Easy Spiced Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
These easy spiced pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies feature a soft and chewy texture and warm pumpkin spice flavors, all made in one bowl with no mixer and no chill time!
Servings 18 cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter (higher fat European butter like Kerrygold is best here)
- 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar *(see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cup (156g) all-purpose flour
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe large bowl (or in a saucepan on the stove), melt the butter in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until just melted but not overly hot (this takes about 45 seconds total in my microwave).
- Whisk in wet ingredients (brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract) then the spices, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, until mixture is well-combined.
- Add the flour and stir with a fork or rubber spatula until fully incorporated and a cookie dough is formed. It should be soft, but hold together when scooped. (If the dough seems too soft to scoop, your butter was likely a bit too warm - chill the dough for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator before scooping).
- Make the cinnamon sugar by mixing granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Scoop dough using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop, then roll it between your palms to create a smooth dough ball. Roll the ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough balls, spacing 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, until the cookies are slightly puffed. Bang the cookie sheet on the counter a few times when you take it out to deflate them. This helps with chewiness. Let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
*Cream of tartar is an acid that reacts with the baking soda (a base) to produce the rise and distinctive tangy flavor in these pumpkin snickerdoodles. If you don’t have it or don’t want to buy it, you can use 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder (total) INSTEAD OF the cream of tartar and baking soda.
Storage: baked cookies keep well when covered at room temperature for up to 5 days (they stay soft for SO long and don’t dry out!), or in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
Freezing: baked cookies can be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to 3 months. Set out on the counter to thaw for an hour or warm for 30 seconds in the microwave.
Cookie dough can be frozen and baked later: scoop and roll dough in cinnamon sugar, then arrange dough balls on a flat surface like a plate or baking sheet and place in the freezer for an hour. Store frozen cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe bag to be baked whenever cookie cravings strike! Bake from frozen for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Spices: instead of the individual spices in the dough, you can substitute 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
Add-ins: feel free to add 1/2 cup (85g) of chocolate chips to the cookie dough to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Make it gluten-free: substitute an equal weight (156g) of gluten-free oat flour or a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix that contains xanthan gum. I’ve tested and like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
Make it vegan: just use vegan butter – there’s no egg in these pumpkin snickerdoodles so no worries there!
