These Gluten Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are a twist on the classic snickerdoodle cookie recipe. This easy recipe makes tender, sweet, and chewy cookies your family will love.
Fall is one of my favorite times to bake cookies. The temperature is dropping, the leaves are falling, and it’s time to turn on the oven and get out the baking pans.
And fall is a great time to bake with pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Even though canned pumpkin is available throughout the year, now’s the time I’m likely to use it in my baking.
I’m excited to share this recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles with you. These cookies are soft in the middle, crisp around the edges, and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.
If you like these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies, you’ll also like my recipes for pumpkin bars, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin donuts, and pumpkin muffins. And if you like chocolate chips with your pumpkin, you need to try my recipes for chocolate chip pumpkin bread and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.
Why this Recipe Works
- The dough is easy to make and doesn’t require any chilling time.
- Pumpkin adds moisture and tenderness to the cookies.
- Rolling the dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture adds depth of flavor to the cookies.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Gluten free flour blend - A cup for cup variety with xanthan gum in it. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour.
- Baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract - The usual ingredients for making cookies.
- Cream of tartar - These snickerdoodle cookies get their tender and chewy texture from cream of tartar.
- Pumpkin pie spice - This spice adds the flavors of allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg all in one spice.
- Pumpkin puree - Pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon.
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Whisk together the cinnamon/sugar topping and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, except the sugar, until combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar and pumpkin until combined. Add egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until combined.
- Create dough balls and roll in cinnamon/sugar topping and place on prepared baking pans. Sprinkle the dough balls with additional cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line baking pans with Silpat liners or parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon until combined.
Add gluten free flour blend, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar, and salt to a medium mixing bowl and whisk until completely combined.
In a large mixing bowl, add butter, sugar, and pumpkin and whisk until combined.
Add egg and vanilla to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until smooth.
Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture until combined.
Using a 1.5-tablespoon scoop or spoon, drop the dough into the cinnamon/sugar mixture and form into balls. Roll the ball around to lightly coat with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Place dough balls on prepared baking pans, 3 inches apart, and sprinkle with more cinnamon/sugar.
Bake 10-12 minutes until cookies are set.
Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Baker’s Tips
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into even sized portions. Cookies that are similar in size will bake more evenly.
- Form the dough portions into balls with your fingers. The dough is soft and doesn’t roll into tight, uniform balls like you get with chilled dough.
- Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. The cookies finish baking while they’re still on the pan.
Measuring Gluten Free Flour
Use the “spoon and level” method when measuring your gluten free flour blend. Simply use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then use the back of a table knife to level off the top.
Using the measuring cup to scoop the flour directly from the bag or canister can give you more flour than needed in the recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Store the cookies in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze the cookies?
The cookies can be frozen, in a freezer-safe container, for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookies, on your counter, for several hours or overnight.
These simple gluten free cookies, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, are a great addition to your fall and holiday baking tradition. Bake up a batch and your friends and family will thank you. Happy Baking!
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes to Try
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Peppermint Meltaway Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, don't forget to leave a star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I really enjoy hearing from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more of the delicious food I'm making!
Recipe
Gluten Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Cinnamon/Sugar Topping:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cookies:
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking pans with Silpat liners or parchment paper.
Make the Cinnamon/Sugar Topping:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon until combined.
Make the Cookies:
- In a medium mixing bowl, add gluten free flour blend, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar, and salt and whisk until completely combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, sugar, and pumpkin and whisk until combined.
- Add egg and vanilla to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture until combined.
- Using a 1.5-tablespoon scoop or spoon, drop the dough into the cinnamon/sugar mixture and form into balls. Roll the balls around to lightly coat with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Place dough balls on prepared baking pans, 3 inches apart, and sprinkle with more cinnamon/sugar.
- Bake 10-12 minutes until cookies are set.
- Allow to cool 5 minutes on pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into even sized portions. Cookies that are similar in size will bake more evenly.
- Form the dough portions into balls with your fingers. The dough is soft and doesn’t roll into tight, uniform balls like you get with chilled dough.
- Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. The cookies finish baking while they’re still on the pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on products and brands you use. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the ingredients you are using with your preferred nutrition calculator.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
Lynn says
My family loved these cookies. Thanks for sharing.