Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

As it turns out, snickerdoodles are one ingredient away from becoming the perfect fall cookie. They already have the quintessential fall spice (cinnamon) in the sugar coating, so adding canned pumpkin seems like the perfect addition. Include a few other fall spices like nutmeg and ground ginger, et voila! Pumpkin snickerdoodles are chewy, pumpkiny and lightly spiced with the signature snickerdoodle tang and crackly coating. These are some of my very favorite fall cookies.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

• Butter: Soften the butter to room temperature so it creams nicely with the sugar. Creaming the butter and sugar together the right way adds a lot of nice volume and chewiness to the cookies.
• Sugars: Our pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe uses a mix of granulated and brown sugars. Granulated sugar creates a crispy outside, and brown sugar maintains a moist center and a subtle caramel flavor.
• Canned pumpkin: At Taste of Home, we’ve found that canned pumpkin delivers more consistent results than homemade pumpkin puree. And yes, there is a best canned pumpkin brand that beats out the rest!
• Egg yolk: We’ll need just one egg yolk to bind the ingredients. Egg yolks add richness and fat, while egg whites can dry out cookies a bit. Save your egg white for an egg white cocktail (like a pisco sour or gin fizz) or for tomorrow morning’s scrambled eggs.
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is the best flour for cookies. Its mix of hard and soft wheat creates a tender cookie that’s strong and sturdy enough not to break apart in your hand.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch soaks up some of the liquid in the pumpkin puree so the cookies stay chewy instead of becoming cakey.
• Spices: Our pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie recipe has a lot of spice from cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger. I always like to grate my nutmeg fresh for the boldest flavor.
• Cream of tartar: True snickerdoodles contain cream of tartar to give the cookies that signature snickerdoodle tang and pillowy texture.
• Leavening agents: A perfect mixture of baking soda and baking powder makes our pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies even more pillowy soft.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the softened butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until they’re light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the pumpkin, egg yolk and vanilla extract.

In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and ginger.

Gradually beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture just until combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm, about one hour.

Step 2: Coat the cookie dough balls

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Scoop the dough by 2 tablespoonfuls, then shape the dough into balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar, and place them 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.

Step 3: Bake

Bake the cookies until they’re browned, 14 to 16 minutes. Let the cookies stand on the baking sheet for five minutes, then move them to wire racks to cool.

Editor’s Tip: Do not let the cookies bake longer than necessary or they will dry out.

Recipe Variations

• Include white chocolate chips: Fold white chocolate chips into the batter before forming the dough into balls. Or, half-dip the baked and cooled pumpkin snickerdoodles into melted white chocolate, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet so the chocolate can set.
• Use pumpkin pie spice instead: Instead of measuring all three spices individually, omit them for 2-1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the same effect. Pumpkin pie spice usually contains cloves, too, creating more cozy fall flavors in the pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie recipe.

How to Store Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Store pumpkin snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay soft and tender this way and can last up to four days.

Can you freeze pumpkin snickerdoodles?

Yes, you can freeze pumpkin snickerdoodles, baked or unbaked. To freeze unbaked dough, make the dough, roll it into balls and freeze. Take the balls out of the freezer and allow them to thaw for about 30 minutes before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar and baking.

To freeze baked pumpkin snickerdoodles, allow them to cool completely to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container with pieces of parchment or waxed paper between stacks to prevent them from sticking. Thaw on the counter for about an hour.

Can you make pumpkin snickerdoodles ahead of time?

Yes, you can make pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies ahead of time. Bake them the day before and store them in an airtight container, or make and freeze them ahead of time with our freezing directions above.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Tips

Can you skip the cream or tartar?

Unfortunately, I don’t recommend skipping the cream of tartar. It’s an essential ingredient in snickerdoodle recipes, giving the cookies their signature tang and pillowy texture.

What should you do with the leftover canned pumpkin?

There are lots of genius ways to use leftover pumpkin puree. Save it for homemade pumpkin spice lattes, use it in your morning oatmeal, layer it into a parfait, bake a few more pumpkin cookies (’tis the season!) or treat your very good puppy to from-scratch pumpkin dog biscuits.

Do you have to squeeze out the liquid from the pumpkin puree?

No, you don’t have to squeeze out the liquid from the pumpkin puree. We add enough all-purpose flour and cornstarch to our pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe to prevent the cookies from becoming cakey.