Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
These pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies use just eleven ingredients in the dough, with blotted pumpkin puree and an extra egg yolk for a chewy, fudgy center wrapped in a tangy cinnamon sugar crackle.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl - for wet ingredients
- Medium mixing bowl - for dry ingredients
- Dry and liquid measuring cups
- Small bowl - for the cinnamon sugar coating
- Medium cookie scoop - about 1.5 tablespoons
- Rimmed baking sheets
- Plastic wrap or an airtight container - for chilling the dough
- Paper towels - for blotting the pumpkin puree
Ingredients
For the cookie dough
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour - 280g
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup unsalted butter - 113g, melted and cooled for 5 minutes
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar - 150g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar - 50g
- ⅓ cup pure pumpkin puree - 80g, not pumpkin pie filling; pressed dry between paper towels
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the cinnamon sugar coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar - 50g
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until fully distributed, then set aside.
- Spoon the pumpkin puree onto a few layers of paper towel, fold the towel over, and press gently for about 30 seconds to remove excess moisture; scrape the blotted puree into a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until no lumps remain, then add the blotted pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla and whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula just until no streaks of flour remain, stopping as soon as the dough comes together.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours, to firm up the melted butter and prevent spreading.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C), line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and stir together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a small shallow bowl.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the chilled dough into balls of about 1.5 tablespoons, roll each briefly between your palms to smooth, then roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated.
- Place the coated dough balls about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges look set but the centers still appear slightly underbaked.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely; repeat with any remaining dough, reusing cooled parchment-lined sheets.
Notes
- Don't skip blotting the pumpkin. Even a small amount of extra liquid changes the texture from chewy to cakey.
- Measure flour by weight if possible. Scooping flour directly from the bag packs it down and can add up to an extra ¼ cup, making the dough dry and crumbly.
- Chill the full hour. Cutting the chill time short is the most common reason these spread into thin, flat cookies.
- Use a kitchen scale for the cookie scoop portions. Consistent sizing means consistent bake times across the whole tray.
- Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking if your oven runs hot on one side.
- Slightly underbake rather than overbake. The centers should look a little soft when the cookies come out; they firm up as they cool on the pan.
- Use fresh cream of tartar. It loses potency after about a year in the pantry, and that tang is a defining flavor in this recipe.
- Let the butter cool before mixing it with the eggs. Butter that's too hot when it meets the egg yolk can start to cook it slightly, leaving streaks in the dough.
- Storage: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate for up to 10 days; freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.
- Make-ahead: Scoop and roll dough balls without the cinnamon sugar coating, freeze on a tray until solid, then store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months; roll frozen dough balls in cinnamon sugar and bake straight from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
- Reheating: Warm cookies in a 300°F oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or microwave individually for 8 to 10 seconds.
- Variations: Fold in ½ cup white chocolate chips, brown the butter instead of melting it, add extra cinnamon and a pinch of cloves, drizzle with a maple glaze, add a cream cheese filling, make a smaller 1-tablespoon version baked 8 to 9 minutes, or substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
Nutrition
Serving: 1CookieCalories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 1gFat: 3.5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 90mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 9g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!