Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies: The Best Thanksgiving Desserts Pumpkin Treat
Soft, chewy snickerdoodles with pumpkin and warm spice in the dough and a crackled cinnamon-sugar shell, the full recipe scaled from 12 to 48, plus nine more pumpkin desserts for the rest of the holiday table.
- Chewy, not cakey
- Dough keeps 2 days, cookies 5
- 10 pumpkin desserts total
- Printable recipe
The cookies from the pin: stacked, crackled, cinnamon-sugar crusted and pumpkin-orange inside.
Of all the Thanksgiving desserts pumpkin can make, the snickerdoodle is the one that gets picked up first and asked about most: chewy, spiced, crackled with cinnamon sugar and ready a day ahead. The full pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies recipe is below, then nine more pumpkin desserts for the rest of the table.
In this post:
- Why these snickerdoodles stay chewy
- The cookie recipe, scaling from 12 to 48
- Four rules for crackled, chewy pumpkin cookies
- Six cookie variations, from brown butter to cheesecake-stuffed
- Nine more pumpkin Thanksgiving desserts
- Storage, troubleshooting, nutrition and 14 FAQs
Why These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Stay Chewy
Chewy, not cakey
Blotted pumpkin, an egg yolk instead of a whole egg and a one-hour chill. Most pumpkin cookies are small muffins; these are real snickerdoodles.
The crackled cinnamon-sugar top
Cold dough rolled in cinnamon sugar puffs in the oven and settles into the cracked shell on the pin. Tapping the pan once on the way out helps.
Pumpkin that actually tastes of pumpkin
Half a cup of blotted puree in two dozen cookies, with ginger and nutmeg behind the cinnamon. Orange color, real flavor, no pumpkin-spice overload.
The easiest Thanksgiving dessert on the list
Dough can wait two days in the fridge or two months in the freezer, and the cookies keep five days. Bake them the day before and give the oven to the turkey.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
The card makes 24 cookies on two sheets. Tap a size and everything updates.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Soft, chewy snickerdoodles with pumpkin puree and warm spice in the dough and a crackled cinnamon-sugar shell, the cookie from the pin. Tap a batch size and every amount updates with the printable card.
How many cookies?
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick)1 cup (2 sticks)1½ cups2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup1 cup1½ cups2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup½ cup¾ cup1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup½ cup¾ cup1 cup pumpkin puree, blotted (see note)
- 1 (half, beaten)122 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp2 tsp1 tbsp4 tsp alcohol-free vanilla
- 1½ cups3 cups4½ cups6 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ tsp1½ tsp2¼ tsp1 tbsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp1 tsp1½ tsp2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp2 tsp1 tbsp4 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp each½ tsp each¾ tsp each1 tsp each ground ginger and nutmeg
- ¼ tsp½ tsp¾ tsp1 tsp fine salt
- 3 tbsp⅓ cup½ cup⅔ cup Coating: granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp1 tbsp1½ tbsp2 tbsp ground cinnamon, for the coating
Blot the pumpkin on paper towels before measuring; raw puree is mostly water and makes cakey cookies. Yolk only, no white, for chew. Cream of tartar is the snickerdoodle tang; do not skip it. Alcohol-free vanilla keeps it halal.
Instructions
Blot the pumpkin
Spread the pumpkin puree on a plate lined with paper towels and press another towel on top; blot until it loses about a third of its weight and looks like thick paste. This single step is the difference between a chewy snickerdoodle and a cakey one.
Cream the butter and sugars
Beat the softened butter with both sugars on medium 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the blotted pumpkin, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping the bowl.
Add the dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture on low and mix just until no dry flour shows. The dough will be soft and a little sticky.
Chill
Cover and chill the dough 1 hour (up to 2 days). Cold dough rolls cleanly, spreads less and bakes with the crackled top the pin shows.
