Pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft, chewy cookies made with real pumpkin puree, warm pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon, finished with a cinnamon sugar coating. They’re eggless pumpkin cookies, since the pumpkin holds the dough together and keeps every cookie moist. A short chill in the fridge helps them keep their shape, then they bake in about 12 minutes. They’re the cookie my family bakes for Thanksgiving, and since the dough keeps in the fridge for days, they’re an easy one to have ready for company.
Our family loves snickerdoodles, so I set out to create a recipe that combines the flavor of my grandma’s snickerdoodles with the warm spices of fall pumpkin pie. The grandkids came over to help me test this recipe out, and 4 out of 4 said it was a winner. Even the self-professing “I don’t like pumpkin” grandson decided he liked pumpkin after all. To my surprise, these cookies were even more flavorful the next day, and they stayed soft and chewy. A few Thanksgivings ago, when my grandkids were younger, these became our Thanksgiving cookies, and now that they’re older, they help me make them.
Main Ingredients Needed For Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter that’s slightly melted, soft, and just starting to pool, not hot and not straight from the fridge. That’s a big part of what gives these cookies their soft, chewy texture, and going with unsalted lets the little bit of salt in the recipe do its job without the cookies tasting salty.
- Brown Sugar: Packed brown sugar brings moisture and a little molasses flavor, and it’s what keeps the centers soft. Press it down firmly in the measuring cup so you get the full amount.
- Granulated Sugar: This sweetens the dough and helps with the texture. You’ll use it again in the cinnamon sugar coating, so make sure you’ve got enough in the canister for both.
- Pumpkin Puree: This is where all that pumpkin flavor comes from, and it’s also what holds the dough together, which is why there’s no egg in these cookies. Grab a can that says pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix, since pie mix is already sweetened and spiced and will throw the whole recipe off. This only uses part of a can, so check the questions below for what I do with the rest.
- All-Purpose Flour: This gives the cookies their structure, and plain all-purpose flour is all you need.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These two work together to give the cookies a little lift.
- Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon goes in the dough and in the coating, so you get that warm flavor twice.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Store-bought works great, or you can mix up one of my homemade blends (more on that below). Spices lose their flavor after about a year in the cabinet, so if your jar has been hanging around since last fall, it might be time for a fresh one.
How To Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
These only take a few simple steps, and you can mix them by hand, with a hand mixer, or with a stand mixer.
Tip: Don’t skip that 10 minutes of cooling on the sheet. It gives the cookies time to firm up so they don’t fall apart when you lift them off with a spatula.
Tip: I use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, then roll each one between my hands to make a smooth ball. Flatten the tops before they go in the oven, because these don’t spread out on their own while they bake.
Ways to Switch Up the Spice in Pumpkin Spiced Cookies
The easiest way to change up these pumpkin spiced cookies is the spice, and you can use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or any of the four blends from my homemade pumpkin pie spice blends post, each one with its own feel:
- Classic pumpkin spice
- Sweet vanilla
- Cozy earthy blend
- Slightly spicy blend (my favorite in these; it’s a warm spice that adds a little heat)
Make-Ahead Tips for Chewy Pumpkin Spice Cookies
These chewy pumpkin spice cookies are one of the easiest things to get ahead on, which is a big reason they’re on my list of easy Thanksgiving desserts. You can make the dough, cover it, and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, then roll and bake whenever you’re ready. When I freeze the dough, I scoop it into balls but don’t roll them in the cinnamon sugar yet. Freeze them on a baking sheet for 1 to 2 hours, then move them to an airtight container. When you’re ready to bake, let them sit out for about 15 minutes to soften, then roll them in cinnamon sugar and bake. You can also freeze the baked cookies. Just let them cool completely and layer them in a freezer container with parchment paper between the layers, and they’ll keep for up to 3 months. And since they taste even better the next day, baking them the day before a gathering works in your favor.
Kitchen Essentials I Use in This Recipe
For these, I keep it simple: a couple of good mixing bowls, sturdy cookie pans, a mixer for the days I don’t feel like stirring by hand, and a spatula for lifting them off the sheet once they’ve cooled. You’ll find the ones I use in my baking essentials below.
