Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (One Bowl)

So excited to share these one-bowl, super soft Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with you! Imagine your favorite snickerdoodle cookie but loaded with a heap of fall flavor from the spices, brown butter, vanilla and pumpkin!

I love making cookie recipes, especially seasonal ones. I worked on this one for weeks because I wanted it to be perfect. It’s more substantial than many of the pumpkin snickerdoodle recipes out there.

This pumpkin snickerdoodle made with brown butter is a bakery style cookie, meaning it is an extra large, thick (but light), incredibly soft cookie with the most delicious pumpkin spice crunch from the cookie coating.

I don’t normally look to snickerdoodle cookies for a ton of chew (although I do love chew in a cookie), so I didn’t with this pumpkin snickerdoodle either. Baking with pumpkin puree tends to add softness to whatever you’re baking (think pumpkin loaves and cakes) and these cookies are no different.

If you love baking with pumpkin as much as I do, I hope you’ll also check out: this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe, Easy Moist Pumpkin Bread Recipe, Pumpkin Streusel Muffins, Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chai Frosting, Pumpkin Bourbon Cake with Brown Butter Frosting (what?!), Petite Spiced Pumpkin Scones and these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

And don’t forget to check out the pumpkin cookies and cakes in The Cookie Book and The Cake Book!

Why You Should Bake These
Bakery Style Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

• Soft and substantial (but not dense!) with awesome crunch from the spiced cookie coating
• A one-bowl recipe, which I LOVE
• These literally taste like fall
• I love how the dusting of sugar over the tops looks like a frosty fall morning (or is that just me?)
• Mixed + baked in under 45 minutes (score!)
• The order of the ingredients added cools the brown butter so there’s no waiting around
• This dough needs no fridge time!

The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour

One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!

How To Make These Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Below are step-by-step photos (with captions) to make THE BEST Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles perfect every time! My biggest tips are:

• Add Ingredients in the Order Listed. Since the brown butter will be warm (and we don’t want to sit around and wait for it to cool), I have you adding in water, vanilla, pumpkin and *COLD* eggs. These things will quickly bring your brown butter to room temperature. Don’t change up this order.
• Let the Dough Sit While You Pre-Heat Your Oven. Again, since I don’t want to sit around and wait for my dough to firm up (and I’m guessing you don’t either); I have us mix the dough and then pre-heat the oven, line our baking sheets and whisk together the cookie coating. By the time you’re done with those three things, your cookie dough should be the perfect (but still soft) texture.
• Shape into Discs with Lots of Sugar. 🔥 I love these cookies when they’re rolled into balls, pressed into discs and then dropped in the sugar mixture and well coated. I also like to add a pinch of the sugar mixture to the tops just before they go into the oven. This gives them a frosty fall morning vibe!

These snickerdoodle cookies are so quick and delicious, I can’t wait for you to try them!

Shop The Best Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe

I love this small, light-colored Williams-Sonoma sauce pan for browning butter.

These spoonulas from GIR are my absolute favorites right now (I love the soft blue). 

My favorite nested, heat-safe bowls for any baking occasion! I love them so.

That beautiful Williams-Sonoma whisk with the wooden handle that’s in my videos. It’s so pretty. But when I’m being practical (and not making videos), this Material whisk is THE BOMB. I love their stuff!

Don’t forget my favorite scale. I wrote both of my books with this one, it will serve you well on your baking journey!

This 3-TBSP Cookie Scoop for easy portioning!

More Cookie Recipes!

If you’re looking for more snickerdoodles, check out my Classic Snickerdoodles, Brown Butter Snickerdoodles and my Five-Spice Snickerdoodles (these are so fun around the holidays!).

Some of my favorite cookies right now include: these Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies and Fudgy Brownie Cookies.

And you can browse all of the cookie recipes here and get some of my favorite cookie-baking tips from my 10 Favorite Tips for Better Cookies Today.

Enjoy your Bakery Style Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles!

