Nut Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles – Soft, Chewy and Delicious
Pumpkin snickerdoodles might be my new favorite recipe.
Look, I know that it’s November 6th, and Starbucks has switched from pumpkin drinks to all things holly and jolly. Even my house is already beginning the transition. But . . . since Thanksgiving is still ahead of us. And pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving go together like bacon and eggs, I’m not quite ready to quit on the pumpkin yet.
These nut free pumpkin snickerdoodle just might be my new favorite cookie. They are soft, chewy, spicy, sweet, and all around delicious. And of course they are safe for all your friends with nut allergies too. I’ve been enjoying them as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea. But they would be perfect on your holiday cookie tray too.
Why You’ll Love Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Let’s start with the obvious . . . pumpkin snickerdoodles are delicious. These cookies have just the right amount of sweetness and spiciness and they are soft and chewy. No cakey cookies here. (Because nobody wants a cakey cookie. At that point, you might as well just eat cake.)
Pumpkin makes them the perfect seasonal choice.
But best of all . . . pumpkin snickerdoodles are easy! You don’t even need to break out the mixer. All you need is a wooden spoon and some upper arm strength.
How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
The first step is to melt 1/2 cup of butter. That’s one stick.
Why melted butter? I’m so glad you asked!
Normally, we cream together softened butter and sugar which creates air bubbles and makes for a thicker, fluffier cookie. But since the pumpkin has a lot of extra moisture, doing this could lead to the cakey cookies that we don’t want. So starting with melted butter prevents those air bubbles and increases the both the flavor and texture of the pumpkin snickerdoodles. I cut my butter into pieces, place it in a microwave-safe bowl (I use glass) and cover. Then I melt it in 20-30 second increments.
PRO TIP: Don’t melt for more than 30 seconds at a time or you are likely to have a butter explosion.
Then let the butter cool for about ten minutes. You don’t want it piping hot or it will cook your egg yolk.
Once the butter has cooled, combine it with ½ cup of sugar and ⅓ cup of dark brow sugar (yes, dark brown does make a difference, but if all you have is light brown that’s okay) and then stir in ¼ cup of pumpkin. Be sure you are using canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. (You DO NOT want the pre-sweetened stuff.)
Then stir in 1 egg yolk (again we leave out the white to reduce the moisture content and create a chewier cookie) and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: 1½ cups flour, 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, ½teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar. (Don’t skip the cream of tartar it’s critical for the snickerdoodle tang.)
Add the dry ingredient to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Then cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Once the dough is chilled, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop into balls and roll in your hands to make them round. Roll them in the cinnamon sugar and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about two inches apart.
PRO TIP: Do not add cool cookie dough to a hot cookie sheet or the cookies will start to cook and spread and you will have flat cookies.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. Allow your pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies to cool on the sheet for about ten minutes and then remove them to an air tight container. Store covered for up to 1 week.
Enjoy!
These pumpkin snickerdoodles cookies are the perfect anytime snack.
They go great with coffee, tea, or milk (if that’s your thing). They pack well in lunchboxes. And they are an unexpected addition to a cookie tray!
FREE Nut Free Cookie Guide
Speaking of cookie trays? Would you like some more nut free cookie recipes? Check out my Nut Free Cookie Guide. It includes seven safe and delicious cookie recipes free from peanuts and nuts. These cookies are all easy to bake and sure to be a hit with any crowd. From drop cookies to bar cookies to I know you’ll find a new favorite today.
You can also check out my New York Style Black and White Cookies! These are one of my favorites!
Happy Eating!
Nut Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 small mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- plastic wrap
- Parchment paper
- baking sheets
- oven
- cookie scoop or spoon
Ingredients
- Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled for at least 10 minutes
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar tightly packed
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
- Topping
- ¼ cup sugar 50g
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar and stir until well-combined. Add pumpkin and stir well.
- Stir in egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt until well-combined.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until ingredients are well-combined.
- Cover cookie dough with clear wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 45 minutes.
- One dough is nearly finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper. Prepare your cinnamon sugar mixture by whisking together ¼ cup sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and scoop into 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized balls. Roll briefly between your palms until smooth and then roll through cinnamon sugar and transfer to prepared cookie sheet, spacing at least 2″ apart.
- Bake cookies in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes. Keep your remaining dough refrigerated while cookies are baking and do not place cookie dough on a hot baking sheet.
- Allow baked cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes.
Notes
You can chill your dough for more than 45 minutes is fine. I’ve made pumpkin snickerdoodle dough as far as 3 days in advance. Just keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator. You may need to let it sit out at room temperature for a few minutes for it to get soft enough to scoop though. Freezing the Dough:
YES! This dough freezes beautifully. Just don’t roll it in the cinnamon sugar until you are ready to break. I like to roll the balls, freeze them on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag for ready-to-go pumpkin snickerdoodle. Toss them in the topping before baking. What if I don’t have cream of tartar?
Unfortunately, this is not an optional ingredient for snickerdoodle. Cream of tartar is what gives all snickerdoodles (and my snickerdoodle blondies) their classic flavor. Don’t skip it!