Baking Essentials
Questions When Making Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Not this recipe. The pumpkin puree adds the moisture and holds the dough together, so these are eggless pumpkin cookies on purpose, and I’ve tested them that way. If you’ve been looking for an egg-free cookie for fall baking, this is an easy one to keep in your back pocket.
Take them out of the oven when the edges are set, even if the centers still look soft, because they finish setting as they cool on the sheet. Slightly melted butter and packed brown sugar keep them chewy, and chilling the dough helps them hold their shape. If you can wait, let them sit uncovered for a few hours before serving for the best flavor and texture.
Freeze it in ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen, pop them into a freezer bag, and you can grab just what you need next time. I love using those cubes in my iced pumpkin latte and pumpkin oatmeal, and if you’d rather use up a whole can at once, try my pumpkin spice cake from cake mix.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Coating
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Mix The Cookie Dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and slightly creamy.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Add vanilla and pumpkin puree, and mix until well combined. Set the bowl aside.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until a soft dough forms. This will take about 2 minutes.
Chill Dough
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days). This step is important to ensure the cookies hold their shape.
Prepare
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Shape and Coat Cookies
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon to roll the cookies in.1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. I find it easier to use a cookie ball scoop. Using your hands, roll the dough into a round ball.
- Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mix and place the coated dough balls on the baking sheets, about 3 inches apart.
- Gently flatten the tops with the back of a spoon or the bottom of a cup. This will ensure the cookies bake evenly as they do not flatten while baking.
Bake the Cookies
- Bake for 12 minutes until the edges are set. The centers may look soft, this is okay.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. For the best flavor and texture, let the cookies sit uncovered for a few hours before serving.
Storage
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Pumpkin Puree: Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix, which is already sweetened and spiced.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Store-bought pumpkin pie spice or any of my homemade pumpkin pie spice blends work in this recipe.
- Make Ahead: The dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking.
- Storage: Keep the cookies in a well-sealed airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. To keep them extra soft, add a slice of white bread to the container.
- Freezing Dough: Scoop the dough into balls but do not roll them in cinnamon sugar. Freeze on a baking sheet for 1 to 2 hours, then transfer to an airtight container. To bake, let the dough balls soften at room temperature for about 15 minutes, roll in cinnamon sugar, and bake as directed.
- Freezing Baked Cookies: Let the cookies cool completely, then layer them in a freezer container with parchment paper between the layers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Showing Hospitality With Homemade Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Fall Coffee and Dessert with Neighbors is one of my favorite ways to finally get together with the folks you keep waving to from the driveway, so pick an evening, light the fire pit, and ask a few of them to come over after supper for a cup of coffee and something sweet. Bake a batch of these pumpkin snickerdoodles the day before, then set them out on a platter, maybe alongside some chewy iced ginger molasses cookies or chocolate Reese’s Pieces cookies, next to a big carafe of coffee, a little cream and sugar, and a stack of mugs so everyone can help themselves. Let the kids run around the yard while the grownups pull their chairs a little closer to the fire, because nobody is in a hurry to leave with a warm mug in one hand and a cookie in the other. Romans 15:7 tells us to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us, and sometimes that welcome looks as ordinary as a circle of lawn chairs and an extra blanket for whoever forgot one. So think about which neighbors could use a seat by the fire, and save one for them.
I hate to use 1/2 cup of pumpkin for a recipe. What do I do with the remaining pumpkin in the can? Can you send a cookie recipe that uses a full can of pumpkin?
Joan, I totally understand not wanting to waste that extra bit of pumpkin. When I have leftover pumpkin purée, I freeze it in ice cube trays — it’s perfect for adding to recipes later. Once frozen, just pop the cubes into a freezer bag, and you can easily grab what you need next time.
I love using those cubes to make these cozy fall favorites:
Iced Pumpkin Latte
Warm and Cozy Pumpkin Oatmeal
And if you’re looking for a recipe that uses the whole can of pumpkin, you’ll want to try my Pumpkin Spice Cake from Cake Mix
— it’s easy, moist, and full of that classic pumpkin spice flavor.
Hope that helps you make the most of every bit of pumpkin!