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    Home > Recipes > Desserts

    Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles

    Published: Oct 9, 2019 by Whitney Reist · This post may contain affiliate links |

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    These Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles are a fun and unique mix of a classic Snickerdoodle and a soft, chewy pumpkin cookie. The addition of cookie butter gives it a delicious deep flavor and makes the cookies extra soft!

    A hand reaching to grab a cookie from a plate of Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles with a pumpkin on the side.

    This post was originally published in 2014 and has been updated with new photos and content to make it even better for YOU!

    What's in a name, I ask you? Apparently a lot. At least, a lot when you are referring to Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles. That's right my friends, pumpkin.cookie.butter.doodles. Say wha??? I had a really hard time naming sugar-dusted, fall-spiced cookies.  Their identity was difficult to pinpoint - probably because they are such a mish-mosh of things {is that even a real term?}. I've recently discovered the divine goodness that is cookie butter and knew at once that I had to make a cookie out of cookie butter.  You make peanut butter cookies out of peanut butter, so it just makes sense, right?

    I really wanted to create a cookie that hadn't been done before...and that's hard to do. There's a lot of great cookie recipes flying around out there. Nowadays it seems like the only recipes that are unique and original are mash-ups of oldies but goodies.  Like spaghetti pie.  Turducken. Apple pies baked in apples. Reese's stuffed Oreos. And....ramen crust pizza?? Yes, it is a thing. And so my very own food mash-up has been born: the Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodle.  It's a pumpkin cookie that contains cookie butter and is coated in cinnamon sugar like a Snickerdoodle. Let's make some!

    A hand folding cookie dough together in a blue bowl.

     

    Ingredients for Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles

    • Brown butter - it's of my humble opinion that the best cookies are the ones made with brown butter. Granted, using brown butter does mean you will have to chill the cookie dough before baking, but, it's so worth it. First, you get rewarded with the intoxicating nutty smell from the milk solids in the butter that caramelize as you brown it. And then your cookies will have a deep, irresistibly rich and sophisticated flavor. So brown that butter! Oh - and I forgot to mention - I always buy salted butter for extra flavor, and reduce the salt called for in recipes with butter by half.
    • Dark brown sugar - dark brown sugar is just light brown sugar with extra molasses added to it. I always buy it when I can because I love the depth of flavor that it lends to baked goods.
    • Canned pumpkin puree - I think Libby's Canned Pumpkin has the best flavor and texture. I've actually compared it to other pumpkin purees and really can tell a difference in the quality! Plus, it is prepared and packaged in the USA!
    • Cookie butter - this creamy, dreamy spread is made from spiced and nutty Biscoff or Speculoos cookies and will have a different name, depending on where you purchase it. At Walmart/Kroger and the like, it's typically Biscoff spread. At Trader Joes, it's Cookie Butter. Both are delicious and both will make these cookies extra tasty!
    • Pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon - I like pumpkin cookies that are heavy on the spice side. I mean, that's why we like pumpkin stuff so much, right? Not because of the actual flavor of pumpkin puree, but because of the mixture of SPICES added to it! For ultimate intense flavor, I like to use Saigon/Vietnamese cinnamon in my baking. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, substitute one teaspoon with  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
    • Flour - you all know what I'm going to say here if you've been reading my blog for a while. King Arthur All-Purpose Flour is my favorite for baking! The quality is super-consistent, the flour is fresh, and it always produces the best baked goods time after time.
    • Vanilla - pure vanilla extract has gotten so expensive that I've recently turned to using Molina's Mexican Vanilla Blend as a more affordable but just as tasty alternative. It's made with pure vanilla and vanillin, a by-product of vanilla beans. I think the Mexican vanilla has a deeper, richer flavor than regular vanilla extract, and I love the price too!
    • Baking powder, baking soda, salt - since these cookies do not call for any egg, we use a bit of baking powder and soda to give them a small amount of leavening. The omission of the egg keeps the cookies from becoming cake-like, which is a common issue with pumpkin cookies. A little bit of salt is added for flavor balance.

