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; no chill time or mixer is 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 completely cool before using it. I recommend leaving it out at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or chilling it in the fridge. Just be careful that it doesn’t solidify!
Use Libby’s Pumpkin Puree. I found that Libby’s Pumpkin is very consistent among cans and has less moisture than other brands.
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
Pumpkin puree: I tested this recipe with a few organic and off-brand pumpkin purees, but they had way too much liquid. I recommend only using Libby’s Pumpkin Puree. You won’t use all of the puree, but you can make my pumpkin cheesecake cookies with the leftovers!
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 them from having a cakey texture!
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 spice rolls!!)
Find the full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below!
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Brown the butter. Once browned, set it aside to cool to room temperature. Then, chill it in the fridge until a thermometer reads 75°F.
The butter must be cool but still liquid for the cookies to have a chewy texture!
Step 2: Squeeze the pumpkin puree dry. Spread the measured puree onto a plate and press paper towels to absorb the excess liquid.
When it’s ready, the towel should have barely any moisture! It should feel like soft play dough; you should have roughly 1/3 cup (67-75 g) of pumpkin now.
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, making 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 ziplock 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, and bake!
FAQs
No, they are both very different. You should only use pumpkin puree in this recipe!
Was your butter solidified or still liquid? The butter needs to be cold but liquid! Did you use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients? If not, there was likely too much flour. You should also check the freshness of your baking soda!
Look for the edges of the cookies to be golden brown with pale, puffy centers! They will continue to bake on the tray while they cool.
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. When it’s ready to use, it should feel like soft playdough. The second thing is making sure the butter is cool. If the butter is slightly warm or gets too cold and solidifies, the cookies will not spread.
This means that the butter was not chilled properly. Make sure it is cold before using it!
More Pumpkin Recipes
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 American butter, *SEE NOTES*
- 2/3 cup Libby's Pumpkin Puree, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon 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 kosher salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set them aside.
- 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 American 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 inserted into the butter reads 70-75 F. The butter must be cool but still liquid! If your butter is warmer than this temperature range the cookies will spread flat in the oven.
- 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 tablespoon (128 g) dark brown sugar
- Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla, and dried pumpkin puree.2 (38 g) large egg yolks, 2 teaspoon 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 kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and the sugar. Scoop the dough into 3 tbsp-sized balls and roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar. Place it 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 temperautre before baking!
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!
Soft and chewy, so good! Not too sweet, just right! I added a sprinkle of the cinny sugar on top right after they came out of the over, was a nice touch! Love the details in the recipe and the breakdown of the ingredients within the step by step instructions (SO HELPFUL!) Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes!
I’ve read through the recipe several times. You indicate that it calls for 2/3 c pumpkin puree, yet in the directions, you indicate 1/3 cup pumpkin puree. Which one is correct?
thank you
Kathleen
Yes, the original measured pumpkin will be 2/3 cup. After absorbing the liquid you should have roughly 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree.
Wondering if this recipe could be adjusted to use for a cookie cake?
Great question! I have not tried this recipe as a cookie cake, but I’d love to hear how it turns out if you do! I’ll add it to my list to try on my end as well 🙂
Tried this recipe for the first time. They are cake like, but my husband likes them that way. I would have liked them to be a little more pumpkin flavor? How can I do that. I didn’t have pumpkin spice but made my own from a recipe on line. Mine made 17 cookies with a large cookie scoop.
I wanted so badly to hate this recipe because of the added steps of browning the butter (essential and perfect)as well as drying the pumpkin (essential but tedious) then adding only egg yolks ( I now have enough whites for homemade angel food cake) but this cookie recipe is incredibly delicious! My second batch I added white chocolate chips and it was delicious. These cookies are so good! I recommend leaving the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours. It’s very loose. They are my new favorite snickerdoodle.