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Browned Butter Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies

A classic snickerdoodle cookie tastes like a soft cinnamon sugar cookie. For this recipe, I've added Pumpkin Pie Spice to the cookie batter, a combination of browned butter and softened butter for a nuttier flavor. The addition of cream of tartar helps the cookies to puff up. Once removed from the oven, the cookies "relax" and become flat. These cookies have a lovely fall spices, with notes of ginger and cinnamon.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Dough Chilling Time 30 minutes
Servings 36 cookies
Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice see note
  • 1 cup butter divided
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cinnamon-sugar:

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

For the browned butter:

  • On medium-low heat, melt ½ cup butter (1 stick) until melting. Keep a close eye on the butter (About 10 minutes). Once the butter stops foaming, swirl the pan and watch for the golden brown color. Immediately remove from the heat; set aside. TIP: Use a light colored skillet or pan, so you can better see the butter change color.

Dry Ingredients:

  • In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

Batter:

  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together both the softened and browned butter and sugar until creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape down the bowl.
  • Beat in eggs on medium speed, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between additions. Stop mixer and scrape down the bowl.
  • Beat in vanilla extract Stop mixer and scrape down the bowl.
  • Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated.
  • Stop the mixer, remove the bowl, and finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula. Refrigerate dough, in the bowl, for 30 minutes.
  • Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

For the sugar topping:

  • To make the topping: in a small bowl toss together cinnamon and sugar. Spoon dough into heaping tablespoonfuls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
  • Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges. My cookies took about 11 minutes to bake. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through so that the cookies bake evenly.
    Do not overbake the cookies. They will look puffy. With you fingertip, gently press the side of a cookie. If it feels firm, they are finished. The cookies will fall flat, a minute or two after removing them from the oven.
  • Remove from oven and cool cookies on baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Snickerdoodles will last, in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 3 days. In our home, they last one day and are eaten warm from the oven. The best!
To make your own pumpkin spice: