Super chewy and gooey, these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies combine the cozy fall flavors of brown butter, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon sugar. A spin on my viral brown butter snickerdoodles, with no extended chill time or mixer required.
Creating the best chewy pumpkin cookie has been a proud achievement of mine as a former pastry chef— this recipe continues to go viral year after year with over 500 five-star reviews!
They are everything a pumpkin cookie should be: chewy with crispy edges and bursting with the classic snickerdoodle flavors, enhanced with nutty brown butter and warm pumpkin pie spices. They’re a fall twist on a classic, just like my apple snickerdoodles and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies!
Table of Contents
Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Cookies
Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is my #1 baking tip. Like all baked goods, this recipe relies on accuracy for the best results.
Follow the instructions carefully. I recommend reading through the recipe at least once before beginning for success.
Let the brown butter cool before using. You want the butter to be cooled to the indicated temperature before using it. This is really important for a chewy texture. I found that butter that was too cold solidified and resulted in cookies that didn’t spread as much, and conversely, butter that was too warm caused the cookies to spread too much.
Use Libby’s Pumpkin Puree. I found that Libby’s Pumpkin is very consistent among cans and has less moisture than other brands. You won’t use all of it, so you can make pumpkin cheesecake cookies or spiced pumpkin cupcakes with the leftovers.
Blot the pumpkin puree. Spread it on a plate and blot it with paper towels until the towels barely have any moisture left. The dried puree should feel like soft play dough, where you can roll it up into a ball cleanly.
Use a large cookie scoop. Preferably, a spring-loaded one. For thick cookies with chewy and gooey centers, the cookie dough balls must be three tablespoons.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Dark brown sugar: The extra molasses in brown sugar gives the cookies a super chewy texture. You can use light brown sugar if you don’t have dark on hand.
Egg yolk: Egg yolks are used instead of whole eggs for rich and gooey centers. This also prevents a cakey texture, as the egg white holds a lot of moisture.
Pumpkin spice: You can make your own blend or buy it at the store. Use it for all of your fall baking needs (like for pumpkin pie cinnamon rolls!)
Find the full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below!
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Brown the butter. Once browned, chill it in the fridge, stirring occasionally, until it reaches the proper temperature.
This might seem tedious, but with cookie recipes, it’s more important to pay attention to the small details, whereas in other recipes (like my brown butter pumpkin bread), it’s not as important.
Step 2: Squeeze the pumpkin puree dry. Spread the measured puree onto a plate and press paper towels to absorb the excess liquid.
This is how the pumpkin puree should look when properly dried. I was able to roll it up into a ball.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugars together. Once the butter is cool, whisk in the granulated and dark brown sugar until well combined.
Step 4: Mix in the wet ingredients. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla extract until combined.
STEP 5: Mix in the pumpkin. Then, whisk in the dried pumpkin puree.
STEP 6: Fold in the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt until combined.
Chill the dough bowl in the fridge for 5 minutes, which will make it easier to scoop.
Step 7: Scoop and roll in cinnamon sugar. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar and return them to the trays, spaced at least 2-3 inches apart.
Step 8: Bake! Bake one tray at a time until the edges are golden brown and the centers are puffy.
While one tray bakes, leave the other tray on the counter at room temperature.
Storage and Freezing
Storage: Leftover cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for 2-3 days.
Freezer: Do not roll the dough balls in cinnamon sugar if you want to freeze them. Store the scooped cookie dough in an airtight container or freezer bag. When ready to bake them, let them come to room temperature, roll them in cinnamon sugar, then bake.
FAQs
YES! This step is critical for achieving extra chewy cookies. If you skip this step, the cookies will be thick and cakey.
This can happen when you absorb too much liquid from the pumpkin puree. Absorbing too much liquid can mess with the structure of the cookie texture, making it fall apart. I would also try baking them 1-2 minutes longer. If cookies aren’t quite baked enough, they will fall apart and crumble.
Make sure you are absorbing the liquid from the pumpkin puree. The second thing is making sure the butter is cool, but still liquid. If it has solidified, the cookies won’t spread as much as they should.
This could be caused by the butter not being chilled properly. Make sure it is within the temperature range indicated in the recipe card.
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup Libby's Pumpkin Puree, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, **see notes for measuring**
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for rolling
Instructions
- Brown the butter over medium heat in a large stainless steel pan. While it cooks, it will foam, pop, and crackle. This is normal! Stand nearby, watch, and stir it occasionally so it doesn’t burn. When the bottom is covered in brown bits of butter and it smells nutty, remove the pan from the heat.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- You should have just slightly under 1 cup of browned butter (184 grams). Pour it into a glass measuring cup and let it chill in the fridge, stirring it every 20 minutes, for about 45-60 minutes, until a thermometer reads 70–75°F. It should feel cool and remain completely liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F(180°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Spread the pumpkin puree onto a plate. Press a stack of paper towels into it and soak up the extra liquid. Then scrape the pumpkin into a pile and re-spread it around the plate. Use a new stack of paper towels to keep absorbing the extra liquid until the pumpkin feels pretty dry, like soft playdough, and now measures roughly 1/3 cup (68-75 grams).2/3 cup (156 g) Libby's Pumpkin Puree
- When the butter is cool, whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar for 1 minute. It should look like wet sand.1/2 cup (108 g) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (128 g) dark brown sugar
- Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla, and dried pumpkin puree.2 (38 g) large egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Fold in the flour, pumpkin spice, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda until just combined. Set the bowl of dough in the fridge for 5 minutes to firm up. If the dough is still soft, you can chill it for longer!1 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (208 g) all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and the sugar. Scoop the dough into 3 tablespoon-sized balls and roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spaced 2-3 inches apart.1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Bake the cookies one tray at a time for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the middle is puffy and slightly underbaked. Let the tray cool completely on a wire rack, then enjoy!