Soft Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (One Bowl)

These bakery style, super soft Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are everything you're looking for in a fall cookie! Loaded with lots of vanilla, brown butter, spices and pumpkin, these are a leveled-up version of a classic snickerdoodle cookie. The texture is super soft and gets some nice crunch from the Demerara sugar they're rolled in (this can be omitted if you don't have any on hand). Also check out Brown Butter Snickerdoodles and Five-Spice Snickerdoodles. Enjoy!

5 from 4 reviews

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cookies

Keyword: Brown Butter, Pumpkin, Snickerdoodles, Cookies, Fall, Baking

Servings: 20 Cookies

Author: Rebecca Firth

Ingredients

For the Cookie

• 187 grams unsalted brown butter (about 16 tablespoons (226 g) unsalted butter before browning)
• 2 tablespoons (26 g) water
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) real vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (122 g) pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs (cold)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (165 g) brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
• 1 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cups (405 g) all-purpose flour

For the Cookie Coating

• 1/3 cup (67 g) Demerara sugar (optional; see note below)
• ⅓ cup (64 g) granulated sugar (check weight)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves

Instructions

For the Brown Butter

• Place 16 tablespoons (226 g) butter in a small sauce pan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, crank up the heat to medium high. Stand by, continuously stirring and watching. Small golden bits will start to settle on the bottom of the pan. Once this happens, take it off the heat and pour into a large, heat-safe bowl. 

  (For more details on browning butter, check out my How to Perfectly Brown Butter tutorial)
  

For the Cookies

• To the butter, add the water, vanilla and pumpkin puree whisking until combined. Whisk in the cold eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves until thick and fully combined. Add in the sugar, brown sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt whisking until everything is well blended.
  
• Grab a spatula and fold in the flour until just combined. Set the cookie dough aside while you make the cookie coating and pre-heat the oven. This will give it a chance to firm up a bit; it will be soft.
  

For the Cookie Coating

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and cover several baking sheets with parchment paper.
• To make the cookie coating, in a small bowl, whisk together the Demerara sugar (if using), granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
  
• After about 15 minutes, roll 3 tablespoons of dough into a nice ball and then press down slightly to form more of a disc (rather than a perfectly round ball). Give the dough ball a generous coating of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and set on the prepared baking sheet, allowing 2 inches (5 cm) of space between dough balls. I like to add an extra pinch of the cinnamon-sugar to the tops of the dough balls.
  
• Bake one sheet at a time, in the center of the oven, for 11 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet prior to serving.
  

Notes

Pumpkin Spice

If you have store-bought pumpkin spice, you can replace all of the spices listed with 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice in the cookie and the cookie coating.

Pumpkin Puree

Use 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. My absolute favorite is Libbys as it lends the perfect taste and texture to baked goods. If you don’t have access to Libbys, just know that canned pumpkin brands vary in consistency.

If the brand you use is especially watery, consider draining the pumpkin on several layers of paper towels (or a clean kitchen cloth) prior to adding it to the cookie dough.

Demerara Sugar

This sugar adds an awesome crunch to the finished cookie. If you don’t have any on hand, simply omit it from the recipe. No need to add extra sugar in its place.

Storing Cookie Dough

Wrapped tightly and stored in an air-tight container,  cookie dough can hang in the fridge for up to three days.

Freezing Cookie Dough

For long-term storage wrap the entire lump of cookie dough tightly (in plastic wrap, ideally) and then stash in an air-tight container.

For short-term storage (I’m talking about wanting to have a fresh cookie (or two) every night after dinner), freeze the cookie dough  balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, after several hours, stash in an air-tight container. When baking, they  can go straight from the freezer to the oven, just tack on a few extra minutes to the bake time. This will result in a puffier cookie.

If you want the cookies to look similar the photos here, then let the dough come close to room temperature (just sitting out while you pre-heat the oven is fine). Add 1 to 2 minutes bake time if the dough still has a slight chill.

Want More Cookie Tips?

Head over to My 10 Favorite Tips for Better Cookies!

Need a Brown Butter refresher? 

Check out my How to Make Perfect Brown Butter tutorial!

Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo