These Best Ever Pumpkin Snickerdoodles have earned their title! Super easy, plush and soft snickerdoodles flavored with pumpkin spice. This recipe is going to be your go-to!
So I don’t usually have problems admitting when I’m wrong, but after multiple people said my original Pumpkin Snickerdoodle recipe wasn’t pumpkin-y enough, I went back to the drawing board.
I happened to think they were awesome, but if you guys didn’t think so, something must have been off.
I was trying to figure out how to make these pumpkin-y and delicious without sacrificing the texture of the cookie. See, pumpkin is a tricky ingredient. It adds lots of moisture but also tends to make baked goods quite cake-y. While snickerdoodles are plush, soft, and tender in nature, I didn’t want them to end up super fluffy and cake-y with excess pumpkin. What’s a gal to do?
But then I got this recipe down and I knew this was a true winner. Super soft, tender and buttery with a light texture that’s still fluffy but not dry and cake-y. Lots of spice (because I am a cinnamon fiend and more spice is better!), and more pumpkin than the original recipe. This also has that traditional snickerdoodle taste and “rise” thanks to cream of tartar.
Overall, I think you’re going to LOVE them. I certainly did! I shared them with neighbors and everyone went crazy for them. Admittedly, I’m not a HUGE pumpkin fan (sorry!!) but I put down several of these cookies. The texture and flavor totally makes the cookies as spectacular as they are.
New and improved Best Ever Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. You asked, I improved! And I think you’re going to looooove the changes!
*recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Classy
Best Ever Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (New & Improved!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling!
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- FOR ROLLING & TOPPING:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until creamy, about 20 seconds. Add in the egg yolk and beat well, followed by the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices and whisk well. Gradually add in the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl with the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until a soft dough comes together. Place plastic wrap over the dough bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until easier to handle (dough is very sticky at first but will set more in the fridge during chilling time).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the topping: granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Scoop out about 1 Tablespoon of dough using a cookie dough scoop and roll it into a ball using your hands. Dredge the dough ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 2" apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even baking. Cookies may look slightly underdone; this is okay as they will continue to set up as they cool. Do not over-bake! Cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If you have leftover cinnamon sugar after baking, I like to sprinkle some additional cinnamon sugar over the still-warm cookies for added flavor and texture.
These are SO delicious and they’re my new favorite recipe! I think you’ll agree that this recipe truly is the best ever!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Judith Mishler says
I can’t wait to try these. I may be baking this weekend. Can you buy pumpkin puree at the grocery store?
Thank you,
Judy
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Judith, yes! Usually the pumpkin puree is called 100% pure pumpkin. Do not buy the pumpkin pie filling, which has other ingredients in it and will negatively affect the recipe.
MAGGIE MECK says
Any ideas for gluten free version?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Maggie, you could always use the cup-for-cup GF flour!
Nicole says
These turned out so good with lots of pumpkin flavor! All the other recipes had less pumpkin so this one came through more with flavor. Thank you!!
Nicole says
Oops haha 5 stars!!
Ali says
These were so yummy so soft and delicious!!!
Jaimee says
These are my go-to fall favorite cookies! I can’t recommend these cookies enough. They’re soft and pumpkin-y, but not too sweet. Exactly what you want in a snickerdoodle. Bonus, they pair really well with chai tea.
thedomesticrebel says
Jaimee, love the pairing with chai tea!
Sarah says
These look delicious! I was hoping to use the whole can of pumpkin so I don’t end of wasting the rest. I read that a can of pumpkin is about 2 cups. Do you think if I doubled everything else in the recipe then I could use the whole can, or would that end of being too much pumpkin?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Sarah, that should work!
Amanda says
Ahhhhmazzing, couldn’t stop eating these!
Emma Mullen says
I just made these and they turned out incredible, my whole family loves them!! What a great fall cookie!
Kylie says
Quite literally the BEST snickerdoodle I’ve EVER made! She somehow hacked and slam dunked a cross of a cake-like cookie with melt-in-your-mouth sugary goodness! And that pumpkin factor is on point! Just the right amount! My family and friends were all huge fans, and these will definitely be a regular in our holiday cookie making!
Ashley says
HOLY DELICIOUS PUMPKIN SNICK GRAIL!!! These have by far the best deceivingly fluffy and soft texture I’ve ever had in a cookie. Oh my gosh this will definitely be a seasonal staple.
Sandie says
We love very crispy cookies that won’t fall apart when dunking them in coffee. Are these very crispy or chewy? Will increasing baking time be ok?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Sandie, these are more on the chewy side. I would increase the baking time slightly, maybe a two more minutes or so, for a slightly crisper cookie. But keep in mind, they won’t be super crispy as they were formulated to be a chewy cookie.
Joy says
Is 100% pure pumpkin the same as pumpkin puree?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Joy, yes it is!
Jaime says
These are SO good. I made them with Bobs 1-1 gluten free flour because some of my room mates are gluten free and they turned out great! I also halved the recipe and used a whole egg yoke and had no problems. Will definitely be making these again this fall!!