Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are one of our favorite fall cookies because you get that classic snickerdoodle cinnamon sugar crunch, but with a soft, spiced pumpkin cookie underneath.
We’ve made this cookie for years, but just recently decided that it could be better. After lots of testing, we are happy to report that these are now the BEST Pumpkin Snickerdoodles we have ever tried!! They bake up thick and tender, and that double roll in cinnamon sugar gives you the best sweet crust on the outside.
These are the kind of cookies we make for Halloween parties, fall bake sales, or just to have on the counter all week. They’re easy, they smell amazing while they bake, and they disappear fast.
For more favorites, check out our Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Fall favorite: Perfect fall cookie for parties, holidays, and gifting.
- So simple: Dough mixes up easily and bakes quickly.
- Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodle flavor: It adds the classic tang and helps create that signature texture.
- Double coating builds the crust: Rolling twice gives a thicker cinnamon-sugar layer that bakes crackly and sweet.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Ingredients
- All-purpose flour (2½ cups): Provides structure so cookies bake up thick and sturdy.
- Cream of tartar (1 teaspoon): Adds classic snickerdoodle tang and helps with texture.
- Baking soda (1 teaspoon): Helps cookies rise and spread slightly.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): Balances sweetness and boosts flavor.
- Pumpkin pie spice (2 teaspoons): Adds warm fall spice flavor throughout the dough.
- Nutmeg (½ teaspoon): Adds extra depth and cozy flavor.
- Butter, softened (1 cup): Adds rich flavor and helps create a soft, tender cookie.
- Sugar (1 cup): Sweetens and helps cookies get lightly crisp on the edges.
- Brown sugar (½ cup): Adds moisture so cookies stay soft and chewy.
- Pumpkin purée (½ cup): Adds pumpkin flavor and keeps cookies moist and tender.
- Egg yolk (1): Adds richness and helps bind the dough without making it cakey.
- Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons): Adds warmth and rounds out the spice flavor.
- Sugar for coating (1/3 cup): Creates the sweet outer crust.
- Cinnamon (1 teaspoon): Gives classic snickerdoodle flavor in the coating.
- Pumpkin pie spice for coating (2 teaspoons): Adds extra fall spice flavor to the outside.
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F.
BATTER. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin purée, egg, and vanilla; mix until smooth. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Dough will be soft.
Mix cinnamon sugar coating in a small bowl.
Scoop dough into balls (about 1½ Tbsp each), roll in cinnamon sugar twice for that signature crust.
BAKE. Bake 9–11 minutes or until edges are just set and tops look slightly crackled. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- If the dough feels too soft to roll, chill it 20 to 30 minutes for easier scooping.
- Roll in cinnamon sugar twice to get that thicker, crackly crust.
- Don’t overbake, pull them when edges are set and centers look slightly soft.
- Let cookies cool on the pan 5 minutes, they finish setting as they cool.
- For picture-perfect cookies, press a few extra coating crumbs on top right after baking.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup pumpkin purée
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin purée, egg, and vanilla; mix until smooth. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Dough will be soft.
- Mix cinnamon sugar coating in a small bowl.
- Scoop dough into balls (about 1½ Tbsp each), roll in cinnamon sugar twice for that signature crust.
- Bake 9–11 minutes or until edges are just set and tops look slightly crackled. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Notes
- If the dough feels too soft to roll, chill it 20 to 30 minutes for easier scooping.
- Roll in cinnamon sugar twice to get that thicker, crackly crust.
- Don’t overbake, pull them when edges are set and centers look slightly soft.
- Let cookies cool on the pan 5 minutes, they finish setting as they cool.
- For picture-perfect cookies, press a few extra coating crumbs on top right after baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freeze baked cookies: Freeze cooled cookies for up to 2 months.
Freeze dough: Scoop dough balls, freeze on a tray, then store in a freezer bag up to 2 months. Bake from frozen adding 1 to 2 minutes.
Thaw at room temperature.
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This recipe was first shared September, 2013.
Hi! Which step do you add the pumpkin purée? Thanks!
I made and shared these with others. EVERYONE loved them!
