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–+ servings

Spiced Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

These spiced pumpkin snickerdoodles bring all the fall feels—warm cinnamon, gingery kick, a hint of cardamom, and that classic snickerdoodle tang.They’re soft and chewy from the pumpkin, and honestly? Kinda perfect for holiday trays, fall baking days, or whenever you need a sweet little spice hug.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 14 pieces
Calories 93 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Cookies:

  • ⅓ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Spiced Sugar Coating:

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions
 

Prepare the Pumpkin Puree:

  • Place the pumpkin puree on a thick paper towel or piece of cheesecloth.
  • Wrap the towel around the pumpkin puree and gently squeeze over a bowl to remove excess moisture until you have ¼ cup of strained puree. This ensures the cookies remain chewy and not overly puffy.

Mix the Wet Ingredients:

  • In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, strained pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until the mixture is smooth and well blended.

Combine the Dry Ingredients:

  • In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and black pepper.

Form the Dough:

  • Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring with a spatula until a soft dough forms with no visible streaks of flour.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 day.

Make the Spiced Sugar Coating:

  • In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Preheat and Prepare:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Shape the Cookies:

  • Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to portion the dough. Roll each portion into a smooth ball with your hands.
  • Roll each dough ball in the spiced sugar coating, ensuring it is evenly covered.
  • Place the coated dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake:

  • Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until the cookies puff up, develop light cracks on top, and are set around the edges but remain soft in the center.
  • Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Using pumpkin puree instead of eggs keeps the cookies chewy rather than cakey.
  • The cream of tartar is essential for that classic snickerdoodle tang, so do not skip it.
  • Make sure to properly strain the pumpkin puree to prevent the cookies from becoming too soft.
  • For a festive touch, you can drizzle melted white chocolate over the cooled cookies.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 1gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.05gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 0.3mgSodium: 52mgPotassium: 53mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 909IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
Keyword dessert recipes, easy dessert recipe, Holiday cookie recipe, Pumpkin cookie recipe, Spiced cookie recipe
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