Sourdough Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These sourdough pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are soft, spiced, and perfectly chewy with a hint of sourdough tang. They taste like pumpkin pie in cookie form and fill your kitchen with the best fall smells. The dough chills beautifully, so you can mix it ahead of time and bake whenever you’re ready for something sweet.

These cookies have that nostalgic mix of sugar, spice, and buttery warmth that just feels like home. The pumpkin keeps them soft and chewy, while the sourdough adds a light tang that balances all the sweetness. If you’ve made my sourdough pumpkin oatmeal cookies or sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, you’ll love how these cookies capture the same cozy flavors.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

No Chill Stress - You can chill the dough for just an hour or up to three days, which makes them easy to bake ahead or fit around your schedule.

Warm Fall Flavor - Pumpkin puree, pie spice, and vanilla come together to give these cookies that wonderful spiced flavor we all love this time of year.

Soft and Chewy Texture - These pumpkin snickerdoodles bake up perfectly soft in the center with a classic cinnamon-sugar crust on the outside.

Ingredients

• Brown Sugar - Adds a soft, rich sweetness that keeps the cookies chewy. I always like to add brown sugar to my sourdough cookies.
• Granulated Sugar - Used in both the dough for sweetness, and the topping to create the classic snickerdoodle sparkle.
• Butter - Melted butter gives these cookies a chewy texture and deep flavor. Let it cool slightly before mixing so it blends smoothly.
• Sourdough Starter - Sourdough starter or discard are fine in this recipe. If you're new to sourdough, I can show you the differences between sourdough starter and discard.
• Pumpkin Puree - Use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. It gives the cookies color, moisture, and pumpkin flavor.
• Vanilla Bean Paste - I like vanilla bean paste here, but vanilla extract will work too, if that’s what you have on hand.
• All Purpose Flour
• Cream of Tartar - A key ingredient in traditional snickerdoodles. It adds that little tang and helps create the classic texture.
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Pumpkin Pie Spice - Brings the warm blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves that makes these cookies taste like fall.

How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These cookies are a fall twist on my sourdough snickerdoodle cookies, a recipe that’s received 5 star reviews and been shared thousands of times. The method is just as simple, but this version adds pumpkin purée and warm spices for that unmistakable fall flavor. You’ll love how easy they are to mix, chill, and bake, and how your kitchen smells while they’re in the oven.

Start by creaming together softened butter and sugar. The butter and sugar should be pale and creamy and completely dissolved into each other with no grittiness. Now add the pumpkin puree, sourdough starter and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Now, on top of the wet ingredients, add the flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda & cream of tartar. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

Cover the pumpkin sourdough snickerdoodle dough and refrigerate for at least an hour (you can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 3 days with no issues).

When you're ready to bake them, preheat your oven to 375F (190C).

Mix the sugar and pumpkin pie spice for the topping together in a small bowl.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the snickerdoodle dough into small ball (around 1 tablespoon dough). Roll each ball into the bowl of spiced sugar and place onto the cookie sheets allowing plenty of space around them.

Bake the pumpkin sourdough snickerdoodles for 10 minutes at 375F (190C). They will be soft and slightly under baked when you take them out.

Allow them to rest on the tray for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to fully cool.

Mini Sourdough Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

When testing this recipe, I thought it would be fun to make mini sourdough pumpkin snickerdoodles. I used a teaspoon cookie scoop and studded each one with a white chocolate chip. I baked these for 5 minutes.

How to Store + Freeze

Store at Room Temperature - These sourdough pumpkin snickerdoodles stay soft and chewy for days, thanks to the pumpkin. Keep them in a cookie tin or glass jar for up to a week. Avoid plastic containers if you can. They tend to make cookies lose their freshness faster.

Make Ahead - The dough can rest in the fridge for up to 3 days, so it’s perfect for making ahead. You can chill the whole bowl of dough or have the cookie dough balls ready to go on trays in the fridge, ready to bake whenever you want fresh cookies.

Freeze Dough for Later - This cookie dough freezes beautifully and is great for baking as needed. Scoop the dough into balls but don’t roll them in the spiced sugar yet. Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined tray to snap freeze until solid. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They’ll keep well for up to 4 months. When you’re ready to bake, let them thaw slightly, roll in the cinnamon sugar, press gently with the back of a spoon, and bake.

Freeze Baked Cookies - You can also freeze the baked cookies once they’ve cooled completely. Place them in a freezer-safe bag, and store for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy. They’ll taste just as soft and spiced as the day you baked them.

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