last updated on September 23, 2026
Wow, what a great time of year. It is finally fall!! Fall is hands down my favorite season of the year. I love it when the weather gets a little bit cooler, and the leaves change. Plus, fall means we get to eat all things pumpkin, which makes it the best time of year! So, I am so excited to share my new recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles!
Everybody loves snickerdoodles, right? And everyone should love pumpkin, so these pumpkin snickerdoodles should be a hit with any taste testers. These snickerdoodles are easy to make and make your kitchen smell delightful.
The first time I baked these cookies, my family dove in and ate them while they were still hot and loved them. But when they tried them the next day, they were EVEN BETTER. The flavor and consistency improved over time. Giving these cookies time to set lets them become the soft, flavorful cookie you want.
Oh, and I almost forgot the most important part. I stuffed these snickerdoodles with a bit of chocolate! This is definitely optional, as you may not like chocolate in your snickerdoodle, but it gave it a more traditional pumpkin-cookie taste and was delightful! I stuffed mine with JoJo’s dark chocolate. It has zero grams of sugar and is so tasty!
tips for making the best pumpkin snickerdoodles
- Use cold butter —like, take it out of the fridge right when you are going to use it!
- Don’t overmix the dry ingredients. Overmixing may make these cookies tough.
- Let the cookies cool down completely! It takes time for them to set up and be soft and chewy.
how to make pumpkin snickerdoodles
- Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the chunks of cold butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer. Mix for about three minutes until lighter and fluffier.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add in the pumpkin puree, egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt to the bowl. Mix until combined.
- Chill the dough. Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge. This will help your cookies spread less and keep their soft, chewy texture!
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Form the cookies. Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop a ball of dough out and roll it in your hand. Push a piece of chocolate into the middle of the ball, and then close the rest of the dough around it. Roll it in your hands until it is a smooth ball. Repeat for the rest of the dough.
- Make the cinnamon sugar mixture. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar. Roll each dough ball in the mixture until it is completely covered.
- Bake. Place the 12 cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before eating. Enjoy!
faqs
If your cookies came out flat, it’s likely because you did not add enough flour. If your dough seems sticky, add a little bit more flour before forming the dough balls.
If your cookies never flattened, it’s likely because there was too much flour. Using a kitchen scale can help to avoid this!
These specific cookies need the cream of tartar to get that tangy snickerdoodle flavor and chewy texture. If you are looking for a different pumpkin dessert with no cream of tartar, try out my pumpkin roll cookies!
Alright, that’s it! I cannot wait for you to try these yummy pumpkin snickerdoodles. If you try these, please let me know and tag me @thepalatablelife!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
ingredients
- 1/2 cup cold butter cut into chunks
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (light works fine too)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 15 pieces dark chocolate (or milk chocolate) optional
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, add the chunks of cold butter (make sure it's cold) and brown sugar. Mix for 3 minutes, or until the butter and sugar are well combined, lighter, and fluffy.
- Add the pumpkin puree, egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix just until everything is combined.
- Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated, just until it becomes a dough.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge.
- When the dough is almost done chilling, preheat the oven to 350.
- Using a 2 inch cookie dough scoop, get a ball of dough and flatten it in your hand. Place a piece of chocolate (if you are adding chocolate) in the middle of the dough and close the rest of the dough around it. Roll it in your hands until it forms a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon and sugar until it is all covered.
- Place 12 cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before eating. Enjoy!
These are very different in texture from a snickerdoodle… they are puffy and huge. But they ar DELICIOUS ?
You are right — they are a lot softer than normal snickerdoodles (because of the pumpkin)! But I am so glad you tried them and that you liked them!!
same! mine came out very puffy and never flattened. still yummy but not the texture I wanted at all 🙁
hmm thats weird they stayed really puffy… they’re definitely supposed to flatten out quite a bit once they cool! it sounds like you maybe had too much flour! make sure you don’t pack your flour into a measuring cup, or use a scale if you can! but i’m sorry these didn’t turn out like you hoped.
made these for my family and everyone LOVED them!! they’re soft, chewy, and delicious, def a must try! The optional chocolate is a perfect addition, definitely add it.
Amazing!!! So glad you loved them! And yes, I am with you — the chocolate is a must!!
I made them they’re so good!
Yay! So glad you liked them!
I just made them and they are not only BEAUTIFUL, but also DELICIOUS. I definitely reccomend.
Amazing! That makes me so happy to hear. So glad you enjoyed them!
Not sure what I did wrong, but the cookies ended up being super flat.
Hey! I’m sorry to hear your cookies were super flat. Was your dough really sticky? You may have needed a little extra flour so they didn’t spread as much. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out how you were hoping.
Would you recommend using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? (It’s what I have on hand!)
Thanks!
yes that is totally fine!!
Have you tried stuffing with a Carmel instead of a chocolate? Looks so good! Definitely planning on trying
ohh i’ve never tried that, but it sounds delicious! i’m sure it would work great!
My favourite fall cookies to bake for friends and family!!! Adding the cream cheese icing from your other snickerdoodle recipe is also a fun twist ??
yay so glad you enjoyed these!! and so glad you tried stuffing them with cream cheese icing!!!
Soooo good! I made these along with some sugar cookies at the same time and used the same sugar and sprinkle mix to roll these in (with the addition of cinnamon) and they looked so festive, tasted delicious and were light and fluffy. The dough isn’t too sweet, so the chocolate in the center and the cinnamon sugar roll before baking is top notch!!
AH i’m so glad you enjoyed these!!
These always come out amazing! I was wondering though, am I able to freeze the dough? Should I form it into balls with the chocolate centers before I freeze?
hi! yes, form them into balls with the chocolate inside, then freeze!
Made these for my coworkers and they were a huge hit! Will definitely be making them again soon 🙂
yay i’m so glad!! and so perfect for fall!