Roll and coat
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two sheets with parchment. Stir the coating sugar and cinnamon together. Scoop 1½-tablespoon balls (a #40 scoop), roll smooth, roll in the cinnamon sugar and set 2 inches apart.
Bake
Bake 11 to 13 minutes, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and the tops are puffed and crackled but the centers still look soft. Tap the pan on the counter once as it comes out to settle the middles.
Cool
Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then move to a rack. The centers firm up as they cool; they are chewy by the time they are room temperature.
Four Rules for Crackled, Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Dough balls rolled in cinnamon sugar on the sheet, the blotted pumpkin and the coating bowl beside them.
Blot the pumpkin, always
Paper towels, both sides, until it is paste. Skip it and the cookies spread into soft, puffy cakes.
Chill at least an hour
Soft pumpkin dough spreads flat. Cold dough holds its shape, bakes thicker and cracks on top.
Underbake by a minute
Pull them when the edges are set and the centers look slightly underdone. They finish on the hot sheet and stay chewy for days.
Cream of tartar, not baking powder
Cream of tartar with baking soda is what makes a snickerdoodle tangy and chewy. Baking powder gives a plainer, cakier cookie.
Six Ways to Change the Cookie
Up close: the crackled sugar shell, the soft orange crumb, a cookie broken to show the chew.
Same dough, six directions. Tap a version:
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
The recipe above: blotted pumpkin, yolk, chill, cinnamon-sugar coating. The one on the pin.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Brown the butter in a pan until nutty, cool it until it is soft-solid again (30 minutes in the fridge), then cream as written. Deeper, toastier, more Thanksgiving; the nuttiness carries the pumpkin.
Cheesecake-Stuffed Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Beat 4 oz cream cheese with 2 tbsp sugar and freeze teaspoon-sized dollops 30 minutes. Flatten each dough ball, wrap it around a frozen dollop, seal and coat. Bake 13 to 14 minutes. A pumpkin cheesecake in cookie form.
White Chocolate Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Fold 1 cup white chocolate chips into the dough before chilling, or press three chips into each ball after coating. The sweetness plays against the spice and the cream of tartar tang.
Chai Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Replace the ginger and nutmeg with 1 tsp cardamom, ½ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp cloves and a pinch of black pepper, and add ½ tsp cardamom to the coating sugar. Softer spice than pumpkin pie spice and very good with coffee.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum, add 1 tbsp cornstarch, and chill the dough 2 hours instead of 1; gluten-free doughs spread more. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. The texture is nearly identical.
Nine More Thanksgiving Desserts Pumpkin Lovers Will Want
The dessert table: the cookies stacked beside a pumpkin pie, a cheesecake, frosted bars and mousse cups.
The snickerdoodles are number 1. Here are the other nine, with what each one is good for:
Classic Pumpkin Pie Make ahead
The one the table expects: evaporated milk for a custard that sets without cracking, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and a pinch of black pepper for layered warmth, and a 10-minute blind bake so the bottom stays crisp. Pull it with a slight wobble in the center, cool completely before chilling, and serve with barely sweetened whipped cream.
Pumpkin Cheesecake With a Gingersnap Crust 2 days ahead
Crushed gingersnaps and butter pressed into a springform and baked 8 minutes, then a filling of cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs and spice baked in a water bath for a smooth top. Dense, creamy and better on day two, with caramel sauce and flaky salt on each slice.
Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting Feeds a crowd
A one-bowl batter of oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, flour and spice baked in a sheet pan, then a thick swoop of cream cheese frosting once cool. Tender, moist for four days, cuts into neat squares and travels well; the most practical dessert on the list.
Pumpkin Mousse Cups No bake
Pumpkin, cream cheese, brown sugar and spice beaten smooth and folded into whipped cream, piped over crushed gingersnaps in small glasses. Light, cool and airy, exactly what people want after a heavy dinner, and assembled the morning of with nothing but a hand mixer.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding With Caramel Sauce Uses leftovers
Day-old brioche cubed and soaked in a pumpkin custard of eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, baked covered then uncovered for a golden top and a soft custardy middle. Served warm with a quick caramel of sugar, butter and cream.
