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.
These are AMAZING! 😍
Thank you Steph!! I am SO glad you loved them!!!
I just made these, and they are still cooling as I type. I split a warm one with hubby. He loved them. I was a little indifferent. Here are some comments:
1- In the notes to the recipe, you comment about weighing the ingredients, yet the recipe is written in volume measurements. Not the worst thing because I bake enough to know how many grams in a cup of flour or sugar. However, when the recipe uses 2 different volume measurements (i.e. cups and tablespoons), it’s annoying and time consuming to do this. Why not include weighed measurements since you commented about that in the notes?
2- I made roughly 1 oz cookies and left them in the oven for 10 minutes (fully calibrated so I know the temp is accurate). I can’t imagine that would be long enough if made in the size that recipe calls for.
3- As I said, hubby loves them. I would have liked a bit more pumpkin flavor. I didn’t tell him the flavor and he could not guess it was pumpkin. He did notice the cinnamon though.
So, I am giving 4 stars because of the above comments. They are good, but need a wee bit of tweaking to make them outstanding, imo.
Hi Ginny, the recipe can easily be converted to grams as stated in the post. There is a black box next to the “ingredient” title on the recipe card that says “metric units”.
I really want to try these! They sound delicious. Any suggestions for a butter substitute?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Victoria, I’m not familiar with butter substitutes so I can’t recommend one, sorry!
OMG! This recipe is amazing! Very easy to follow directions. These cookies have already become a fall-must in my house! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Yay! Love that so much!
I love trying new recipes but sadly, it can be a gamble and I’ve been disappointed a few times…. BUT NOT THIS TIME! These may be my new favorite cookie, very tasty and the texture is amazing! I made them for dessert for our first field meal (harvest 2022 has begun here in Indiana!) The guys all loved them!
I’m SO happy to hear this Erin thank you so much for the very kind review 🙂
Must try! Like, go get your mixing bowls and whip you up a batch asap! I’m even listing them as my all time favorite cookie! The brown butter, the pumpkin, rolled in cinnamon sugar! What more could you really want? They’re simply amazing. Five stars from this cookie lover!
YAY! This is amazing thank you SO much Cari I’m so glad they were a hit 🙂
I love the way you format your recipe directions where the steps include the amount of each ingredient so I don’t have to scroll back up to the recipe. First world problems i know, but it makes the process so much easier! Delicious cookies!
Thanks, Jenn! As a user myself, that has always been my pet peeve and I always miss an ingredient (sigh) haha thanks so much for the very kind review! 🙂
Agreed! What a queen.❤️
Agreed!! Love that.
Just made these cookies! So Yummy! Also love how you step by step directions include, repeat, the recipe. Makes it so much more simple! My first time to see and follow one of your recipes. I will be back to find more recipes to try! So good!
Thanks so much Karrie! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Do I have to brown the butter? Will the recipe still turn out if I use softened butter? (I understand this will change the flavor slightly)
I haven’t tried it, but I would just use melted butter. Try melting 13 tbsp of butter and letting it cool to room temperature before using it. Let me know how they turn out!
These were absolutely perfect! If you love pumpkin & spice then you have to try them!
Amazing!! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
These were a tad more time consuming than it indicates, so plan accordingly. I’d say closer to an hour and half to two hours with pre, cooling and baking. I substituted with gluten free flour and they still turned out delicious!
Thanks for trying them Carla! Glad they turned out with the gluten-free flour!
What flour would you recommend to make these gluten free? Thank you
I don’t use gluten-free flour ever but I know a lot of people that have had success using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour!
Can you make a regular size cookie? How long would you bake? As these large ones aren’t baking very long.
Absolutely! I baked some with a regular-sized scoop for about 7-8 minutes, but I would keep an eye on them as your oven may bake a bit differently!
Amazing recipe! Wow! So good and perfectly chewy. Perfect for fall. This will definitely be a fall staple in our house from now on.
Yay! Thanks so much for making them Jess!
Made them, super yummy, but mine are much puffier than what’s pictured. What do I do differently to make them thinner and chewier?
Hi Megan, did you use a scale to measure the dry ingredients? If there is too much flour in the dough they will bake puffier. Also, have you checked the freshness of your baking soda? If it’s old or not active anymore, that can also contribute to puffiness. Let me know if these are helpful!
So you place the pumpkin purée on paper towels and get extra liquid out??it says until it is about 1/2 cup but then under that it says 2/3 cup pumpkin purée so I’m confused. Thanks for your help.
Yes, you will measure out the 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree and press it between paper towels 3-4 times to get the excess liquid out. Once you do that, you should have about 1/2 cup of puree!