Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies – Soft, Spiced & Perfect for Fall 2025

Name: Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: PT-487477H17M28S
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 cup granulated sugar, divided; 3/4 cup canned pumpkin purée; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons cream of tartar; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger; Pinch of ground cloves

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Pumpkin season isn’t just for pies and lattes—it’s for cookies that practically melt in your mouth! I still remember the first time I swapped the usual cinnamon sugar snickerdoodles for pumpkin purée. My kitchen smelled like an October dream, and the first bite? Pure autumn magic. These chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies have the perfect balance of soft texture, warm spices, and just the right sweetness. Whether you’re baking for a fall party or a cozy night in, these cookies will become your go-to seasonal treat. Let’s get whisking!

Ingredients for the Perfect Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I’ve learned the hard way that cookies are only as good as the ingredients you start with. Years ago, I tried making pumpkin snickerdoodles with “whatever was in the pantry,” and let’s just say… those sad little hockey pucks still haunt me. If you want that soft, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth texture, you can’t skimp here. Let’s go through what you’ll need and why it matters.

Pumpkin Purée – The Moisture Maker

I know it’s tempting to grab fresh pumpkin and mash it yourself, but for cookies, I always stick to canned pumpkin purée. It’s consistent, smooth, and not too watery. Fresh pumpkin can be tricky—too much moisture and your dough turns into a sticky mess that spreads like crazy in the oven. If you do use fresh, make sure you drain it well. Trust me, I once spent an entire afternoon scraping burnt cookie batter off a pan because I skipped that step.

Cream of Tartar – The Snickerdoodle Secret

Here’s the thing about snickerdoodles: without cream of tartar, they’re just cinnamon sugar cookies. This little powder gives that signature tangy bite and keeps the texture soft instead of crunchy. I used to think it was optional (rookie mistake). One time I skipped it, and the cookies tasted fine… but something was just off. Ever since, I keep a fresh jar in the pantry—no substitutions here.

Warm Spices – The Cozy Factor

Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves… I call these the “sweater weather spices.” They’re what make pumpkin desserts taste like fall. But here’s a tip: go easy on the cloves. A little goes a long way, and too much can make your cookies taste like you’ve bitten into a candle. I made that mistake once, and even my dog wouldn’t eat them (and he eats everything).

Butter & Sugar – The Chewy Champions

Room-temperature butter is your best friend here. Cold butter won’t cream properly with sugar, and melted butter will make the dough too wet. I like using a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar—brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness, while granulated sugar keeps the edges from being too soft.

Optional Add-Ins – The Fun Part

Once you’ve nailed the base recipe, you can start playing around. White chocolate chips? Heavenly. Chopped pecans? Adds a nice crunch. Sometimes I even toss in a handful of butterscotch chips when I’m feeling extra.

The magic of these chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies really starts here—with quality, well-measured ingredients. Cut corners, and you’ll taste it. Get them right, and you’re halfway to cookie perfection.

Step-by-Step Baking Instructions

Baking chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies isn’t rocket science, but I’ve learned there are about a hundred little things you can do wrong if you rush it. I’ve made every mistake possible—burnt bottoms, flat pancakes, dough that stuck to my fingers like glue—so you can avoid them. Let’s walk through the process, step by step, so you get those perfectly soft, cinnamon-coated beauties every time.

Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugars

I start by beating room-temperature butter with both brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This takes a good 2–3 minutes with my stand mixer, and yes, it matters. Once, I tried “shortcutting” and just stirred with a spoon—bad idea. The cookies came out dense and sad. That creaming step whips in air, which helps the cookies bake up nice and thick.

Step 2: Add Pumpkin and Vanilla

Next, in goes the pumpkin purée and a splash of vanilla extract. Don’t panic if the mixture looks a little curdled—that’s normal when adding a wet ingredient to fat and sugar. The pumpkin is where all that cozy moisture comes from, but too much can make the dough sticky. I always measure with a dry measuring cup so I don’t accidentally scoop too much.

Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients Separately

In another bowl, I whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and those “sweater weather spices”—cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and just a pinch of cloves. This step seems silly to some people, but whisking evenly distributes everything so you don’t get one cookie that tastes like a nutmeg bomb and another that’s bland. Been there, done that.

Step 4: Combine and Chill

Once the dry ingredients are ready, I slowly mix them into the wet ingredients. The dough will be sticky—don’t worry, that’s what the chilling step is for. I pop it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes (an hour if I can stand to wait). Chilling keeps the cookies from spreading into thin, crispy disks.

Step 5: Roll in Cinnamon Sugar

This part is my favorite. I scoop the dough into balls, then roll each one in cinnamon sugar until it’s completely coated. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, it’s worth it. That coating bakes into a crackly, spiced crust that makes these cookies so addictive.

Step 6: Bake to Perfection

I bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, just until the edges look set but the centers are still soft. They’ll firm up as they cool. Overbake them, and you lose that dreamy chewiness—so set a timer.

When they’re done, the kitchen smells like pure autumn happiness. Honestly, half the joy is just standing there, breathing in the pumpkin-spice air while they cool.

Tips for Getting the Perfect Chewy Texture

When it comes to chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, texture is everything. I’ve had batches that looked gorgeous but crumbled like sand the second I bit into them. Others? Flat, greasy pancakes that stuck to the baking sheet. Through a lot of trial (and more error than I’d like to admit), I’ve figured out what actually makes these cookies stay irresistibly soft and chewy for days.

