Rich and nutty brown butter gives these pumpkin brown butter snickerdoodles so much depth and flavor. The warm pumpkin spices – cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves and pumpkin purée in these soft and chewy snickerdoodles make them a fall cookie must bake. They're so good that you will definitely want to include them in your holiday cookie exchange.
These cookies are one of my all-time favorites. They’re chewy and melt in your mouth with soft centers and crispy edges. They have all the flavors of traditional snickerdoodles but with the addition of nutty, toasty brown butter, earthy pumpkin and fall spices.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- They're quick and easy to make and do NOT require refrigeration.
- You can store dough balls in the fridge or freezer if you plan on baking them later. Roll the dough balls in the sugar/spice mix right before baking.
- These snickerdoodles are easy to prepare with basic pantry ingredients. No special or hard to get ingredients.
- Easy to follow recipe with step by step photo instructions for perfect pumpkin brown butter snickerdoodles every time.
Recipe Ingredients
Butter – Unsalted or salted works. If using salted butter, omit the salt listened in the recipe ingredients. Browning the butter makes these cookies taste rich and toasty. It has a nutty, butterscotch flavor that really adds depth and complements the spices.
All purpose flour
Cream of tartar –the classic snickerdoodle flavor, provides a slight tang
Fine sea salt – balances flavors and adds flavor
Pumpkin spice – store bought is perfectly fine
Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar – contributes to chewiness and caramel-like flavor
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Pumpkin purée – NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is too sweet and has a lot of additives not needed in these cookies.
Recipe Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and ½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter, occasionally stirring, until golden brown and it smells nutty and toasted. Cool completely.
- Beat together the cooled brown butter, sugar and brown sugar.
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin purée.
- Beat in the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Scoop the dough with a ice cream/cookie scoop onto a lined cookie sheet. Roll the dough into balls.
- Whisk together the granulated sugar and pumpkin spice.
- Roll each dough ball in the sugar mixture until coated. Use the bottom of a cup or measuring cup to flatten the cookies just a bit.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes or until the edges look done and the center looks just set. The cookies will deflate a bit as they cool, giving the cookies their signature cracks. Serve cooled or warm.
Substitutions and Variations
Not wanting to open up a can of pumpkin purée? Use sour cream or yogurt in place of the pumpkin.
You can also make pumpkin spice instead of purchasing it. Whisk together 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ginger, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon of cloves and ⅛ teaspoon of allspice.
Apple spice can be subbed in place of pumpkin spice and is also amazing with these cookies. Replace the pumpkin with unsweetened apple sauce for apple snickerdoodles.
Baking Tips
- When the cookies come right out of the oven, scoot a large round cookie around them in circular motion. This helps the cookies get a perfect round shape.
- Don't over bake. The cookies are done when the edges are set and the cookies are slightly puffed in the center. They'll deflate and crack as they cool.
- Use a cookie/ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. If you don't have a 1oz/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, you can use a tablespoon to portion out 2 tablespoons/1oz for each cookie.
- An electric mixer works best for this recipe, but you can also whisk/stir it by hand.
Storage and Freezing
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To freeze the dough, scoop the dough into balls and refrigerate to firm up the dough. Place the dough balls into a freezer bag, or airtight container and place in the freezer for up to three months.
I prefer to defrost the dough balls in the refrigerator or even at room temperature before rolling in the pumpkin spice/sugar mixture, but you can roll the dough balls in the spice/sugar mixture and bake these directly from the freezer.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Cream of tartar adds the signature tang that is notably present in snickerdoodles. It also reacts with the baking soda, causing the cookies to puff and then deflate, creating that crackly top.
Both share a common list of ingredients, but snickerdoodles are known for the tang form the cream of tartar, being rolled in a cinnamon (or spice) sugar mixture before (and often after as well) baking, and are thick, soft, chewy and melt in your mouth.
Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @littlevintagebaking on Instagram and leave a star rating below if you LOVED this recipe. For more baking and decorating ideas follow me on Pinterest.
More Fall Recipes to Try
Recipe
Pumpkin Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Electric Stand Mixer (or hand mixer)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
Rolling Sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons pumpkin spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter cook while occasionally stirring to ensure the butter is cooking evenly.1 cup unsalted butter
- Cook the butter until it is a golden brown color and smells nutty and toasted, about 5 -7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Let the butter cool to room temperature.
- Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.2 ½ cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until well blended.½ cup granulated sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin purée.1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
- On low speed, add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.
- Scoop the dough with a medium size/2 tablespoon ice cream scoop onto a lined cookie sheet.
- Whisk together the granulated sugar and pumpkin spice.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 ¼ teaspoons pumpkin spice
- Roll each dough ball in the sugar mixture until coated. Use the bottom of a cup or measuring cup to flatten the cookies just a bit.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown and the tops look just set. Transfer to cookie sheets to wire racks to cool, then serve.
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