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you choose to freeze the cookie dough balls, let them come to room temperature before baking.
Made this with regular brown sugar instead of dark. Still amazing!! Took a little bit longer to cook (like 15 minutes), but the oven was small.
Absolutely perfect, I’m in heaven. Be careful to take the time to study this recipe before starting. Every detail is important and will pay off in the end. Cookies came out chewy, soft, and delicious.
I made these tonight. Oh my goodness, they are delicious! I can’t wait to take them to my Thanksgiving gathering tomorrow. I think they’re my new favorite!
These cookies really delicious. The brown butter adds so much flavor. It takes a lot of paper towels to squeeze out all the moisture from the pumpkin, but it’s worth it. I used a 1 1/2 Tbls cookie scoop and got 34 cookies.
I don’t think I have ever commented on an online recipe before, despite using quite a few over the years. But I have to say, this is…hands down, the best cookie recipe I have ever tried. They taste like a professional baker made them and for once, I felt like there was enough spice, salt and flavor to make it worth the time and ingredients. This is a really incredible recipe and I’ll probably almost exclusively use your blog for baking ideas in the future. Thank you so much!
P.S. I loved them so much, I tried one and then immediately drove to my sister’s work to make her try one, and then to my mom’s house. My husband got one the second he came home 😂 Everybody loved them!
WOW thank you for your super kind review Rebecca, it totally made my day! I’m so happy you and your loved ones enjoyed them 🙂
These are my favorite cookies ever! I find with a lot of recipes the pumpkin doesn’t really come through, but this recipe is perfect. I’ve made this recipe maybe six times. I always get compliments, and when I make something else, people are slightly disappointed. I often make them for blood drives at my school and everyone wants them. They are quite easy to make, you just have to make sure you don’t over bake them.
Wow! Was it ever worth all the extra time and steps. These are a new family favorite!!
Absolutely DELICIOUS
So Delicious!!I just made these, following the metric recipe and omg these cookies are amazing! With half of the dough I put in about 1/3 cup small white chocolate chips and they also turned out great.
I’ll be making these tomorrow. Your tip suggests weighing the flour for best results. I actually agree. But no weight is listed in the recipe. Could you clarify what the weight should be? Thank you!
Hi Angela! Click the “metric” button on the recipe card and it will convert the recipe to my gram measurements 🙂
Thank you so much. I will be sure to rate after I make the cookies!
Just made these today at 5,506′ and they came out beautifully! I only used 7/8 tsp of baking soda (probably could have used 3/4tsp because they did come out a little puffier than the pictures), and I also added1/2 tbsp of molasses. Additionally, I cooked at 365f for 16 min (11 cookies yielded so mine may have been a bit large). Just wanted to leave this review in case anyone else at altitude is looking to make these and wondering if they need to adjust! They came out soft, chewy, and delicious!!!!! Will definitely make again!
I’m so happy to hear they turned out well, thanks so much for sharing your adjustments Hailey! 🙂
Great recipe! The cookies are delicious! I did the drying of pumpkin puree a little differently, because I didn’t have any paper towels. I roasted the puree by spreading it in a thin layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, then put it in the oven at 400° for about 20 minutes (halfway thru I stirred it around and then smoothed it out again). It came out to the perfect playdough like texture and when you roast pumpkin puree it brings out the flavor more! 😀
Loveeee this idea! I’m definitely going to try that trick. Thanks so much for the awesome 5-star review! 🙂
This recipe is definitely much more involved than a classic chocolate chip, quickly whip together in 10 minutes and bake cookie. However, the end result is amazing and we’ll worth it!! Fantastic fall cookie. I did add 2 extra tbsp of flour like mentioned in another comment, and they came out perfect. I think if I hadn’t added that extra flour they would have not had enough structure (in my opinion).
Just made these and I just want to say I suck at cooking and following directions but I tried really hard with this recipe and they are SOOO GOOD literally my favorite recipe
They’re absolutely delicious! My only problem I had was they didn’t flatten out at all, they stayed in a ball. Not sure why this happened.
Hi Skylar, did you use a measuring scale? If not, I would try removing 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
I wanted to weigh the flour since I substituted gluten free flour, but I didn’t know how much to weigh out since the recipe uses cups instead of grams. I think I used too little flour and they spread a lot, but they were still sooooo good! I will be making these again soon.
Hi Shelley, if you click the “metric” button on the recipe card it converts it to grams!