These pumpkin snickerdoodles are warmly spiced, soft baked, and sweet! They have soft chewy edges and a melt in your mouth center. The sugar coating adds a great slight crunch on top. These cookies are the perfect fall dessert!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These pumpkin snickerdoodles have the best autumn flavors.
  • They are made with mostly pantry staple ingredients.
  • The pumpkin flavor is perfectly subtle, but not overwhelming.
  • The sugar coating gives them a soft crunch on the outside.
  • These cookies are great for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, birthdays and more.
  • They can be made gluten free with gluten free flour. In addition, they are nut free.
  • Check out these Vegan Snickerdoodles for another fun holiday dessert!

Ingredients & Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for pumpkin snickerdoodles. Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients list and instructions.

Use cold unsalted butter right from the fridge. This prevents the cookies from spreading too thin.

Both white sugar and brown sugar add the sweetness. I have not tried this recipe with coconut sugar or a low carb sweetener.

Only one egg needed. To make these egg free, replace the egg with ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce. They will be a little more dense.

Pumpkin purée adds the pumpkin flavor. Use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.

Vanilla extract adds a classic warm flavor.

Both all purpose flour and gluten free 1 to 1 flour can be used. For these photos, I used King Arthur Flour gluten free 1 to 1 flour.

Pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon add classic autumn flavors. Feel free to replace pumpkin pie spice with more cinnamon.

Cream of tartar adds a distinct tangy flavor. This is vital in achieving the classic snickerdoodle flavor. Without it, these cookies taste delicious, but more like pumpkin sugar cookies.

Baking soda helps leaven the cookies.

Add in a pinch of sea salt if desired.

Sugar and pumpkin pie spice make up the coating. Feel free to use cinnamon as well.

Pumpkin, butter and other baking ingredients.

Taste & Texture

These pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are warmly spiced and sweet. They taste mostly like pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and sugar.

These cookies are soft on the inside. The sugar coating becomes slightly crunchy in the oven.

How to Make

Step 1

First, add cold butter, sugar and brown sugar to a stand mixer. Mix on high for 2 minutes, until no clumps of butter remain.

Sugar and butter in bowl.

Step 2

Then, add in egg, pumpkin purée, and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Creamy pumpkin dough.

Step 3

Add in flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine. Place the bowl of dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle dough.

Step 4

After 30 minutes, remove from fridge. Combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice in shallow bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Sugar and pumpkin pie spice.

Step 5

Scoop out 1.5 inch sized dough balls. Roll around in sugar mixture. Then place on lined pan. Slightly press down into a cookie shape. These cookies do not spread much while baking.

Cinnamon sugar with cookie.
Raw pumpkin cookies on pan.

Step 6

Continue for remaining dough. Make 2 to 3 batches of cookies.

Step 7

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until cookies look barely set in the middle.

Baked pumpkin cinnamon cookies.

Step 8

Finally, remove pumpkin snickerdoodles from oven. Allow cookies to cool on pan for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack.

Expert Tips & Tricks

Carefully measure all ingredients.

Use cold butter right from the fridge.

Both all purpose flour and gluten free flour can be used. I have not tested this recipe with any other flours.

The cookie dough is slightly sticky before chilling.

Chilling the dough makes it much easier to work with. It becomes less sticky and starts to hold together better.

Roll dough balls completely in the sugar mixture.

Press down on the dough balls before baking. These pumpkin snickerdoodles do not spread much in the oven.

Be careful handling them after baking. These cookies are soft baked.

Tall stack of cookies.

How to Serve & Store

Serve pumpkin snickerdoodles once cool enough to handle.

Pair with a glass of milk, coffee or hot chocolate. They pair well with these Pumpkin Brownies!

Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freeze for up to 1 month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you need cream of tartar in snickerdoodles?

Cream of tartar adds a distinct tangy flavor to snickerdoodles.

Can I omit cream of tartar?

Yes, but the cookies will taste more like pumpkin sugar cookies. Still delicious, but not classic snickerdoodles.

What do they taste like?

They taste like pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and sugar.

Are these cookies soft?

Yes, these cookies are soft. So are these Pumpkin Spice Cookies!

Are they gluten free?

Use gluten free flour to make these pumpkin snickerdoodles gluten free.

Bite of pumpkin cinnamon cookies.

You May Also Like

If you make this pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along!  For more ideas, check out these Dessert Recipes.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.
At a Glance:
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These pumpkin snickerdoodles are warmly spiced, thick, and soft baked. They are rolled in cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. These cookies are perfect for fall!
5 from 12 votes
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Ingredients

15 cookies

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Sugar Coating

Instructions 

  • First, add cold butter, sugar and brown sugar to a stand mixer. Mix on high for 2 minutes, until no clumps of butter remain.
  • Then, add in egg, pumpkin purée, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
  • Add in flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine. Place bowl of dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, remove from fridge. Combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice in shallow bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Scoop out 1.5 inch sized dough balls. Roll around in sugar mixture. Then place on lined pan. Gently press down into a cookie shape. These cookies do not spread much while baking.
  • Continue for remaining dough. Make 2 to 3 batches of cookies.
  • Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until cookies look barely set in the middle.
  • Finally, remove from oven. Allow cookies to cool on pan for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack.

Notes

  • Use cold butter right from the fridge.  This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too thin.
  • Mix butter and sugars until no clumps of butter remain.  This usually takes 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
  • Both regular all purpose flour and gluten free 1 to 1 flour can be used.
  • The cream of tartar gives these cookies a distinct tangy flavor.  While it can be omitted, these will not have that signature snickerdoodle flavor.
  • The dough needs to chill because it is sticky otherwise.
  • These cookies barely spread.  Therefore, press dough balls into cookie shape with your hands before baking.
  • Bake until just barely set in the middle.  They are soft and gooey!
  • Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • Freeze for up to 1 month.
Calories: 178kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 59mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 833IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Addison LaBonte
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

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