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.
Could the pumpkin be prepped a day in advance , stored in fridge, and brought to room temp before mixing with other ingredients
That should work! 🙂
these are so good!
I just made these cookies and while they did taste pretty good, I wasn’t a fan of the soft texture, very cake like. I should have realized they would be very soft by the addition of the pumpkin puree, but I prefer cookies with a crunchier texture.
I left a little too much moisture in my puree but my cookies still taste and smell amazing. Will definitely be doing this again this fall season
Really excited to try this recipe! I love that you provide measurements for each ingredient at the step of use. Please tell me if you have any recommendations on a dairy free butter that could work as an equivalent? Unfortunately, severely allergic to dairy and always looking for alternative recommendations since browning butter is a significant step in obtaining the chemistry of the cookie!
Hi Jessica! Unfortunately browning dairy free butter is very different from the real thing, so I can’t give any advice sadly! I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try them!
Very good cookies!
This is my new favorite cookie recipe literally ever. I doubled the recipe and made a bunch of these and every single last one was devoured by 8 people in one sitting. They came out about the size of a crumbl cookie and tasted 10x better. My cousin doesn’t even like snicker-doodles and he absolutely loved these. I served them with tillamook vanilla bean ice cream but I think they would be good with a cream cheese frosting of some sort too. 10/10 I am so obsessed with these.
Hi Hannah! I’m over the moon with this cookie love. It’s my favorite recipe ever for fall so I’m so happy they were enjoyed. Thanks so much for leaving a five star review! 🙂
Made these today and while they were decent they were too cakey and not chewy like a snickerdoodle. Im a bit confused by the wording. So you make a 1/3 cup pumpkin puree ball..but then it says 2/3 puree? So does that mean you add an additional 2/3 puree in addition to the pumpkin puree ball?
Hi Ali, the recipe states that you need to measure out 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree, then you use paper towels to absorb the liquid until it’s reduced by half which is 1/3 cup. Having too much liquid in the dough will be the reason why they are cakey and not chewy.
These seem amazing! Can you please tell me the nutritional information such as sugar/fat/sodium/calories/etc. please?
Hi Stacey, the full nutritional information is at the bottom of the recipe card!
I made these for Thanksgiving and AGAIN for Christmas because they were such a hit! I followed the recipe for apart from patting out the liquid from the pumpkin purée. I did it the first time and it took forever! The second time I just didn’t do it and the cookies were just more moist and the pumpkin taste was stronger. When I do it again I won’t pat down the purée but other than that, the cookies are the best I’ve ever made or had!
These taste amazing 🙂 – it took me about 4 or 5 rounds of patting the pumpkin dry/scraping to get to 1/3 cup and I ended up baking it for about 13 mins total. I read through the directions and tips a couple of times before starting the process, but it was well worth it (and also followed the metric measurements with a kitchen scale). These are chewy, sooo flavorful, and not too sweet which is my perfect kind of cookie.
I never leave comments on recipes but this one was AMAZING!!!! Like others have said, FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY and skim through the comments as well!!
The drying of the pumpkin did take a bit longer than I thought but it wasn’t that big of a deal; just more paper towels and more rounds of scraping it together and spreading it out, patting it dry, and repeating until it was the right texture and down from 2/3 to 1/3 cup.
I alway spoon flour when measuring now because scooping was my biggest rookie mistake when I first started baking and it would definitely affect the quality of the cookies.
The one mistake I did make was not having white table salt and having to substitute fine pink Himalayan salt… I do not recommend. It made these cookies saltier than they should have been.
Still, these are some of the best cookies I’ve made and I’ll definitely be making a double batch for Christmas 🙂
Aw thank you for this super kind review Rina! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed them!
Hi there! I can’t wait to try this recipe! I am especially excited to try your cooling technique with the butter and it lead to me another question you might be able to help me answer. I really love browning my butter with my chocolate chip recipe. Would you recommend cooling the butter for browned butter as well?
Thanks so much!
Valerie
Hi Valerie! Great question, I always recommend cooling the butter when you are melting it (or browning it) this can help the cookies from spreading too much when baking!
The cookies did not flatten out and were very raw I wonder if it was something on my end but they still smell very yummy!
Hi Owen, it sounds like you added too much flour! I would also check to make sure your baking soda is fresh, if not it won’t work to spread the cookies in the oven.
Wondering how far ahead I can make dough?
Hi Heather! You could make it 1-2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge (already scooped and rolled).