Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Soft and chewy pumpkin snickerdoodles are the most perfect fall cookie, full of warming fall spices and real pumpkin! Grab a cup of cider or glass of milk and dig into these easy seasonal cookies! (vegetarian, vegan option)

Pumpkin season is in full swing, so it's time to bake some pumpkin cookies! Back when I first developed this recipe, I learned a lesson that informs all of my fall recipes - pumpkin is surprisingly difficult to bake with. It's very high in moisture and sometimes acts similar to eggs, so it makes baked goods super fluffy and cakey. Great for cakes, not so great for things that you want to be dense and chewy, like snickerdoodles and blondies.

It took me 3 full batches before I finally got them right. The first batch was way too puffy and cake-like. I over-compensated in the second batch, and they turned out flat as a pancake! The third batch finally turned out perfect! Luckily the flavor was delicious on all of them, so my un-picky husband and his man friends happily ate the first two batches. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. And find yourself a group of hungry dudes who like sweets. Now that these pumpkin beauties are just perfect, let's get to baking!

Why You'll Love These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

(As if you need a reason. Pumpkin + Snickerdoodles. Duh.)

These festive fall cookies have everything you love about pumpkin season. They're fluffy, chewy, full of cinnamonny pumpkin spice, and are just so adorably perfect for dunking in a glass of cold milk or next to a warm mug of cider. They're also super easy to make. With just a few simple ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen, you're well on your way to pumpkin goodness!

How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

• Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer.
• Add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix until you get a smooth, creamy mixture of orange fluff.
• Mix the dry ingredients in another bowl. Add to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined.
• Chill the dough - very important for cookies that aren't too flat. 30 minutes to an hour is plenty of time.
• Stir the pumpkin spice cinnamon sugar coating together while the dough chills.
• Roll the dough into 1 ½- inch balls, then roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar goodness.
• Bake the snickerdoodles 12-15 minutes. Go for the slightly underdone look for perfectly chewy cookies.
• Let the cookies cool at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet to set before enjoying!

Pro Tips For Making The Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

• There are no eggs in this snickerdoodle recipe. That's not a typo. Eggs make the cookies more cakey, which is already achieved with the pumpkin. You don't need the eggs, I promise.
• Don't skip the chilling step. The chilling is important for making sure your cookies don't fall completely flat. It's only an hour, you'll survive.
• Don't overbake. The cookies will look a little bit underdone when you take them out of the oven, but they'll set up into perfectly soft, crinkly, chewy cookies as they cool.
• No pumpkin pie spice? That's ok! Make some using this recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice!

Pumpkin Obsessed? Try These Other Delicious Pumpkin Recipes:

• Pumpkin Lava Cake
• Healthier No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
• Pumpkin Spice Granola
• Gluten-Free Maple Walnut Pumpkin Muffins

If you're ready to feel all the fall feels, whip up a batch of these festive pumpkin snickerdoodles! Your house will smell like a pumpkin fairytale, and you'll be left with the reward of a pillowy pumpkin spice snickerdoodle gems.

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave it a star rating in the comments! 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Soft and chewy pumpkin snickerdoodles are the most perfect fall cookie, full of warming fall spices and real pumpkin! Grab a cup of cider or glass of milk and dig into these easy seasonal cookies! (vegetarian, vegan option)

• Author: Kaleigh
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 12 min
• Total Time: 60 min
• Yield: About 18 cookies 1x
• Category: dessert
• Method: baked
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• ½ cup butter (use coconut oil for vegan option)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour (you can also use all purpose flour)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For rolling dough:

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Slowly add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, combine sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
4. Remove dough from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350° F. Roll dough into 1 to 1-½ inch balls. I use a small cookie scoop. Roll dough in sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
5. Slightly squish cookies down so they aren't completely round. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden. I like to slightly under-bake mine to get a nice chewy texture.
6. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on a cooling rack at least 5 minutes before enjoying.

Notes

• For vegan option, use virgin coconut oil instead of butter, and replace sugars with coconut sugar or pure cane sugar.
• There are no eggs in this snickerdoodle recipe. Eggs make the cookies more cakey, which is already achieved with the pumpkin.
• Don't skip the chilling step. The chilling is important for making sure your cookies don't fall completely flat.
• Don't overbake. The cookie will look a little bit underdone when you take them out of the oven, but they'll set up into perfectly soft, chewy cookies as they cool.
• No pumpkin pie spice? That's ok! Make some using this recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice!

Keywords: pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, pumpkin cookies, healthy pumpkin snickerdoodles