My Mom’s Snickerdoodles are my favorite recipe of all time. The recipe comes from my Grandma Char, and it is the softest and chewiest Snickerdoodle cookie. With fall around the corner, I wanted to create a version of Snickerdoodles with pumpkin. The end result is amazing!
My whole family devoured these cookies; they did not even last eight hours in my house. They were gone so fast! These cookies are so soft and chewy with the right amount of pumpkin. If you don’t believe me, try them out for yourself!
These cookies are extremely basic and easy to throw together if you need a quick cookie recipe. Ten simple ingredients you probably already have on hand, and you are ready to go.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 3 ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup sugar (for rolling)
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon (for rolling)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (for rolling)
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Beat together butter, shortening, sugars, pumpkin, and egg.
- Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until well combined.
- Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
- In a separate bowl, mix ½ cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon ground ginger.
- Roll dough balls in sugar mixture until completely coated.
- Place dough balls about 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 7-9 minutes until lightly browned, but still soft.
Recipe Tips
This recipe calls for softened butter. You will want to be sure your butter is softened, not melted. If you use melted butter, the cookie dough will be runny and difficult to roll into balls, making the cinnamon and sugar step almost impossible. I have found the best way to soften butter is to let it sit at room temperature for about an hour, and it will be perfectly soft. We do not recommend microwaving it.
Storing Suggestions
Cookies are exceptionally easy to store and preserve quality.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: Roll the dough into balls, then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for about an hour, then layer the cookie dough balls with parchment paper between each layer in an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Baked Cookies: Once cookies have cooled completely, store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4-6 days. To store baked cookies in the freezer, first freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once completely frozen, transfer them to a airtight container and store for up to 3 months.
- Refrigerate Cookie Dough: Store unbaked cookie dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow the dough to sit on the counter for an hour to soften before scooping.
Frequently Asked Questions
These freeze great. If you have leftovers, place them in a ziplock bag and place them in the freezer. I think they taste even more delicious frozen. They make the most delicious hot chocolate dipping cookies.
If you haven’t ever tried chilling your dough, you need to. Chilling your dough leads to tastier and better looking cookies. They stay puffy, they cook more evenly, and the color actually looks better. Your cookies will taste better. The sugars have more time to absorb the moisture from other ingredients. This leads to a more condensed flavor, and sweeter tasting cookies. Less spreading. Thin cookies burn faster, but as the dough chills and hardens a little bit, they don’t cook as flat. The chilling minimizes the spreading out of fat when you cook them. Everyone loves a thick chewy cookie with a soft middle. My mouth is watering just writing about these. A more appealing color. This again is related to the sugar in the cookie. Chilling the dough and sugar gives the cookie a more evenly golden color.
Our favorite holiday drink is our grandma’s famous Homemade Apple Cider. We love dunking our cookies into it, and getting that delicious pumpkin, cinnamon, and apple flavor, all in one bite. We also love dunking our cookies in our Nutella Hot Chocolate. If you have never tried a Pumpkin Snickerdoodle, we recommend it with a little Nutella. If the Nutella is in Hot Cocoa form, that’s even better.
Enjoy More Delicious Pumpkin Cookie Recipes
We absolutely love pumpkin recipes, especially in the fall and winter. Check out our comprehensive collection of pumpkin recipes here.
- 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies
- Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
- Nutella Pumpkin Cookies
- Protein Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting
- Pumpkin Hershey’s Kiss Cookies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 3 ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup sugar, (for rolling)
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, (for rolling)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger, (for rolling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Beat together butter, shortening, sugars, pumpkin, and egg.
- Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until well combined.
- Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
- In a separate bowl, mix ½ cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon ground ginger.
- Roll dough balls in sugar mixture until completely coated.
- Place dough balls about 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 7-9 minutes until lightly browned, but still soft.
Notes
- Your cookies will taste better. The sugars have more time to absorb the moisture from other ingredients. This leads to a more condensed flavor, and sweeter tasting cookies.
- Less spreading. Thin cookies burn faster, but as the dough chills and hardens a little bit, they don’t cook as flat. The chilling minimizes the spreading out of fat when you cook them. Everyone loves a thick chewy cookie with a soft middle. My mouth is watering just writing about these.
- A more appealing color. This again is related to the sugar in the cookie. Chilling the dough and sugar gives the cookie a more evenly golden color.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
A tip for those getting puffy cookies that don't flatten: Use a cup to smash them flat before baking. Pumpkin is a very fluffy veggie. It'll bounce back up a bit and give you a very moist, tender cookie... They'll just be a bit flatter.
Wikipedia, mediator-extrodinarie for any online debate, says that snickerdoodles do not have to contain cream of tartar. I've always used cream of tartar in my snickerdoodles, but it's just for leavening, suppose. This recipe looks delicious! I'm definitely going to try it!