Pumpkin Tart With Candied Pepitas Showpiece
A shallow blind-baked shortcrust with a silkier, cream-heavy pumpkin custard, finished with pumpkin seeds tossed in maple, cinnamon and salt and toasted until sticky. Thinner and more refined than a pie, with crunch on every slice.
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Showpiece
Pumpkin folded into a classic cream-and-yolk custard, baked low in ramekins in a water bath, chilled, then topped with sugar and torched to a glass shell. Individual, make-ahead, and the crack of the spoon through the top is the best moment of the meal.
Pumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese Filling Make ahead
A thin pumpkin sponge baked in a jelly roll pan, rolled hot in a sugared towel, cooled, unrolled, spread with cream cheese filling and rolled again. Chill, slice, dust with powdered sugar. Freezes whole for a month.
Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches Playful
Two of the pumpkin snickerdoodles above with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream pressed between, rolled in chopped pecans and frozen an hour. The cookies stay soft from the freezer, and the kids pick these over pie every time.
How to Store the Cookies, and More Pumpkin Desserts
| What | How long | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WhatBaked cookies, room temperature | How long5 days, airtight | NotesA slice of bread in the tin keeps them soft |
| WhatDough, fridge | How long2 days | NotesLet it sit 10 minutes before scooping |
| WhatDough balls, freezer | How long2 months | NotesCoat after thawing 15 minutes; bake 1 to 2 minutes longer |
| WhatBaked cookies, freezer | How long3 months | NotesLayer with parchment; thaw at room temperature 20 minutes |
| WhatFor Thanksgiving | How longBake 1 to 2 days ahead | NotesStore airtight; the oven is free for the turkey |
| WhatGifting | How longStack in a cellophane bag or tin | NotesThey hold their shape and do not smear |
Pumpkin desserts for the rest of the table:
- Pies: sheet pan pumpkin pie for a crowd, deep-dish pumpkin pie or chai pumpkin pie
- No oven: no-bake pumpkin pie cheesecake or pumpkin pie fluff dip
- Something else entirely: non-pie Thanksgiving desserts
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| ProblemCakey, puffy cookies | Likely causePumpkin not blotted, or a whole egg used | FixBlot the puree to paste; yolk only |
| ProblemSpread flat | Likely causeDough not chilled, butter too soft | FixChill 1 hour; butter should dent, not smear |
| ProblemNo cracks on top | Likely causeDough too warm, or overbaked | FixCold dough, pull at 11 to 13 minutes, tap the pan |
| ProblemDry and crumbly | Likely causeToo much flour, or overbaked | FixSpoon and level the flour; underbake by a minute |
| ProblemCoating fell off | Likely causeRolled in sugar before the ball was smooth | FixRoll the ball smooth first, then coat generously |
| ProblemBland pumpkin flavor | Likely causePuree not blotted (water dilutes it) | FixBlotting concentrates the flavor as well as the texture |
| ProblemTough cookies | Likely causeOvermixed after the flour went in | FixLow speed, stop at no dry streaks |
| ProblemUneven browning | Likely causeTwo sheets at once | FixOne sheet at a time, middle rack |
Nutrition (approximate, per cookie)
Estimates for one of 24 cookies including the cinnamon-sugar coating. Halal with alcohol-free vanilla; gluten-free with the swap in the tabs.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles and Pumpkin Desserts: FAQs
How do you make pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies?
Cream butter with white and brown sugar, beat in blotted pumpkin puree, an egg yolk and vanilla, mix in flour with cream of tartar, baking soda and spices, chill an hour, then roll balls in cinnamon sugar and bake at 350°F for 11 to 13 minutes. The card above scales it from 12 to 48 cookies.
Why are my pumpkin cookies cakey?
Water. Pumpkin puree is about 90 percent water, and a whole egg adds more. Blot the puree on paper towels until it is a thick paste and use only the yolk; the cookies come out chewy and crackled instead of soft and puffy.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of puree?
No. Pie filling is sweetened and spiced, and it is even wetter. Use plain 100 percent pumpkin puree and blot it; the recipe has its own sugar and spice.
Do I have to chill the dough?
Yes, at least an hour. Pumpkin dough is soft, and warm dough spreads thin and bakes without the crackled top. The chill is also what lets you make the dough two days ahead.
What does cream of tartar do in snickerdoodles?
It reacts with the baking soda for lift and gives the signature tang and chew that separates a snickerdoodle from a sugar cookie. If you have none, 2 tsp baking powder replaces both the cream of tartar and the soda, but the cookie is plainer and slightly cakier.
How do I get the crackled tops?
Cold dough, a generous cinnamon-sugar coating, and pulling the cookies while the centers still look soft. They puff in the oven and settle as they cool, cracking the sugar shell. One tap of the pan on the counter as it comes out helps.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes: 2 days covered in the fridge, or 2 months as frozen dough balls. Frozen balls go straight into the oven for 1 to 2 extra minutes; coat them after a 15-minute thaw so the sugar sticks.
How long do pumpkin snickerdoodles stay soft?
Five days in an airtight container at room temperature, and a slice of sandwich bread in the tin keeps them softer longer. They also freeze for 3 months, layered with parchment.
Can I make them gluten-free or dairy-free?
Gluten-free with a 1:1 blend with xanthan gum, a tablespoon of cornstarch and a 2-hour chill; the tab above has it. Dairy-free with a firm plant butter stick, chilled 2 hours since plant butters are softer.
What spices go in pumpkin snickerdoodles?
Cinnamon in the dough and the coating, with ginger and nutmeg behind it. Two teaspoons of a pumpkin pie spice mix can replace all three in the dough; the chai tab swaps in cardamom, allspice and cloves.
Which of these Thanksgiving pumpkin desserts can be made ahead?
Almost all. The cheesecake and the pumpkin roll are better on day two, the bars keep four days, the snickerdoodles five, the mousse cups and crème brûlée are made the morning of, and the pie the day before. Only the bread pudding is best warm from the oven.
Which is the easiest for a beginner?
The snickerdoodles or the pumpkin bars. Both are one-bowl mixes with no water bath, no pastry and no tempering. The mousse cups are the easiest with no oven at all.
How many pumpkin desserts do I need for Thanksgiving?
For 8 to 12 people, two is plenty: one pie and one of the others, usually the cookies because they travel, keep and please children. A third only if the crowd is over 15.
Can the snickerdoodles become ice cream sandwiches?
Yes, that is number 10 on the list. Press a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream between two cookies, roll the edge in chopped pecans and freeze an hour. The cookies stay soft enough to bite straight from the freezer.
Save the pin so the cookie recipe, the four rules and the nine other desserts are one tap away.
More Pumpkin for the Table
Pies for a crowd, no-bake cheesecake, the spice mix and the non-pie list.
Sheet Pan Pumpkin Pie
One pan, 24 squares. See the recipe → No BakeNo-Bake Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
The oven stays free. See the recipe → The SpiceHomemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Five spices, one jar, for every dessert here. See the recipe → More Ideas30 Non-Pie Thanksgiving Desserts
When the table wants something other than pie. See the list → ShowpiecePumpkin Pie Brûlée
The torched-sugar version. See the recipe → CheesecakeThanksgiving Cheesecake Ideas
Pumpkin and beyond. See the list →Blot the pumpkin, chill the dough, underbake by a minute. That is the whole secret, and the cookies keep until Thursday.
Pin these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies and the Thanksgiving desserts pumpkin list for the week the oven gets busy.