This was not a very good recipe. I baked the cookies 8 minutes as on the recipe. The cookies were still raw. After 45 minutes in the refrigerator, the dough was still mushy. They lacked in flavor.
Sweetheart I made the pumpkin snicker doodle cookies. Yours look prettier than mine. I nixed them in the mixer. Which I should not have done they seemed sticky. Should I have not done that? I just took them out of the oven, so don’t know how they taste.
Wanda Pope
This recipe won a fall baking contest at our church! They were super yummy! I didn’t have white chocolate chips so we left them out and they were still delicious!
What?! That’s so awesome!! Glad to hear they were a hit!
They need 12-14 minutes is my only critique. I have shared this recipe with many friends since I found this in 2015!
These cookies really melted in your mouth!
This recipe looks interesting. How many cookies does it make?
I can get anywhere from 2-3 dozen. It just depends on how big you make them!
Snickerdoodle are one of my husbands favorite cookies. These are no different. The white chocolate chips topped them off wonderfully.
If you like snickerdoodles you will like these with pumpkin. Such a fall tasting cookie.
Greatest cookie ever! We make these all pumpkin season long! The white chocolate is a great addition!
Why have I never made these before??? They are amazingly delicious! I love a yummy snickerdoodle cookie, but these are on a whole other level!
Great idea to combine two great cookies!! Love the hint of pumpkin!
tHESE SOUND WONDERFUL! i CLEANED OUT MY PANTRY LAST WEEK AND DISCOVERED 8 CANS OF PUMPKIN – i GUESS i FEEL THE URGE TO BUY PUMPKIN EVERY FALL WHEN IT’S ON SALE! aNYWAY, i’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR NEW RECIPES TO TRY AND THIS ONE WILL FIT THE BILL! lOVE SNICKERDOODLES, PUMPKIN SPICE, AND WHITE CHOCOLATE – SOUNDS LIKE A WIN, WIN, WIN TO ME!!!!
It is a win!! Hang on to those cans..I can’t find pumpkin anywhere these days! Hope you like them!
The ingredient list Does not call for shortening, but your instructions saY to mix butter and shOrtening together.
I made these for a church function and they were gone before my family had a chance to get one. Everyone loved them. Today i will be making them for us?
Yay!! Love when that happens, though I like grabbing one first 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!
In step one is says to cream together Butter, shortening and sugar….but there is no shortening in the ingredients? Do you mEan cream together butter, pumpkin puree and sugar?
Hi!! Just trying out these cookies for the first time. They look delicious!! Two questions about the recipe:
1. The recipe says to cream butter, shortening and sugar. There is no shortening on the ingredients list?
2. The recipe steps never say when to add the pumpkin puree. Does that go in with the butter and sugar?
Thanks for clarifying!!
Im confused. Your instruct say to cream sUgar butter and shortEning together. But shortening is listed in ingredients and you dont say wheN to add the pumpkin. Did I miss something?
Am i missing how much shortening it needs? Step one says to add shortening, but its not listed on the ingredients.
My Hubby loves snickerdoodles, so i was a bit worried he WOULDN’T like these just bc they were different. No worries, he loved them! Thanks for sharing!
I am glad he did!! Thank you for trying them on him & letting me know!!
This is mind-blowingly Good! Snickerdoodles are always a hit over here and the pumpkin AND white chocolate chips added to it??!?? HEAVENLY!
I made these for the first time last year and my family LOVED them. Growing up snickerdoodle cookies were my most favorite. To now have a pumpkin flavored version makes me love them even more now!
I agree with you!! It’s such a yummy version of plain snickerdoodles! I am so glad you liked them. Thank you 🙂
I found this last night and decided to include it in the cookie swap today..HUGE hit!
I want the white chocolate sincerdodels reciepie but I don’t have a printer
Any idea how many this recipe yields? I have a feeling I’ll need to make a lot since they look so yummy 🙂
Oops, just kidding! Probably should’ve read the comments first :p
I can’t wait to try these out! pinned!
Oooh! The PERFECT way to welcome fall!
What does the TB stand for? Tablespoon
Also sugar it asks for 4TB seema very little.
Yes, TB is tablespoon… and 4 TB for the cinnamon/sugar mixture is perfect. 😉
Maybe I am blind but how many cookies does this recipe make? Thanks!
I may have forgotten to put that one there, but depending on the size you make them you can get 2 – 3 dozen. 🙂
These sound delicious! I was just wondering if the shortening had to be butter flavor or can I just use regular shortening? Will it affect the taste at all if I use regular shortening?
Im so confused in the ingredients it says 3tsps of pumpkin pie spice them says again 1tsp?? So is it 2 or one or 3?
I just made these and knew they would be fabulous before I even baked them. I *may* have tasted the dough before baking. They didn’t disappoint – they were fantastic!
I LOVE hearing that, Bobbi! I hope you found a “keeper” recipe. 😉
I made these this morning. I didn’t have that much shortening, so I used what I had-maybe 2 tablespoons and then I added half a cup of pumpkin puree. I followed the directions the rest of the way except I had to bake them a couple of minutes longer. They are delicious and quite pumkiny.
So glad you made them and liked them. I think Pumpkin Puree is a great substitute for the shortening – great idea!
Am confused…on the first and second step you say to add cream? Is that mean the cream of tartar?
If so do I add that in both steps of what you ask
Sorry, in Step 2 Cream is used as a verb. 🙂
I just made these! They are fantastic!!! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by to let me know how they were! SO glad you liked them. 🙂
these sound to die for!
They were sooo good, Marissa! You would love them!
These look fantastic! Do you think I could use all butter, or will they turn out better with shortening?
I would think all butter would work, but I’m not 100% sure. I would actually try using this other favorite snickerdoodle recipe (which doesn’t have shortening): https://lilluna.com/recipe-tip-of-the-week-food-tutorial-snickerdoodles/ and add the pumpkin pie spice and white chocolate chips. I know it would be just as good or even better. 😀
These sound amazing! What would you recommend as a substitute for shortening? Thank you!
I’m not sure what you could use to substitute shortening but instead I would try this using our other favorite Snickerdoodles: https://lilluna.com/recipe-tip-of-the-week-food-tutorial-snickerdoodles/. That recipe doesn’t require shortening. I would just add the pumpkin pie spice to the recipe as well as into the cinnamon/sugar mixture and then add the white chocolate chips. Hope that helps. 😀
Actual pumpkin!
Hi there!
I’m confused by the 2nd step in your instructions, it says add eggs, vanilla, and cream together, but cream isn’t listed in your ingredients! How much cream needs to be added? I’d like to make these! =]
Hahahahaha neverrrrrrmind… CREAM together as in like a verb. Not like cream from dairy. I answered my own question. Sorry!!!
LOL!! No worries! Glad you figured it out. 😀 Have a great week!
By the way, I made these today, except I used applesauce instead of eggs and they were amazing!! Thanks for the delicious recipe
Oooooh, Applesauce is a great substitute for eggs. Will make a note of it on the post for others to know. Thanks for stopping by! 😀
PS – How much applesauce did you use?
I used one small single serving size containers of Motts applesauce. The ones that come in a six pack?
Awesome, thanks! 😀
Oh my goodness! These sound and LOOK amazing! Yum!
Thank you, my dear! Sure miss you, girl! I hope all is well. 🙂
I love snickerdoodle cookies. But these look twice as good. I am headed to the store and plan on having them with some Expresso tonight. Thanks
Thanks for stopping by, Rena!! I’d love to hear how they turned out… I hope you liked them just as much as we did. 🙂
Pumpkin spice = pumpkin pie spice? Or where do you find it if not?
Yes… just changed it on the recipe – Pumpkin PIE spice. 🙂
These look amazing!!!
Thank you, Heather! They were sooo good!! Let me know if you ever try them out. 🙂
MMM the best!! I haven’t made snickerdoodles in forever- now I know what kind I need to make!! Gorg Award!!
LOL!!! You’ll have to let me know if you try them out… would love to hear! XO
Wow Kristyn, these look awesome! A perfect cookie recipe for fall. I’m going to be trying them very soon I’m sure! 🙂
Thanks, Kara! Sure miss ya, girl!! Hope you are doing well!
These look amazing! I love the pumpkin twist on a snickerdoodle! Pinned!