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Soft and chewy pumpkin snickerdoodles offer a delicious autumn spin on the timeless favorite. These treats turn out wonderfully tender with the perfect chewiness and subtle pumpkin warmth in every mouthful, all crafted with common kitchen ingredients and smartly using your pumpkin puree supply.
I baked these during the first drizzly weekend in October and the house filled with such a warm aroma that family members kept wandering into the kitchen waiting for them to finish. These days I make multiple batches to keep everyone happy throughout pumpkin season
Collect Your Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Creates a creamy foundation and turns golden for nutty flavor. Pick quality butter for tastier results
- Canned pumpkin puree: Adds genuine pumpkin taste. Keep it at room temp and don't grab pumpkin pie filling by mistake
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps with spreading. Regular white sugar works great here
- Dark brown sugar: Gives these cookies their chew and rich undertones. Press it firmly when measuring
- Egg yolks: Make everything more velvety than using whole eggs. Let them sit out before mixing
- Vanilla extract: Brings cozy flavor and lifts the spices. Real vanilla makes a big difference
- Pumpkin spice: The star flavor in these cookies. Grab a new container for best results
- Baking soda: Makes cookies rise nice and puffy. Double-check it's not expired
- Cream of tartar: Creates the classic snickerdoodle zing. Helps maintain that soft texture
- Kosher salt: Cuts through sweetness and brightens flavors. Small grains mix in better
- Granulated sugar for rolling: Forms that tasty crunchy outside. Don't be stingy when coating
- Ground cinnamon in the coating: Adds extra spice kick. Vietnamese cinnamon packs the most punch
How to Make It
- Preheat and Prepare Trays:
- Heat your oven to 350 F or 180 C and put parchment on two cookie sheets to stop sticking and help them bake evenly
- Brown the Butter:
- Melt butter in a big metal pan over medium heat. Keep stirring as it bubbles and sizzles, then turns golden with a toasty smell in around 5-8 minutes. Pull it off the heat once you notice brown flecks at the bottom. Transfer to a measuring cup and cool in the fridge for 45-60 minutes, giving it a stir every 20 minutes until it's just below room temperature but still fluid
- Dry the Pumpkin Puree:
- Smear pumpkin puree on a plate. Push paper towels onto it to soak up extra moisture. Scrape and do this again until the puree feels like soft modeling clay and measures about a third cup. This trick keeps cookies from getting cakey
- Mix Butter and Sugars:
- Stir cooled butter and both sugars together for a full minute until it looks like wet sand and everything's mixed well
- Combine Wet Ingredients:
- Add the egg yolks, vanilla and dried pumpkin, mixing until everything looks smooth and well blended
- Mix in Dry Ingredients:
- Stir in flour, pumpkin spice, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda just until no dry spots remain. Cool dough for five minutes so it won't spread too much
- Shape and Coat the Dough:
- Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small dish. Scoop three tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll into balls, then coat with the cinnamon sugar mix. Leave 2-3 inches between them on cookie sheets so they can spread
- Bake and Cool:
- Bake for 12 minutes or until edges firm up while centers stay soft. Let them sit on the tray five minutes before moving to a cooling rack
- Store or Freeze:
- Put leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temp for up to three days. For later, freeze the dough balls and let them warm up before baking for fresh cookies whenever you want
I love watching the browned butter mix with sugar - it smells just like caramel corn and always brings my children running to the kitchen hoping for a taste. I always set aside a little dough for my oldest who says it's what autumn should taste like
Flavor Boosters
They freeze beautifully so you can enjoy a warm pumpkin treat whenever the mood strikes
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these cookies fresh from the oven with cold milk or a hot cup of spiced chai. For something extra fancy, put cream cheese frosting between two cookies to make delicious sandwiches. They make wonderful gifts too - just line a pretty box with parchment paper and fill it with cookies for a seasonal treat friends will love
Creative Twists
Snickerdoodles come from old German traditions and have become an American baking favorite, especially during fall. Adding pumpkin brings that autumn touch modern bakers love, blending old and new styles. The butter browning step borrows from French cooking and turns simple cookies into bakery-quality treats. Try using apple pie spice instead of pumpkin spice for a different autumn flavor. A tiny bit of cardamom works great for winter holiday versions. Switching to maple sugar creates an amazing November treat that everyone will talk about
Always weigh your dried pumpkin to get consistent results and avoid cakey cookies. Don't ever skip browning the butter - this simple step adds that caramelized richness that makes these cookies stand out from regular pumpkin treats.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- → Why is the butter browned before mixing?
Browning creates a deeper taste, giving cookies that toasty, rich smell and making their texture even better.
- → How do I ensure the pumpkin puree isn't too watery?
Pat it with paper towels until you get a dry, firm consistency that won't make your cookies spread too much.
- → Can I freeze the dough balls?
You bet, just pop them in the freezer and let them warm up before baking so they stay nice and chewy.
- → What makes these cookies chewy?
The magic happens when you chill both the toasted butter and cookie dough, plus those egg yolks make each bite wonderfully chewy.
- → Do I have to use cream of tartar?
You can't skip it if you want that special snickerdoodle zing and the soft texture everyone loves.