Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

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These soft and chewy Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are made with pumpkin, spice and coated in a cinnamon sugar mixture. We brown the butter so these cookies have a rich buttery and caramel flavor to them. They are the perfect cookie for Fall!

Be sure to also try my classic Snickerdoodles!

PIN Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies to try later!

Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies and I especially love these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles because they are made with pumpkin which makes them slightly cake-like and perfect for Fall.

These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles have all of the original flavors of traditional snickerdoodles plus hints of real pumpkin and warm Fall spices. You can use the leftover pumpkin from this recipe to make these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins!

The rich brown butter makes these cookies extra decadent and is the perfect cookie recipe if you love all things pumpkin. The white chocolate chips adds extra sweetness and compliments the Fall flavors. Once you sink your teeth in the first bite you’ll be adding these to your baking list each Fall!

Other brown butter recipes to try are my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats.

key ingredients

• Canned pure pumpkin: The key ingredient! Adds extra moisture and pumpkin flavor. We can’t make this recipe without it! (you can use the leftover pumpkin purée from this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffin recipe). 
• Butter: I used salted butter so you don’t have to add salt but you can also use unsalted butter, just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the recipe.
• All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it. Be sure not to scoop it out of the bag using the measuring cup. This way, you won’t accidentally measure out too much. 
• Sugar: We use both granulated white sugar and dark brown sugar or light brown sugar. This combination will increase the chewiness of these cookies. 
• Large egg and egg yolk: Make sure the whole egg and egg yolk are at room temperature so they incorporate into the dough better. 
• Baking soda: Used as a leavening agent.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavors and adds a warm flavor. I always recommend using vanilla bean paste to add even more rich vanilla flavor.
• Spices: Pumpkin spice and cinnamon add a warm flavor and is an essential ingredient for flavor.
• Cream of tartar: You can’t make Snickerdoodles without it! Gives a slight tang and the classic Snickerdoodle flavor.
• White chocolate chips: Adds the perfect amount of sweetness and pairs with the pumpkin flavors wells.

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HOW TO MAKE brown butter PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLES

Make browned butter: Melt 2 sticks of butter over medium heat in a pot or medium saucepan, then bring to a boil. Once butter melts and starts boiling, swirl the pan constantly until the butter becomes somewhat foamy and becomes amber brown color.

You should see little golden brown bits on the bottom of the pan and have a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour into a separate small bowl allowing the butter to cool and stop cooking. Cool for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator. 

Blot the pumpkin: Place the pumpkin puree in a small bowl and blot it down with several paper towels to remove excess moisture. You will be surprised how much water gets absorbed! Measure out 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree and set aside.

Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, sugars and vanilla until smooth. Add in the pumpkin puree, egg and egg yolk- whisk until no lumps remain.

Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and cream of tartar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir by hand until cookie dough is formed then add in white chocolate chips.

Chill cookie dough: Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes or up to 3 days.

Scoop and roll dough in cinnamon sugar mixture: When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats. Use a small ice cream scoop, or portioning out 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. In a shallow dish or small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together. Roll into a ball and then roll into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat the entire dough ball.

Bake cookies: Bake for 9-10 minutes. They will seem under baked but they will cook more as they cool. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top while the cookies are fresh out of the oven. Place the baking sheets on a wire rack or cool surface to cool for a few minutes. Then remove the cookies from the baking sheet and place on wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

recipe variations

• Smaller Cookies: Roll only 1 or a 1/2 tablespoon of cookie dough to make them mini size.
• Chocolate chipless snickerdoodles: Although these wouldn’t be the same, but they would be still be delicious…omit the chocolate chips from the recipe.
• Chocolate chips: You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or chopped chocolate to get large chunks. It’s completely up to you!
• Birthday edition: Add a handful of rainbow sprinkles to the cookie dough and tops of the cookie dough balls for a fun and colorful twist.
• Chocolate dipped cookies: Dip half of each cookie in melted white, milk or dark chocolate. You could also do a combination of chocolates for an extra rich chocolate flavor.
• Sea salt: Top the cookies with flaky sea salt to intensify the flavors even more. 

pro tips

• Blot the pumpkin: It’s so important to blot out some of the excess moisture from the pumpkin puree. This will give the cookies the rich delicious pumpkin flavor and it will prevent the cookies from being too soft and spreading while baking. 
• Room temperature ingredients: It’s important that your eggs are at room temperature. They incorporate with the other ingredients so much better and will help your cookies stay tender and soft.
• Don’t skip the chilling step: It is crucial with this recipe as it helps the ingredients marry together to develop a rich caramel-like flavor, making these the best chocolate chip cookies.
• Press down on the cookie dough balls before baking: The cookies won’t spread very much during the baking process so by pressing on them gives them the cookie shape.
• Make the cookie dough in advance: Leave the cookie dough in the fridge for up to 3 days. The dough will be firm so make sure to bring the cookie dough to room temperature and then continue on to Step #4 in the instructions.
• Measure out all of your ingredients properly: It is absolutely necessary because too much or too little of one ingredient can change this recipe such as adding too much flour can make the texture too firm. I highly recommend leveling all of the dry ingredient. 

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LEFTOVERS

Make-ahead: Place the balls of dough into the freezer and freeze for 1 hour so the cookies are firm. Transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe zip lock bag (gallon size works great) and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to bake your frozen cookies, place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake as directed, adding about 3-4 minutes to the baking time.

To-Store: Once the cookies are baked, place them in an airtight container or place them on a plate and wrap with plastic wrap. Store the cookies for up to 1 week in a cooled area since they container some moisture from the pumpkin. 

Freeze: Simply place the baked cookies in a freezer-safe zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to defrost, remove the cookies from the freezer and let them thaw for a few hours.

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This recipe was last updated August 23, 2024 to include additional photos and information. Originally posted September 28, 2020 By Kathryn Donangelo.