Don’t Overbake — Seriously

This is the number one mistake. Pumpkin cookies tend to look underdone when they’re ready, and the urge to “just give them a few more minutes” is strong. Don’t do it. Pull them when the edges look set but the centers still look a little soft. They’ll keep baking on the hot pan as they cool. I once left them in for an extra two minutes “just to be sure” — that’s all it took to turn my chewy dreams into crunchy disappointment.

Start with Room-Temperature Butter

Cold butter won’t cream properly, and melted butter will make your dough too loose. Room temperature butter blends with the sugar to create little air pockets that keep the cookies light yet chewy. If you’re in a rush, don’t nuke it in the microwave — I’ve done that, and ended up with a weird half-melted lump that made my cookies greasy. Instead, cut the butter into small pieces and let it sit out for about 30 minutes.

Chill the Dough

I know it’s hard to wait, especially when the house already smells like cinnamon, but chilling is non-negotiable. A good 30 minutes (or up to an hour) firms up the dough so the cookies don’t spread too much in the oven. Once, I skipped this because I was “too hungry to wait,” and my cookies came out looking like pumpkin-flavored tortillas. Never again.

Use the Right Sugar Mix

A combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar is key. Brown sugar has molasses in it, which draws in moisture and keeps the cookies soft, while granulated sugar helps form those lightly crisp edges. If you go all-in with brown sugar, they can get overly soft and almost cakey.

Slightly Underbake for the Win

Here’s the trick: slightly underbaked cookies have a denser, chewier center. It’s a little nerve-wracking to pull them out when they don’t look “done,” but trust the process. Let them cool on the pan for five minutes before moving them to a rack.

With these tips, you’ll get chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies that stay soft for days — if they last that long without being eaten.

Creative Variations to Try

Once you’ve nailed the classic chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie, it’s dangerously easy to start experimenting. I can’t help myself — every fall, I end up testing at least three new twists. Some turn out amazing, some… well, let’s just say there was one year I accidentally created something that tasted like spiced drywall. But the wins? Oh, they’re worth sharing.

White Chocolate Drizzle

This is my go-to when I want to make the cookies look fancy without much effort. Melt some good-quality white chocolate, drizzle it over the cooled cookies, and boom — they’re suddenly Pinterest-worthy. The creamy sweetness pairs perfectly with the cinnamon sugar. The first time I tried this, I made a zigzag pattern that looked so nice, I almost didn’t want to eat them. (Almost.)

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Coating

If you want to really double down on the fall vibes, swap the plain cinnamon sugar coating for pumpkin spice sugar. Just mix pumpkin pie spice with granulated sugar and roll your dough balls in that before baking. It’s a small change, but wow — the flavor is richer, warmer, and somehow feels more “October.”

Cream Cheese Frosting Sandwich Cookies

This one is a showstopper for holiday dessert tables. Bake the cookies slightly smaller, then sandwich two of them around a layer of tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s like pumpkin cheesecake and snickerdoodles had the most delicious baby. My only warning: they disappear fast. Last Thanksgiving, I made two dozen, and they were gone in under ten minutes.

Nutty Add-Ins

A handful of chopped pecans or walnuts adds a lovely crunch to contrast the chewiness. I usually toast the nuts first for extra flavor. Learned that trick from my grandma — she used to say “nuts are like people, they’re better when they’ve been warmed up a bit.”

Butterscotch or Caramel Bits

One rainy Sunday, I threw some leftover butterscotch chips into the dough, and it turned into one of my favorite “happy accidents.” The butterscotch melts into little pockets of caramelized sweetness that make each bite a surprise.

Chocolate Lovers’ Twist

If you (or your guests) can’t imagine a cookie without chocolate, go ahead and toss in semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks. The bitterness balances the sweetness of the pumpkin and cinnamon beautifully.

The beauty of these variations is that you can mix and match depending on your mood, your pantry, or who you’re baking for. At this point, the chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie is just a canvas — and fall flavors are your paint.

There’s something almost magical about the way chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies can turn an ordinary afternoon into a cozy fall moment. Maybe it’s the cinnamon-sugar crackle, maybe it’s the soft, pumpkin-spiced center, or maybe it’s just the smell that fills the house while they bake. Whatever it is, I’ve found that these cookies aren’t just a recipe — they’re a ritual.

Every time I make them, I think about the first batch I ever pulled from the oven. They were a little misshapen, a little too big, and I may have eaten one while it was still lava-hot… but I also remember feeling like I’d bottled the essence of autumn in a single bite. Since then, they’ve been my go-to for bake sales, potlucks, and those random Tuesday nights when I just need a little seasonal joy.

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s endlessly adaptable. Keep them classic, or dress them up with drizzles, fillings, or crunchy add-ins. Make them for friends, wrap them up as gifts, or just bake a batch for yourself and eat them with a mug of tea by the window while the leaves fall outside. No judgment here — I’ve done it more times than I can count.

So here’s my challenge to you: grab some pumpkin purée, warm up those “sweater weather” spices, and make a batch this week. Then, snap a photo and share it on Pinterest. I can guarantee you’ll make someone’s day — whether it’s the friend you give them to, the neighbor who smells them baking, or even just yourself when you sneak a second cookie while no one’s looking.

Fall only comes once a year, but with these chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, you can make it last a little longer — one perfectly spiced, soft, chewy bite at a time.