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This might be my favorite cookie recipe I’ve ever made! These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are soft and chewy with the most incredible brown butter pumpkin flavor. My entire family devoured them, just like they do with my classic snickerdoodles!
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Pin ItA Seasonal Snickerdoodle
Brown Butter Pumpkin Flavor: Nutty brown butter takes these cookies to the next level. I use the same technique in my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, and it adds the most incredible depth of flavor.
Perfect Chewy Texture: I don’t like cakey cookies, so I created this recipe with a little cornstarch and an extra egg yolk to keep the centers soft, gooey and chewy!
Ultimate Fall Treat: Just like my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, these smell like fall, and pair perfectly with Pumpkin Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Bread or snickerdoodle coffee!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Ingredients
Brown butter – Browned unsalted butter gives these cookies their deep, nutty flavor.
Pure pumpkin – Squeeze it dry with a paper towel to remove excess liquid. This is the secret to chewy, not cakey, pumpkin cookies.
Dark brown sugar + granulated sugar – A mix of the two gives them sweetness and that classic cinnamon sugar crackle.
Egg yolks – Just the yolks (no whole eggs) keep these cookies rich and soft.
Flour – All-purpose works perfectly here.
Baking soda + cream of tartar + cornstarch – The classic snickerdoodle combo for that little tang, soft bite, and cornstarch for extra chewy texture.
Pumpkin pie spice – I use my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice, but store-bought works too.
Cinnamon sugar – For rolling those cookie dough balls before baking. A little extra cinnamon never hurts.
How to Make Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Brown the Butter: Melt butter until golden and nutty. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
Dry the Pumpkin: Press the pumpkin with paper towels until the moisture is out.
Mix Wet Ingredients: Whisk brown butter, sugars, egg yolk and pumpkin until smooth.
Add Dry Ingredients: Stir in flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Chill 10–15 minutes.
Scoop & Roll: Weigh out 50g dough balls, roll in cinnamon sugar.
Bake: Bake at 350°F for 9–10 minutes until edges are set and centers are soft.
Cool & Enjoy: Rest 5 minute on baking sheets, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Eden’s Recipe Tips
Weigh your dough with a kitchen scale for evenly baked cookies. For this recipe, I like to make each cookie dough ball 50 grams.
A double cinnamon sugar roll gives the crust that extra sparkle and crunch.
Always underbake your cookies! It creates the perfect chewy texture.
You can freeze the cookie dough balls ahead of time for quick, fresh cookies whenever you want.
Slightly underbake the cookies, add a scoop of ice cream between two, then freeze for 30 minutes. Just like my Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles FAQs
Think cozy cinnamon sugar, buttery dough, and just a hint of tang from cream of tartar. Add pumpkin spice and brown butter… and it’s next-level autumn magic.
The combo of brown butter, sugar, cornstarch and egg yolk, baked just until the edges are set, gives them that soft, chewy center everyone loves. Just like my brown butter chocolate chip cookies!
It gives classic snickerdoodle cookies their signature tang and contributes to their soft texture. You can swap it with lemon juice or vinegar in a pinch, but nothing beats the original.
They should look slightly underbaked in the center but set on the edges. A gentle tap on the baking sheets should keep them soft but not runny. Let them rest on the cooling rack until fully set.
Yes. Baking at 350°F lets the outside set without drying out the inside, so you get that perfect chewy texture.
More Cookie Recipes
Cookies & Brownies
No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookies & Brownies
Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Cookies & Brownies
Gingersnap Cookie Recipe
I can’t wait for you to make these! Leave a comment and review below, and let me know what you think!
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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, dried (see below)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, for rolling
- 1/8 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. It will foam and then turn golden brown with toasty brown bits at the bottom — this takes about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir often with a spoon or spatula to keep it from burning. When it smells nutty and rich, remove from the heat and let it cool for at least 5 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Spread the pumpkin puree onto a paper towel and press another sheet on top to soak up the liquid. This step keeps the cookies from turning cakey.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 2 minutes, until it looks like wet sand. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and dried pumpkin puree. Whisk again until the mixture looks glossy and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cornstarch. Add to the wet ingredients and stir just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes — this helps it firm up for rolling.
- Scoop about 50 grams of dough per cookie (a medium cookie scoop works well) and roll into smooth balls. Coat each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully covered.
- Arrange 6 cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them a few inches apart. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly underbaked. Don’t overbake — they’ll finish setting as they cool.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Once cooled, the edges will be lightly crisp and the centers soft and chewy — just the way pumpkin snickerdoodles should be!
Notes
- Room Temperature: Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerate Dough: Chill dough for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Freeze: Freeze baked cookies or dough balls for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen—just add 1–2 extra minutes.
- Reheat: Warm cookies in the oven for 2–3 minutes at 300°F to bring back that fresh-baked texture.
- Don’t skip drying the pumpkin — it’s key to that chewy texture.
- Brown the butter slowly; the flavor comes from those golden brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
- Slightly underbake for soft, gooey centers.
- Weigh your dough balls (about 50 g each) for evenly baked cookies.
- Roll twice in cinnamon sugar if you love extra sparkle and crunch.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
