Easy Sourdough Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies (Thick and Chewy)
Looking for a way to take your classic snickerdoodles to the next level? These pumpkin sourdough snickerdoodles are just what you need.
Thick and chewy, with the perfect crispy coating of cinnamon and sugar, these pumpkin snickerdoodles combine the tang of sourdough discard with the coziness of pumpkin spice to be the perfect cookie recipe for fall.
Made with simple ingredients like pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and sourdough starter discard, you can enjoy these delicious sourdough pumpkin cookies while skipping the junk found in store-bought ones.
And, they taste so much better than grocery store cookies. Better make a double batch… they’ll disappear quickly!
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Thick and Chewy Sourdough Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- ⅓ cup sourdough discard
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 6 Tbsp pumpkin puree blotted and squeezed – see note
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together in a medium mixing bowl on medium speed until well combined and no brown sugar lumps remain. Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard and mix until well combined (scrap the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed properly). Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined, but not overmixed. The dough will be quite soft. If adding white chocolate chips or nuts, add at this point. (Note: they may be hard to combine with the dough due to the melted butter. Just do your best!)
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and chill for 30 minutes or up to three days if you want to long ferment the dough.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar coating.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop two tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Dip each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to evenly coat. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Use your fingers to press each cookie dough ball out slightly.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden and the center is still soft. Remove from the oven.
- Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Kitchen Equipment
Ingredients to Note
Pumpkin puree – Be sure to blot and squeeze the pumpkin puree with a paper towel to remove excess moisture until the puree reaches the consistency of tomato paste (see picture below). Also, make sure you are using pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Unsalted, melted and cooled butter – For best results, use unsalted butter to better control the sodium content in the cookies. Melt it and allow it to cool for a few minutes before continuing with the recipe.
Sourdough discard – Use sourdough discard in this recipe, or substitute with active sourdough starter for a less tangy flavor.
Pumpkin pie spice – This perfectly complements the pumpkin flavor in these cookies.
Cinnamon – We want a rich cinnamon flavor in these cookies, as well as in the crispy cinnamon sugar coating.
Brown sugar – Using brown sugar in addition to white sugar gives these pumpkin snickerdoodles a rich moisture from the molasses, resulting in better flavor and chewy cookies.
White sugar – In addition to using white sugar in the cookies, we’ll also use it for the cinnamon-sugar mixture to give the sourdough cookies that crispy exterior.
Vanilla extract – While you won’t distinctly taste the vanilla, it brings the other flavors alive when it is added.
Tips for Pumpkin Sourdough Snickerdoodles
Blotting/squeezing the pumpkin puree – I place the pumpkin puree in a few layers of paper towel and vigorously wring the liquid out of the pumpkin puree.
Melt the butter – Melting the butter and allowing it to cool for a few minutes helps the cookies achieve their delicious chewy texture.
Skip the egg yolk – I’ve tested this recipe with and without the egg yolk, and found that the pumpkin puree substitutes nicely for the egg. Adding additional moisture from the egg can result in more cakey cookies.
Allow the dough to chill/rest – Allowing the dough to chill and rest helps the cookies not spread too much and results in a chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle.
Allow them to cool on the pan – Allowing the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to the wire rack allows the centers to reach that perfect chewy consistency without being too doughy.
Don’t overbake – You want to slightly underbake these cookies to achieve perfect chewy center and crispy exterior. Pull them out when the edges are set but the center is still doughy. Overbaking will result in a more cakey cookies (see photo below).
Storage Instructions for Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
To store the baked pumpkin sourdough snickerdoodles, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Freezing Instructions
To freeze the unbaked cookie dough, place the pumpkin snickerdoodle dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid.
Then, remove to a freezer safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Note that you will have to bake them for a few extra minutes when baking them from frozen.)
To freeze the baked pumpkin snickerdoodles, allow the baked cookies to cool to room temperature, and then store in a freezer safe, air-tight container for up to two months.
What is sourdough discard?
Sourdough discard is the portion of sourdough that is removed before you feed the starter with fresh flour and water. Discard sourdough has already reached its peak and is now collapsing (meaning you typically don’t use it for leavening).
However, it can be used in various recipes such as maple pecan scones or German pancakes to give the baked goods a unique flavor and texture.
Can I long ferment the cookie dough?
Absolutely! Instead of pulling the dough out to shape after 30 minutes of chilling, leave the sourdough snickerdoodle cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to three days for the long fermentation process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Variations for Pumpkin Sourdough Snickerdoodles
If you feel like mixing things up, use 1/2 a cup of these add-in ideas to create different flavors:
- White chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts
- Chopped pecans
- Dark chocolate chips
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Step-by-step Instructions
- Cream the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together in a medium mixing bowl on medium speed until well combined and no brown sugar lumps remain. Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard and mix until well combined (scrap the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed properly). Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined, but not overmixed. The dough will be quite soft. If adding white chocolate chips or nuts, add at this point. (Note: they may be hard to combine with the dough due to the melted butter. Just do your best!)
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and chill for 30 minutes in the freezer or up to three days if you want to long ferment the dough.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar coating.
6. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop two tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Dip each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to evenly coat. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Use your fingers to press each cookie dough ball out slightly.
7. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden and the center is still soft. Remove from the oven.
8. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
9. Store in an airtight container.
This sounds super delicious! I can imagine how awesome they taste, what a winning combination to add pumpkin to snickerdoodles. Great idea!
Thanks, Heidi!! They really are the perfect combo of cozy flavors!
Yum! These are so perfect for fall!
They really are!
Our family loved sampling these as I tested them, and I know your family will too! As always, drop any questions in the comments section and I’ll do my best to respond.
I just put a batch together and ready to bake, however, I don’t see egg/egg yolk in your list of ingredients, however I was just reading the notes and found a reference to egg yolk?? Am I missing something?
Hi Laci! I’m sorry that was written confusingly. In the notes I was explaining why this recipe doesn’t use an egg yolk (since some recipes for pumpkin snickerdoodles do). Hope that makes sense!