Description
These Soft Baked Spiced Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are a delightful fall-inspired twist on the classic snickerdoodle cookie. Featuring a blend of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves combined with creamy pumpkin puree, these cookies deliver a soft, chewy texture with a perfectly balanced autumn flavor, coated in a sweet cinnamon sugar mixture for the perfect finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender cookie.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Incorporate the pumpkin puree, room temperature egg, and vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture. Beat until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Mix Dry Ingredients Separately: In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the ground spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves, to evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough cookies.
- Prepare Cinnamon Sugar Coating: In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon to create the coating for the cookie dough balls.
- Shape and Coat Dough Balls: Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of the dough and roll each into a smooth ball. Then, roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated to add a sweet and spicy crust.
- Arrange on Baking Sheets: Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow room for spreading during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookie edges are set but the centers remain soft, ensuring a chewy texture.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to firm up slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, which will prevent breakage and maintain the soft texture.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for better mixing and texture.
- Do not overmix the dough once the dry ingredients are added to avoid tough cookies.
- Spacing dough balls 2 inches apart prevents cookies from merging as they spread while baking.
- Cooling the cookies on the baking sheet before transferring helps them set and retain their chewy center.
- Store cookies in an airtight container to keep them soft for several days.
