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 cookies were delicious! I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1 to 1 flour. They turned out great. I had to refrigerate the butter a little longer than noted in recipe. Note: Most all gluten-free baked goods are fragile so be careful transferring them to the cooling rack. I also refrigerate my gluten-free goodies — they stay fresh longer. Thank you for the detailed recipe, especially listing the ingredients a second time next to the steps!!
YES TY for listing ingredients!!!!!
Very finicky recipe and was worried that they weren’t gonna turn out….trust the process. These things are addictive! So delicious!
If my dough is on the softer side, is it ok to chill in the fridge to allow the mixture to firm up? I don’t think I allowed my butter to fully cool.
Yes! They may bake a bit differently but should be fine
These cookies were the best I’ve ever made, 10/10 so delicious!! I did make a few changes like using margarine instead of butter and adding 1 tsp of ground espresso to bring out the flavor. Also used Trader Joe’s pumpkin- I had to use more paper towels but it still worked great 🙂
Hi Julia.
I would love to try ithis variation with the ground espresso added.
What brand did you use, and where can I find it?
I found this recipe a little finicky, but incredibly delicious. Despite paying close attention to the warnings and ways to avoid puffy cookies, mine turned out *drumroll* puffy. My brown butter started to solidify (despite being cooled for 40 min at room temperature), which is what I think led to the texture. That being said, I’m going to keep trying it until I pasted it, because these cookies are DELICIOUS.
It’s says in the recipe the butter should do that as it’s butter fat always solidifys and it also says if you over cook them the will come out puffy and cake like. So easy fix for you to try again all animal fats solidify abd remove the cookies ealier and ypu should be good. Happy baking
Okay so I’m still getting puffier cookies but I still have to revise these to 5 stars because they’re just so freaking good :’) they are SO soft and chewy (not cakey) and that browned butter is incredible. Thank you for this recipe!
These are great!! Just made them for a party. The first couple trays turned out too gooey. Tasted raw so I made adjustments. I added more bake time and made my cookie balls smaller. There is a fin balance between gooey and cakey. Kind of labor intensive but it is so worth it. Already want to make more. Maybe tomorrow.
Can you substitute flour for King Arthur Gluten-Free flour?
I can’t say, I haven’t tried it! Let me know if you try it how it turns out!
I’m getting ready to do this recipe! I love snickerdoodle and I love pumpkin – so having them combined is going to be heaven. I did have one question. Does the butter have to be browned or can it just be regular melted butter? I would love to get a response so I can make sure I bake them correctly. 🙂
Hi Michael! You could definitely use regular melted butter, I would try using 14 tablespoons of melted butter as it should equivalate to the same amount you would have if it was browned. Let me know how they turn out! 🤗
This is the first time I have ever left a review, and it’s because these are the best tasting cookies I have ever made! While my cookies fell flat, they were incredibly flavorful in all of the right ways, and I am only that much more encouraged to try to make them again! My roommates and I devoured them in minutes even as flat as they were, haha!! Also, thank you so much for putting the ingredient amounts under the instructions – game changer!!! Will be making these until I perfect them. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us 🙂
This recipe is fantastic! I want to try to double the recipe. I read that you should only brown 1 cup of butter at a time. So how would you go about browning two separate batches of brown butter and cooling them for double batch recipe?
Yes! I recommend browning the first batch, pouring it into a bowl then browning the next batch in the same pan right away! You can just combine them once browned.
These cookies are so delicious! I also loved the detailed instructions and the fact the the ingredients and measurements were shown within each step-eliminating the need to keep checking the measurements.
Can I make smaller cookies and get the same chewy results? We’re not fans of giant cookies and I want more cookies from a cup of butter.
Definitely! I’ve used a 2 tbsp sized cookie scoop and it worked just fine.
I have never rated a recipe. I’ve used recipes from every major cooking site and so, so many blogs. This cookie recipe was fantastic. I made it with my 2.5 year old and 4 year old boys, who have never helped me bake before and are not ones to be still for long. The directions were so clear and I love that you included measurements for the amounts of brown butter and pumpkin AFTER prepping them. It was so helpful to know I was on the right track. I also loved that you included the measurements in the steps so I didn’t have to keep going back and forth. And lastly, the cookies turned out so good. Thank you for taking the time to create and write out such a detailed recipe! I will now be stalking your site for more!
Thank you SO much for the kind review Lee Ann! This made my whole day!
Incredible!! Would make 1000 times again except with the following:
Less butter (it oozed off the baking sheet and was just very excessive), More pumpkin (only had a faint taste of pumpkin when following original recipe), try subbing in honey for sugar (this cookie is not super sugary to taste but calls for a TON of sugar added. An unnecessary amount. Maybe honey will leave you with a less sugar rush?), Really make sure to crisp the butter! Lastly, use round cookie shapes to mold and bake them evenly so your cookies turn out like the photo. Otherwise, PERFECTION.
One of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted! Great recipe to follow, super detailed and easy to understand! Can seriously taste the brown butter and it’s amazing!!!!!!
So good! Tastes just like fall should taste.
These cookies are amazing!