Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe
These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are soft, chewy, and full of cozy brown butter pumpkin flavor. Rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked until just set, they’re the ultimate fall cookie. A little cornstarch and egg yolk give them that gooey center, while warm spices make the whole kitchen smell amazing.
Servings: 10 cookies
Cost: $15
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
How to Store
- 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
Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 2240IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
