Let Me Tell You About These Soft Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

Alright, so here’s the deal: I only started making these particular cookies after I tried (and failed, spectacularly, I might add) to impress my neighbor with a Pinterest-perfect pumpkin dessert. Ended up with pumpkin goo all over the counter and a very confused dog. But then—on a rainy Tuesday afternoon—I just combined my love of snickerdoodles and my obsession with all things pumpkin, and BOOM. Magic happened. Now? It’s practically a seasonal law around here that I whip up a batch of these soft pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies the minute the leaves start looking the tiniest bit orange. Or, you know, whenever I need to bribe someone into helping with yard work.

Why You’ll Love This (I Mean, I Hope You Do!)

I make these when I want my house to smell like autumn and cinnamon. My family goes wild for them because they’re pillowy soft—like, if a cookie and a pumpkin cloud had a baby. Even my picky cousin (the one who insists all cookies should be crunchy, which, honestly, who hurt him?) asks for the recipe. Oh, and the best part? You don’t have to chill the dough for ages. I used to hate recipes that told me to wait overnight—who has that kind of patience? Not me, friend.

Here’s What You’ll Need (Substitutions Welcome!)

½ cup unsalted butter, melted (my grandma swore by salted butter, but honestly, I never noticed much difference—use what you have)
¾ cup brown sugar (the soft kind, but I’ve used the regular white stuff in a pinch and nobody noticed)
½ cup pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie mix—learned that the hard way; I sometimes use homemade from leftover carving pumpkins, but don’t tell the canned stuff snobs)
1 egg yolk (if you forget and use the whole egg, it’s…fine, just a bit cakier)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the real deal or, let’s be honest, the cheap grocery store version works too)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (if you don’t have it, just skip—it’s more traditional than crucial)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (sometimes I add a dash more for extra autumn vibes)
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
For rolling: ¼ cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon (I sometimes add a pinch of pumpkin spice here too, just for fun)

How I Make These Cookies (With a Few Side Notes)

First, preheat your oven to 350°F (that’s 180°C for my metric pals). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Or, if you’re like me and out of parchment, just grease the pan. Works fine.
In a biggish bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until it looks kind of caramelly. Add in the pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. This is usually where I sneak a quick taste—just for science.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. No need to sift unless you’re feeling fancy (I almost never do).
Mix the dry stuff into the wet stuff. If it looks a bit sticky, that’s totally normal. It might even look a little odd, but trust me, it comes together.
In a separate shallow dish, mix the sugar and cinnamon for rolling.
Scoop out chunks of dough (about a tablespoon or so—a heaping spoonful, really). Roll them into balls, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on your prepared sheet. Don’t crowd them; they need some personal space.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. They’ll look slightly underdone in the center, and that’s the secret to keeping them soft. Don’t wait for them to brown too much, or you’ll lose the magic.
Let them cool on the sheet for five minutes before moving to a rack. If you move them too soon, they might fall apart (I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit).

Little Notes From My Kitchen (A Few Oopsies Included)

The dough is pretty sticky—sometimes I chill it for 10-15 minutes, but mostly I don’t bother. Actually, I find it works better if you just work quickly.
Don’t overbake! They firm up as they cool, I promise.
If you forget to buy cream of tartar, the cookies still work. They just lose that extra “snickerdoodle zing”—but are still amazing.

Variations I’ve Tried (And One Flop)

Added mini chocolate chips once—result: kids loved it, adults were divided. I kind of liked the extra sweetness.
Swapped half the flour for whole wheat. They’re a little denser, but hey, you can pretend it’s health food.
Tried stuffing a caramel in the center. Sounds great, right? But, wow, the caramel exploded everywhere. Would not recommend unless you like sticky surprises on your baking sheet!

Do You Need Fancy Equipment? (Nope!)

I use a stand mixer when I’m feeling lazy, but a wooden spoon and elbow grease work just fine.
No cookie scoop? Just use two spoons, or your hands. Not the end of the world.
If you don’t have a cooling rack, just slide the parchment (or cookies) onto a clean tea towel. That’s what my mum used to do.

How Long Do These Last? (Not Very, Honestly)

Store them in an airtight container at room temp. They’re softest the first day, but I think they taste even better the next. Not that they ever last that long around here—my son once ate half a batch before I even had coffee.

How I Like to Serve These (And My Family’s Odd Tradition)

These cookies are perfect with a mug of hot apple cider or, if you’re feeling more grown-up, a chai latte. My partner swears by dunking them in cold milk, and I’ve even crumbled them over vanilla ice cream for a makeshift sundae. Oh, and for some reason, my family always eats them while watching old Halloween movies. It’s our thing. Go figure.

Things I Learned the Hard Way (So You Don’t Have To)

Once, I tried to double the recipe in one bowl. Big mistake—just too messy. Do two batches if you need more.
If you rush the cooling and try to stack them warm, they stick together. Like, seriously. Just wait a few minutes, you’ll thank me.
I forgot to add the cinnamon to the rolling sugar one time. Didn’t taste bad, but felt…wrong. Don’t skip it!

Questions I Get All The Time (And My Real Answers)

Can I freeze the dough? Yep. Scoop balls, freeze on a tray, then bag ‘em. Bake straight from frozen—add a minute or two.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling? Nah, skip it. It’s too spiced and sweet; use plain pumpkin puree. (Trust me, I made that mistake once, and the cookies just tasted off.)
What if I don’t have cream of tartar? That’s okay, just leave it out. You’ll still get a good cookie, promise.
Why are my cookies cakey? Probably too much pumpkin or overmixing. Actually, I found measuring the pumpkin helps a lot here.
Looking for the science behind snickerdoodles? Sally’s Baking Addiction has a great article—and her snickerdoodle base is solid.
Curious about pumpkin puree options? King Arthur Baking did a taste-test roundup that’s oddly fascinating.

And, if you got distracted halfway through these directions (been there!), just remember: soft pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are forgiving. Mess up, change it up, or eat the dough. No judgment here.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies Soft