored but lacks actual pumpkin! This pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe has pumpkin, which makes the cookies wonderfully soft in the center.
If you love these small batch pumpkin snickerdoodles, I have a feeling you would love my small batch easy sugar cookies, too!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Your favorite snickerdoodle cookie just got ready for fall!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (divided use)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the butter, pumpkin and ½ cup of the sugar. Beat until well-mixed and fluffy, about 1 minute. Next, beat in the egg.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Sprinkle this mixture over the butter and sugar mixture and beat until just combined.
- In a shallow bowl, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the dough, roll it in your palm lightly, then roll it in the spice mixture. Space the dough balls evenly on the baking sheet, then bake for 11-12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet 1 minute, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 56Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g
Melanie says
I love to leave comments AFTER I have tried the recipe! I doubled the recipe exactly as posted. It made 20 very large cookies using a tablespoon scoop. They were light and fluffy and are larger than my palm. They have lots of pumpkin spice flavor, however the pumpkin itself isn't strong. I made these for my son to take to school tomorrow. I can't wait to see if they like them. They taste wonderful and I will definitely be making them again.
Christina Lane says
You're the best, Melanie! Thanks for letting me know the recipe can be doubled :)
Happy baking,
tina
Amber says
Perfect starting place for delicious baked treats! The batter is super sticky even after refrigerating for 40 minutes. I added white chocolate chips because... chocolate! These cookies are SO perfect! They are lightly crisp on the outside yet pillowy soft (though not under-cooked) on the inside. The addition of the white chocolate was great though the cookies on their own are delicious as well. This is a fun recipe & Since it made 10 cookies, it is truly perfect for 2-3 people. I have a small gathering of friends coming over for a party today & I baked this recipe as well as Christine's pumpkin chocolate chip (made w/semi-sweet chips instead of white). Both batches are delicious & I have a total of 20 cookies & 5 friends coming. That's a perfect amount as I've made other goodies for us as well. Thank you for yet another scrumptious recipe to play with!
Joan says
I found the batter wAY TOO SOFT TO ROLL IN A BALL not sure what I did wrong. Also the recipe called for extra flour and never did say where to add it. I was not sure
Krysia says
I replaced the pumpkin with sweet potato, used white whole wheat flour and put the spices into the batter. They came out perfectly delicious! Great recipe!
Nancy says
Wore my scarf and gloves for the first time this season and just made your delicious pumpkin snickerdoodles too!! Perfect transition into Fall. Thanks Christina!
Barrie says
These soft, puffy cookies are to die for! They are moist and crunchy. Love them!
ESS says
Are there really 489 calories per 1 cookie, or is the serving size more than one?
Christina Lane says
That's for the whole batch.
Lynda says
I am confused by your nutrition info. It says a serving is one cookie and that each serving has 489 calories, 35 grams fat and 44 sugar? This cannot be correct.
Christina Lane says
That's for the whole batch, not just 1 cookie.