These pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are soft and chewy with pumpkin, warm pumpkin spice, and the classic cinnamon-sugar coating of a snickerdoodle. The trick is removing some of the moisture from the pumpkin purée before adding it to the dough, so you get a chewy cookie rather than a cakey one.
Made with melted butter, an egg yolk, and cream of tartar, they have crisp cinnamon-sugar edges and soft, chewy centers with plenty of fall flavor.
I love adding pumpkin to fall baking, but cookies can be tricky because pumpkin brings so much moisture with it. My first priority with these was that they should still feel like snickerdoodles, not little pumpkin cakes covered in cinnamon sugar.
So I spread the pumpkin purée on a plate and blotted it several times with paper towels before adding it to the dough. That small step made the difference I wanted — I could keep the pumpkin flavor while getting a much better cookie texture.
And because I already have my classic snickerdoodle cookies on the blog, I kept the cream of tartar here too. For me, if I’m calling them pumpkin snickerdoodles, they should still have that characteristic snickerdoodle flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft and chewy, not cakey – Blotting the pumpkin removes excess moisture so the cookies keep a proper cookie texture.
- Real snickerdoodle flavor – Cream of tartar gives these that subtle tang that distinguishes a snickerdoodle from an ordinary cinnamon-sugar cookie.
- Plenty of pumpkin flavor – Pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice give them warm fall flavor without overwhelming the cookie.
- No mixer needed – Melted butter makes the dough simple to mix by hand.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- All-purpose flour – Gives the cookies enough structure while keeping the centers soft and chewy. Measure the flour accurately so the cookies don’t become dry or spread too little.
- Butter – I use melted unsalted butter, which makes these cookies easy to mix without a mixer and gives them a wonderfully chewy texture. Let it cool slightly before mixing.
- Pumpkin purée – Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. I start with ⅓ cup pumpkin purée and blot away the excess moisture with paper towels until I’m left with roughly ¼ cup. Don’t skip this step—the extra water in pumpkin can make the cookies cakey.
- Granulated and light brown sugar – A combination gives you the best of both: granulated sugar helps with spread and crisp edges, while brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness.
- Egg yolk – You only need the yolk. A whole egg would add more liquid to a dough that already contains pumpkin, so leaving out the white helps keep the cookies chewy rather than cakey.
- Cream of tartar – An essential ingredient in a classic snickerdoodle. It gives the cookies their characteristic slight tang and works with the baking soda for the right texture.
- Baking soda – Just a small amount helps the cookies spread and brown as they bake.
- Pumpkin spice – Adds the warm cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove flavors that work so well with pumpkin. You can use store-bought or my homemade pumpkin spice mix.
- Vanilla and salt – Vanilla rounds out the warm spices, while salt balances the sweetness and brings out the pumpkin flavor.
- Cinnamon sugar – The cookie dough balls are rolled generously in cinnamon sugar before baking for that classic snickerdoodle coating.
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Blot the pumpkin
Spread the pumpkin purée over a plate in a thin layer. Place a couple of paper towels over the pumpkin and gently press to absorb the excess moisture. Repeat with fresh paper towels as needed. You should go from about ⅓ cup pumpkin purée to roughly ¼ cup after blotting.
You don’t need to squeeze the pumpkin completely dry. The goal is simply to remove the excess water.
Make the cookie dough
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until well combined.
- Add the blotted pumpkin purée, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin spice, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until no dry flour remains.
- Cover the dough and chill for 1 hour. This gives the flour time to hydrate and firms the melted butter so the cookies don’t spread too much.
Shape and bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Scoop approximately 3 tablespoons of dough for each cookie and roll into balls.
- Roll each ball generously in the cinnamon sugar and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving room for spreading.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look soft.
- Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Important: Don’t wait for the centers to look completely baked before taking them out. They continue to set as they cool, and that’s what keeps the centers soft and chewy.
Variations
- More spice – Add an extra ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice if you want a stronger spiced flavor.
- Extra cinnamon coating – For a stronger cinnamon-sugar crust, roll the dough balls twice before baking.
- Add chocolate – White chocolate chips work particularly well with pumpkin and warm spices. Fold about ½ cup into the finished dough before chilling.
Storage and Make Ahead
- Room temperature – Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Make sure they’re completely cool before storing so they don’t become too soft.
- Refrigerator – The cookie dough can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes if it’s too firm to scoop, then roll in cinnamon sugar just before baking.
- Freeze the dough – Scoop the chilled dough into balls and freeze them on a tray until firm. Transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Roll the frozen dough balls in cinnamon sugar before baking. You may need to add a minute or two to the baking time.
- Freeze baked cookies – Once completely cool, freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Soft and chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies made with pumpkin purée, warm pumpkin spice, and cream of tartar, then rolled in cinnamon sugar. Blotting the pumpkin before adding it to the dough removes excess moisture, giving you chewy pumpkin cookies instead of cakey ones.
Video
Ingredients
- 190 g (1½ cups) All-purpose flour
- 113 g (½ cup) Unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 100 g (½ cup) Granulated sugar
- 70 g (⅓ cup) Light brown sugar
- 73 g (⅓ cup) Pumpkin purée before blotting
- 1 large Egg yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Pumpkin spice
- ½ tsp Cream of tartar
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- 50 g (¼ cup) Granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
Method
- Blot the pumpkin. Spread the pumpkin purée in a thin layer on a plate. Place paper towels over the top and gently press to absorb the excess moisture. Repeat with fresh paper towels as necessary. The pumpkin will reduce from about ⅓ cup to roughly ¼ cup. Set aside.73 g Pumpkin purée
- Combine the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted and cooled butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add the blotted pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until smooth.113 g Unsalted butter, 100 g Granulated sugar, 70 g Light brown sugar, 1 large Egg yolk, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin spice, cream of tartar, salt, and baking soda. Add to the wet ingredients and mix just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.190 g All-purpose flour, 1 tsp Pumpkin spice, ½ tsp Cream of tartar, ½ tsp Salt, ¼ tsp Baking soda
- Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 hour.
- Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the cinnamon sugar. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.50 g Granulated sugar, 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- Shape the cookies. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Roll each dough ball generously in the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake. Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving enough room between them to spread. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers still look soft.
- Cool. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Pumpkin: Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Blotting away excess moisture is important for a chewy rather than cakey texture.
- Butter: Let the melted butter cool before making the dough. Warm butter can make the dough overly soft.
- Dough: Don’t add extra flour if the freshly mixed dough seems soft. It will firm considerably during chilling.
- Cream of tartar: I don’t recommend omitting it. It’s part of the characteristic flavor and texture of a snickerdoodle.
- Baking: Don’t overbake. The cookies should still look soft in the center when they come out of the oven and will continue to set as they cool.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Mention @veenaazmanov_kitchen or tag #veenaazmanovkitchen!Tips for Success
- Blot the pumpkin well. This is probably the most important step. Removing excess water helps prevent cakey pumpkin cookies.
- Don’t add extra flour to compensate for soft dough. The dough will firm up considerably during the one-hour chill.
- Chill the dough. Because we’re using melted butter, baking the dough immediately can cause the cookies to spread too much.
- Use a generous scoop. I use about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Larger cookies give you those soft, chewy centers.
- Don’t overbake. At 12 minutes, the edges should look set while the centers remain soft. They’ll continue cooking from the heat of the baking sheet.
- Let them cool on the pan first. Give the cookies about 5 minutes to firm up before moving them to a cooling rack.
More cookie Recipes
- Brown Sugar Cookies
- Soft Amish Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
- Churros Cookies
- Soft Ginger Cookies
- Homemade Snickerdoodle Cookies
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Possible cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies are cakey | Too much moisture in the pumpkin | Blot the pumpkin purée well with paper towels before adding it to the dough. Also, use only the egg yolk, not the whole egg. |
| Cookies spread too much | Butter was too warm or dough wasn’t chilled enough | Let the melted butter cool before mixing and chill the dough for the full hour. |
| Cookies don’t spread enough | Too much flour or pumpkin was blotted too dry | Weigh the flour for accuracy. Blot away excess moisture from the pumpkin, but don’t squeeze it completely dry. |
| Cookies are dry | They were overbaked | Remove them when the edges are set but the centers still look soft. They’ll continue to set as they cool. |
| Dough is very soft or sticky | Melted butter and pumpkin make the freshly mixed dough soft | Don’t add more flour. Chill the dough for an hour and it will become much easier to scoop and roll. |
| Cinnamon sugar isn’t sticking | Dough is very cold or the surface has dried slightly | Roll the dough balls gently between your palms before coating them in cinnamon sugar. |
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Pumpkin contains a lot of water, and that extra moisture can make pumpkin cookies soft and cakey. Blotting removes some of that moisture so you can keep the pumpkin flavor while getting a chewier snickerdoodle texture.
Cream of tartar gives traditional snickerdoodles their characteristic slight tang and works with the baking soda to create their texture. Since these are pumpkin snickerdoodles, rather than simply pumpkin cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar, I don’t recommend leaving it out.
No. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices, which will change both the sweetness and texture of the cookie dough. Use 100% pure pumpkin purée.
Pumpkin already adds moisture to the dough. Using just the yolk adds richness and helps bind the dough without adding the extra liquid from an egg white. This helps keep the cookies chewy instead of cakey.
I don’t recommend it. This recipe uses melted butter, so the freshly mixed dough is quite soft. Chilling for an hour firms the butter, hydrates the flour, and helps control how much the cookies spread in the oven.
The edges should look set, but the centers should still look soft when you remove them from the oven. Mine take about 12 minutes at 350°F / 175°C. Don’t wait for the centers to look completely baked or the cookies can become dry.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
- Pumpkin White Chocolate Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Muffins with Brown Butter and Pecans
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Hi, I’m Veena
I’m the recipe developer, baker, and food photographer behind Veena Azmanov Kitchen.
I’ve spent years developing and testing recipes, from everyday meals and homemade breads to cakes and desserts.
I share the practical tips and little details I’ve learned along the way so you can get great results in your own kitchen.
