These Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies take my classic Snickerdoodle Recipe and give them a delicious seasonal twist. They are soft on the inside, chewy on the edges and coated in pumpkin spice sugar, making them a perfect cookie for the fall or celebrating the holidays.
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Easy Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
If you are in a pumpkin spice mood, but not feeling like actual pumpkin then these pumpkin spice cookies are for you. We’ve taken my favorite Snickerdoodle recipe and replaced the ground cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice. There's actually no pumpkin puree in them - just the sweet, warm baking spices that we all know and love.
These cookies have the classic sugary surface with a soft and chewy center and a hint of cinnamon with the additional flavors of ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. They’re absolutely perfect for fall get togethers, or to have around the house when the weather starts to get a little chilly.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Butter - you want to use unsalted room temperature butter.
- Sugar - this recipe calls for regular white granulated sugar, which is the traditional type of sugar for Snickerdoodles.
- Eggs - any type of large eggs will work great. It’s best if they have been pulled from the fridge about 30 minutes before making the dough so that the cold eggs don’t shock the soft butter.
- Flour - all-purpose flour works great.
- Cream of Tartar - this adds the distinctly tangy flavor of Snickerdoodles. Combined with the baking soda, it’s also what helps keep these nice and soft.
- Baking Soda - this is used, in addition to the cream of tartar, to keep the cookies soft and chewy and help them puff up a bit in the oven.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - you can find this spice mix in the spice section at the grocery store.
- Salt - sea salt works great.
- Pumpkin Pie Sugar Mixture - rather than the traditional cinnamon, we mix sugar and pumpkin pie spice mix together to coat the dough balls for these cookies.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter and cream using the paddle attachment until it is light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to cream for another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs slowly. Turn off the mixer and add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix on low until well incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until the cookie dough is well incorporated.
- Chill the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.
- Scoop the dough. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and use a small ice cream scoop or a spoon to scoop and roll all of the dough into 1 ¼" balls.
- Roll into pumpkin spice sugar mixture. In a small bowl, combine the ⅓ cup sugar and the 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice then roll each cookie dough ball one at a time into the sugar mixture. Place each finished cookie dough ball onto a baking sheet about 2" apart that has been lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.
- Cool and serve. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
There is quite a bit of butter in Snickerdoodles, so it’s best to chill the dough for at least 20 minutes to help prevent the cookies from spreading.
The secret ingredients in Snickerdoodles are cream of tartar and baking soda. This combination helps keep them nice and soft. You also want to keep a close eye on them while they are baking to be sure you don’t overbake. If anything, it’s probably a good idea to err or the side of underdone.
Yes - you can freeze both the baked cookies and the unbaked cookie dough for up to 2 months in an airtight container or freezer bags.
The cream of tartar gives Snickerdoodles their characteristically tangy flavor, and works with the baking soda to keep them nice and soft.
Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting (optional)
You can make these cookies with or without frosting. Here's how to make some pumpkin spice frosting.
- Cream together ½ cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Add 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Beat together with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy.
- Spread evenly over cookies.
Storing and Freezing Cookies and Dough
- Room Temperature: store baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: store unbaked cookie dough in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. Either transfer to an airtight container or place plastic wrap over the dough directly in the bowl.
- Freezer: you can freeze both the baked cookies and the unbaked cookie dough. As long as it is stored in an airtight container or freezer bags, they will last for up to 2 months.
- To Bake from Frozen: you can pull frozen dough balls from the freezer and bake directly in a preheated oven, adding an extra couple of minutes to the baking time.
Other Favorite Spice Cookies
More Frosting Recipes to Try...
- Buttercream Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- CInnamon Frosting
- Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter room temperature
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cream of Tarter
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Mixture
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter and cream using the paddle attachment until it is light and fluffy, or about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to cream for another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Turn off the mixer and add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix on low until well incorporated.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until the cookie dough is well incorporated.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and use a small ice cream scoop or a spoon to scoop and roll all of the dough into 1 ¼" balls.
- In a small bowl, combine the ⅓ cup sugar and the 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice then roll each cookie dough ball one at a time into the sugar mixture. Place each finished cookie dough ball onto a baking sheet about 2" apart that has been lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of our favorite cookie recipes!
- Lemon Cooler Cookies
- Easy and Chewy Cowboy Cookies
- Oreo and M&M Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Best Christmas Cookies
- Best No-Bake Cookies
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These Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies are soft and chewy and coated in pumpkin spice sugar. They are as good as the classic and perfect for fall.
Allison
The perfect cookie for fall baking with my kids. Thanks for sharing!