The pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft cookies flavored with cinnamon. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The cookies also have beautiful cracked tops like crinkle cookies.
I’ve made different kinds of snickerdoodles including pumpkin ones, which I really like. Pumpkin snickerdoodles are a fun twist on the traditional ones and, after trying a few recipes, I learned that using shortening in the cookie dough creates cookies with cracked tops. I love chocolate crinkle cookies that have a similar look so I was excited to try shortening in a recipe.
I adapted a pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe with shortening I found on All Recipes and I love how they turned out. The top of the cookies has the distinctive cracks I was hoping for and they also have a beautiful golden orange color inside from the pumpkin. They’re crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, which exactly how I like my cookies.
What are snickerdoodles?
Snickerdoodles are similar to sugar cookies. They are made with softened butter and sugar that are creamed together along with flour, sugar, vanilla and sometimes shortening, like this recipe I’m sharing.
Many snickerdoodle cookies have cream of tartar which is used as a leavening agent along with baking soda. It also gives the cookies their distinctive tang. They are also flavored with cinnamon.
Of course, it’s always fun to play around with traditional cookie recipes and as much as I love the regular ones, I have to admit this pumpkin version is at the top of the list since I love pumpkin recipes.
Ingredients
- Softened unsalted butter
- Shortening
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin puree
- All-purpose flour
- Cream of tartar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon-sugar (for coating)
Recipe Steps
Make the dough: Cream the butter, shortening, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add the pumpkin puree, flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
Make the dough balls: Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in a cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated. Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet place two inches apart.
Bake the cookies: bake the cookies at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
I like to cool the cookies for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a baking rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container and they will keep well at room temperature for two to three days.
More Pumpkin Cookies
- Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Nutella Swirl Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- Cream together butter, shortening, 3/4 cup sugar, egg and the vanilla. Mix in the pumpkin. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded balls about 1 inch in diameter.
- In a small bow, mix the 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture to coat. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press palm of hand onto each ball gently to flatten a little.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are set but not too hard.
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
We just made this recipe today. The cookies have the texture of biscuits, but we don’t care; they’re yummy! My 15-year-old daughter had the brilliant idea of adding 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice to the dough mixture, before adding the flour. It really helped bring out the pumpkin flavor.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m glad you like them. I didn’t really think they were like biscuits, but still glad you like them!
These look great! I tried another pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe and it was tasty, but the texture was too soft and cakey. Can’t wait to make these, you nailed the crackled top!
Yeah, looking back at my photos from the previous recipe, I definitely like the crackled top for these ones. Somehow the snickerdoodle just doesn’t look the same without the crackled top!