Description
Seasonal warmth fills kitchens with pumpkin snickerdoodles, a delightful twist on classic cookies that blend autumn spices and sweet comfort. Cinnamon-sugar coated and perfectly chewy, these treats promise to become your new fall favorite for sharing with friends and family.
Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkin and Sugars:
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (for coating)
Baking Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Spices and Seasonings:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for coating)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly to distribute spices evenly and create a uniform flour mixture. Ensure no clumps remain and set aside.
- Utilize an electric mixer to cream butter and sugars until the mixture transforms into a light, airy consistency, approximately 2 minutes at medium speed.
- Introduce egg yolk to the butter mixture, blending until fully integrated. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla extract, continuing to mix until the texture becomes smooth and homogeneous.
- Gradually fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture at low speed, mixing just until incorporated. Carefully scrape bowl sides to ensure complete integration of ingredients.
- Refrigerate the dough for 3 hours or quick-freeze for 45 minutes. Chilling is crucial for developing flavor and preventing excessive spreading during baking.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a separate small bowl with cinnamon-sugar mixture for coating cookies.
- Portion dough using a cookie scoop, forming balls and rolling them generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. For optimal thickness, shape dough into tall oval shapes instead of perfect spheres.
- Arrange cookie dough on prepared sheets, maintaining 2-inch spacing. Bake 11-14 minutes until tops appear set and slightly cracked. If cookies aren’t spreading by 9 minutes, tap baking sheet against counter 2-3 times to encourage expansion.
- Rest cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling. Cookies will continue to set during this cooling period.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly to prevent spreading and create a more concentrated flavor profile.
- Use fresh, high-quality spices to enhance the pumpkin and cinnamon notes in the cookies.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
- Roll cookies in different spice mixtures like cardamom or pumpkin pie spice for unique flavor variations.
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 132
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg