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Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles Soft Chewy Recipe

Pumpkin spice snickerdoodles bake up soft and chewy, with crackled tops and a cinnamon sugar coating. Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape as they bake.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 36 minutes
Chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 56 minutes
Servings: 26 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 146
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the dough
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar divided
  • 0.5 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 0.5 cup pumpkin puree canned; not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 egg yolk large
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2.75 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
For the coating
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 18x13-inch baking sheet

Method
 

Make the dough
  1. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar and the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Beat in the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until combined.
  3. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, and mix on low just until no dry flour remains.
  4. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until firm.
Make the coating
  1. Stir the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl.
Shape and bake the cookies
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Line an 18x13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions.
  4. Roll each portion into a ball and coat it in the cinnamon sugar.
  5. Arrange 12 cookies on the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
  6. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops are crackled.
  7. Bake in batches, letting the sheet cool completely between batches.
  8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
  9. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

For the softest texture, chill the dough until firm before shaping. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days; freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months. A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour can be used as a dietary swap.