The chai snickerdoodles from my book The Year of Cozy were by far the most made. Last year during the holidays, I made them at least 6 times to bring to gatherings where I know friends would be stoked to eat all the cookies their hearts desired.
The snickerdoodles are chewy in the centers and crunchy on edges. And the flavor profile of chai is still one of my all-time favorites.
But since its still fall and everything pumpkin-y is being celebrated, I wanted to give you a different rendition of that recipe. This uses pumpkin spice resulting in the perfect fall/autumn-y cookies.
If pie is not your forte and youve been looking for a Thanksgiving (or Christmas) recipe to bring, these cookies are perfect! They dont require the skills that pie requires (even though I love making pie more than anything else) but are still super delicious and autumnal.
Pumpkin-Spice Chewy Snickerdoodles
These pumpkin-infused snickerdoodles are a great holiday cookie, and they retain a Fall flavor making them perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (See below)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sugar and Spice Coating:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (See below)
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
- dash of pepper
Ingredients
- To make the snickerdoodles: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice and pepper.
- To the large bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar, cream cheese, and butter. Beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the oil and beat until incorporated. Next, add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Continue to beat until smooth. In 2 additions, add the flour mixture, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl in between, until just mixed.
- To make the coating: On a small plate, mix together the sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces of about 2 tablespoons each (or use a #40 ice cream scoop). Using your hands, roll the dough pieces into balls. (The dough will be soft—not to worry!) Working in batches, roll the balls in the sugar and spice mixture and evenly space about 6 dough balls on each baking sheet. use the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten the dough balls into 2” cookies. Sprinkle the tops evenly with some of the remaining sugar and spice mixture.
- Bake 1 tray at a time for 11 to 12 minutes, rotating the tray after 7 minutes, or until the edges are set and just beginning to brown. Continue until all the cookies are baked. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature before serving.
Directions
Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.