Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

This post was created as in partnership with Imperial Sugar. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles stay soft and chewy and have a pumpkin pie spice twist to the traditional cinnamon sugar! If warm and cozy was a cookie, it would be this one!

Lovers of all things pumpkin will also enjoy our Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, Glazed Pumpkin Scones, and Salted Caramel Pumpkin Panna Cotta!

Classic snickerdoodles have been a year-round favorite of mine ever since I was a kid. I love them right out of the oven when they barely set and practically melting in your mouth. But the real hallmark of an excellent snickerdoodle is how they taste when they have cooled to room temperature. I prefer them to remain soft and chewy, rather than crispy and dry, which is often the case.

So when I decided to experiment with a fall-centric version of snickerdoodles, I went straight to my already perfected recipe for the original version and swapped out one of the eggs for some pumpkin and decided to use pumpkin pie spice rather than the traditional cinnamon. They were a total hit!

The pumpkin not only adds flavor, but it imparts moisture that keeps these cookies soft for days! You won’t use a full can of pumpkin puree, but did you know you can freeze the rest to have on hand for future uses? Just transfer any unused pumpkin puree to a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

How to make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

1. Beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy and light.
2. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla, then beat again, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
3. Mix in all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
4. You can roll these into balls right away, although I recommend chilling the dough for 30-45 minutes first so it isn’t quite a sticky.
5. Combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Roll small balls of dough in the sugar-spice mixture, then space them apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until they are puffy and soft. It can be hard to tell based on color whether these are just starting to get brown around the edges, but when the first couple of cracks appear on the tops of the cookies is another good indicator.

Tips for the best pumpkin snickerdoodles

• Make sure to use the cream of tartar! It gives these pumpkin snickerdoodles the classic tang of the original cookie and they just aren’t the same without it. I always have a small jar of it in my pantry and it lasts forever.
• Don’t make the cookies too big. Small, two or three bite snickerdoodles are my favorite because they stay puffy and don’t flatten out as much as larger ones.
• A trick for puffier snickerdoodles is to roll them into oblong balls or cylinders and stand them tall on the baking sheet, rather than the traditional ball shape. They will still bake down to be round, but it gives them a little more height in the middle and they won’t spread quite as much.

How to store pumpkin snickerdoodles

Like most cookies, these keep best on the counter at room temperature in an airtight container. They will stay tasting fresh and delicious for 4-5 days!

Or you can freeze them for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container and thaw on the counter before serving. I like to pop the thawed cookies in the microwave for 10 seconds and eat them warm. It tastes almost just as good as when they are fresh out of the oven!

Variations you have to try!

Although these cookies are amazingly tasty on their own with a glass of cold milk, here are a couple of fun ideas to try that take them to the next level!

• Chocolate is always a good idea: Add in a cup of white chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips to the dough. Then press a few extra on to the tops of each cookie right when they come out of the oven. Pumpkin and chocolate were meant for each other!
• Ice cream sandwiches: Use these to make the most delicious fall-flavored ice cream sandwiches! Vanilla ice cream is an obvious winner, but consider using butter pecan, maple nut, cinnamon, or chocolate ice cream as well! Just soften the ice cream slightly, place a scoop on one cookie, then top with another and stick them back in the freezer for a couple of hours to set. The pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft enough that they won’t break your teeth trying to bite into the ice cream sandwich!
• Surprise center: Another good option is to stick a Rolo or fun-size Snickers in the center of each snickerdoodle and wrap the dough around it before baking.

More Fall baking recipes

• Maple Pecan Blondies
• Apple Cider Donuts
• Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
• Apple Fritter Yeast Bread
• Pumpkin Chocolate Babka
• Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
• Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings