Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies | Cozy Fall Baking
Brown butter pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are soft, cinnamon-sugar-coated cookies that get their deeper flavor from browned butter and a swirl of real pumpkin puree folded into classic snickerdoodle dough.
With pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar for that signature tang, and a crackly sugar coating, this is one to bookmark for your next batch of fall baking.
| Prep | Cook | Total | Servings | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 12 min | 42 min | 24 cookies | Medium |
A Closer Look at the Technique
Browning butter is the one step that separates these cookies from an ordinary snickerdoodle. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan so you can watch the color change. It will foam up first, then the foam settles and small brown flecks appear at the bottom of the pan. A nutty, toasted aroma rises right around the time the butter turns amber, usually 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat. Swirl the pan often so the milk solids brown evenly instead of scorching. Pour the butter, flecks and all, into a bowl right away to stop the cooking, then let it cool before mixing it into the dough. Skipping the cooling step will melt your sugar and flatten the cookies.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: browned until amber, it gives the dough a toasted, caramel-like flavor regular melted butter can't match.
- Pumpkin puree: adds moisture and a soft orange color; use plain canned pumpkin, not pie filling, or swap in homemade roasted pumpkin puree.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: brown sugar keeps the cookies soft and chewy, while granulated sugar helps the edges set and crisp slightly.
- Cream of tartar: gives snickerdoodles their tangy bite and soft chew; a splash of lemon juice works if you're out.
- Pumpkin pie spice: a shortcut blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove; mix your own with those spices if you don't have a jar on hand.
- Egg yolk: binds the dough and adds richness without extra liquid from the white.
- All-purpose flour: keeps the structure soft but sturdy enough to hold the thick dough.
- Cinnamon-sugar coating: the classic crunchy exterior; swap half the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice for a stronger fall flavor.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Brown the butter in a saucepan until amber and nutty-smelling, then cool for about 15 minutes.
- Whisk the cooled butter with both sugars, pumpkin puree, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth and slightly glossy.
- Stir in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice just until no dry streaks remain.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes, until it firms up enough to scoop without sticking to your hands.
- Roll into balls, coat each in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and space them on a parchment-lined sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges look set but the centers still look soft, then cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.
Keeping and Reheating
Store the cookies in a covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days; the pumpkin keeps them soft, so they won't dry out like a plain snickerdoodle. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature for an hour. Warm a cookie in the microwave for 10 seconds to bring back that just-baked softness.
What to Serve With It
These cookies pair well with a mug of spiced cider or coffee on a cool afternoon. Serve them alongside Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler for a bigger dessert spread, or set them next to Roasted Pumpkin Seeds That Stay Perfectly Crunchy for a sweet-and-salty snack tray. They also hold their own next to a slice of Buttermilk Pumpkin Pound Cake, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream pressed between two warm cookies.
If You Want to Change It
- Add mix-ins: fold in white chocolate chips or chopped pecans for extra texture.
- Boost the spice: double the pumpkin pie spice or add a pinch of ground ginger for a sharper bite.
- Make it gluten-free: swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend; the dough may need an extra 10 minutes to chill.
- Go smaller: scoop tablespoon-size balls and shorten baking time by 2 minutes for a bite-size batch.
- Try a different roll: coat in turbinado sugar instead of cinnamon sugar for a crunchier shell.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Questions We Get
Why did my cookies spread too much?
The dough or butter was likely too warm when it hit the oven. Chill the dough for the full 30 minutes, and make sure the browned butter has cooled before mixing.
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?
Fresh roasted and pureed pumpkin works fine, but strain it through a cheesecloth first since it holds more water than canned puree.
What makes a snickerdoodle different from a sugar cookie?
Cream of tartar is the key. It gives snickerdoodles their slight tang and chewy texture, something a plain sugar cookie doesn't have.
How do I know when they're done?
Look for edges that have lost their shine and a center that still looks a touch underbaked. The cookies firm up as they cool on the sheet.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often. Watch for the foam to settle and small brown specks to form, about 5 to 7 minutes, then pour into a bowl to cool.
- Cool the butter: Let the browned butter cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature. It should still be liquid but no longer hot to the touch.
- Mix wet ingredients: Whisk the cooled butter with both sugars, pumpkin puree, egg yolk and vanilla extract until the mixture looks smooth and slightly glossy.
- Add dry ingredients: Stir in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Mix just until no dry streaks remain; the dough will be thick.
- Chill the dough: Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, until it firms up enough to scoop without sticking to your hands.
- Preheat the oven: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the coating: Stir together the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl for rolling the dough balls.
- Shape and coat: Scoop the dough into 1.5-tablespoon balls and roll each one in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.
- Arrange on sheets: Place the coated dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow room for spreading.
- Bake until set: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges look set but the centers still look slightly soft and underbaked.
- Cool on the sheet: Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes; they will continue to firm up during this time.
- Transfer and finish cooling: Move the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before storing them.
More to Try
- Chewy Brown Butter Maple Pumpkin Cookies: another browned-butter pumpkin cookie with a maple twist.
- Holiday Baking Snickerdoodle Cookies, Soft and Chewy Every Time: the classic version without pumpkin, for comparison.
- Pumpkin Cake Recipe: a soft, spiced layer cake for the same pumpkin flavors in a bigger dessert.
- Pumpkin Oreo Balls: Easy Halloween Treats No One Can Resist: a no-bake pumpkin treat for when you want something quicker.
