Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Updated Sep 18, 2026
Pumpkin snickerdoodles made soft and chewy with pumpkin, warm spice, and a cinnamon sugar coating. An easy fall cookie that doesn't turn cakey.
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My daughter is the snickerdoodle person in our house, so these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are really for her. She’ll take a regular snickerdoodle any time of year, but in the fall I usually make this pumpkin version with real pumpkin and a little extra spice mixed into the cookie dough.
We’re both very serious about the cinnamon sugar coating on these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, though. Every cookie gets rolled in it before baking, and I’m usually pretty generous with it because that’s half the reason to make a snickerdoodle in the first place. These pumpkin snickerdoodles stay soft in the middle and have just enough pumpkin flavor!
Recipe testing notes
For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe multiple times before sharing it! These notes give you a peek into my process of developing and testing.
The hardest part of any pumpkin cookie is keeping it from turning cakey, and that’s where most of my attention went when testing these. Pumpkin adds a lot of moisture, so when I used too much, they puffed up like little muffin tops instead of staying soft and chewy like a snickerdoodle should. Just a third of a cup of pumpkin was the amount that gave me the flavor without wrecking the texture.
The cream of tartar isn’t optional in my book. That’s what gives a snickerdoodle its slight tang and chew, and the batch I tried without it just tasted like a plain spice cookie. So even though it’s an odd ingredient to keep around, it’s what makes these actually taste like snickerdoodles.
Chilling the dough matters too. Pumpkin dough is soft and sticky, and when I skipped chilling it, it spread into flat, greasy cookies. After 30 minutes in the fridge, they held their shape, and since pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies don’t spread much on their own, I flatten the tops a little with a glass before they bake.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Ingredients
- Pumpkin: Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which has extra sugar and spices.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, a large egg, and vanilla extract. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly.
- Cinnamon sugar coating: Roll the cookie dough in ground cinnamon and more granulated sugar for that iconic snickerdoodle crunch!
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
These step-by-step photos walk you through how to make easy Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies. For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, head to the recipe card below, or skip straight to the → Pumpkin Spice Snitckerdoodle Cookies recipe below
1. Combine the butter and two sugars
Whisk the melted and cooled butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar, breaking up any brown sugar clumps.
2. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla
Whisk until evenly combined, with no streaks of egg remaining.
3. Add the dry ingredients
Whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients.
4. Fold and chill the dough
Use a spatula to bring everything together, stopping once no flour streaks remain. Cover the bowl and refrigerate.
5. Form snickerdoodle cookies
Use a cookie scoop to portion the chilled dough, then gently shape each portion into a ball.
6. Roll in cinnamon sugar
Turn each dough ball in the coating to cover all sides, then place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Flatten the tops of the cookie dough
Leave about 2 inches between the cookies. Press the tops with your hand or the bottom of a glass so they’re evenly flattened.
8. Bake the pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies
The centers should just begin to set. Let the pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
Full Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles Recipe
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine melted and cooled butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Continue mixing until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and fold together until combined and no flour streaks remain. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and use a 1.5 tablespoon-size spring-loaded cookie scoop to scoop the dough balls. Roll each into a ball, coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and place on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Use your hand or the bottom of a glass to flatten the tops. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until the cookies brown around the edges and the center begins to set.
- Let cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Brown butter: Brown the butter, then measure out ½ cup, starting with a little extra to account for moisture loss. Let it cool before mixing.
- White chocolate: Fold ½ cup white chocolate chips into the dough before chilling.
- Orange zest: Rub 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest into the granulated sugar before mixing it with the butter. It gives the cookies a little citrus flavor without adding juice to the dough.
- Chopped pecans: Fold in ⅓ cup toasted, cooled, finely chopped pecans before chilling. Keep the pieces small so the dough stays easy to roll.
Recipe Tips
- Use a spoon to help with the coating. If the dough sticks to your fingers, place a dough ball in the cinnamon sugar and spoon the mixture over it.
- Flatten the cookies evenly. Keep them about the same thickness so some don’t finish baking before others.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. Snickerdoodles should be soft and chewy, so it’s important not to overbake them. They might look a little underdone when you pull them out of the oven, but they’ll continue to cook as they cool.
Troubleshooting
The dough is soft, but it should be easier to handle after chilling. Give it more time in the fridge if needed, especially if the butter was still warm when you mixed it. Avoid adding extra flour right away, which can make the cookies dry.
The dough may have warmed up before baking. Keep the remaining dough chilled while a batch bakes, and let a baking sheet cool before putting more dough on it.
Too much flour or too much time in the oven can cause this. Spoon and level the flour instead of scooping it directly from the bag, and start checking the cookies at 10 minutes.
More Fall Dessert Recipes
Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Comments
I made these for the first time this evening. They are perfect in every way! Subtle pumpkin flavor, a pleasant cinnamon accent, and they make my house smell like fall as they bake. Thank you for this recipe!
Aww, so glad you liked them!! Thank you, Jennifer!
THESE ARE SO GOOD I’ve made these like 20 times and they were perfect every time. Make these!! They won’t let you down, I promise
Yay! Aww, so glad you love them!! Thank you so much!
So light and soft! I followed the recipe exactly, and they came out great. Soft, chewy, and the pumpkin isn’t too overpowering.
Amazing!! So glad you liked them! Thank you, Zaina!
Thank you for the pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe. They are delicious. Glad I now have another recipe to add to my pumpkin recipes for the fall. 🧡
Aww, I’m so happy you liked them! Thank you!!
What temperature do you bake them at??
Sorry about that, the temperature was missing! Bake at 350°F. You should be able to see the full instructions now (including bake temp) in the recipe card at the bottom of the page. Hope that helps!