    A hand rolling a cookie dough ball into cinnamon sugar.

    Pumpkin cookie butter doodle cookies cooling on a wire rack.

    Tips for Making Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles

    • Allow the brown butter to cool before adding it to other ingredients. Brown butter can be really hot when you take it off the stovetop, so I like to transfer it to another bowl and let it cool down for 10 minutes or so before I proceed with the recipe.
    • Use a light hand with mixing - this cookie dough is easy to blend since all of the ingredients are at room temperature. But this also makes it easy to overmix. Simply blend ingredients until just combined, then use a rubber spatula to lightly fold in any flour residue that may be on your beaters or the sides of the bowl.
    • Chill the cookie dough - this is necessary for any cookie dough made with brown butter and helps keep the cookies from spreading out really thin. I'd recommend chilling your dough for a minimum of 1 hour and up to overnight before making these.
    • These are freezer friendly! If I want to have fresh cookie dough on hand for any given reason, I will go ahead and scoop all the dough into balls and then freeze them. I will bake them from frozen and just add a few extra minutes to the bake time. Since these cookies are so soft and moist, they also freeze very well AFTER baking. They make a great cookie to mail someone in a package, too! Just freeze the cookies the night before you plan to mail them, and then place layers of frozen cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container before mailing.

    A plate of Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles with a can of pumpkin puree on the side.

    You Also May Enjoy...

    If you are looking to get your fall baking game on, please check out these other fall baked goodies!

    • Apple Dumplings with Sparkling Cider Sauce
    • Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Cake
    • Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
    • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
    • Easy Apple Tarts
    • Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Butter

    Are you ready to make these Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles? I’m so excited for you to try this recipe. Once you get the chance to make it, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment and rate the recipe below. This will help me with the creation of future recipes! I’d also love to feature your creation in my monthly newsletter, so you can upload a photo to Instagram or Twitter with the tag @sweetcayenne5 to be featured!

    A stack of pumpkin cookie butter doodle cookies with a bite taken out of the top cookie.

    Recipe

    A stack of pumpkin cookie butter doodle cookies with a bite taken out of the top cookie.

    Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles

    Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles are a cross between classic Snickerdoodles and soft spice cookies. They are soft and chewy with lots of spice from the cookie butter. The omission of egg from the cookie dough keeps them from becoming cake-like when baked.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetcayenne5 or tag #sweetcayenne!
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Chill time: 2 hours hours
    Servings: 16 cookies

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, browned and cooled slightly (see this tutorial for how to brown butter)
    • ¾ cup dark brown sugar
    • ½ cup cookie butter (I used Trader's Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter but Biscoff Cookie Spread is a good alternative)
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
    • Cinnamon sugar mixture: 1 teaspoon cinnamon + ¼ cup granulated sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350.
    • In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and cookie butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree and mix until smooth.
    • In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined and a smooth ball forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
    • Roll the dough into 1'' balls. Coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet. Slightly press the ball down with your hand.
    • Bake for 8 minutes until cookies are just set. They may look a little underdone but will continue to set as they cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes once removed from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
    Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.6g | Protein: 3.3g | Fat: 7.1g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10.4g | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

    Pin this, pretty please!
    A plate of Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jennifer Winchester says

      October 14, 2023 at 9:04 am

      On year 4 of making these delicious cookies! This time my kids were very into helping me scoop, roll into the cinnamon sugar, and place them on the pan. We made them for their aunt who just lost her dad, both of whom loved these cookies. My daughter is making another batch for her volleyball friends for their last day of practice. We always find an excuse to make them! 💜

    2. Maria says

      November 27, 2022 at 7:55 am

      So I myself do not care for cookies, but my family loves them. I made these for my daughter to take back to college with her. On the day I made them, 5 cookies were gone from the cooling racks before she even left. I bagged up the remaining 27 cookies - 3 to a bag (I made a double batch) her boyfriend asked if he could take 2 bags, one for him and one for his mom, she gave him 2 bags- his mom didn’t get any... my daughter took the 7 bags back to college. When she got to her dorm, she threw a bag to her roommate who immediately tried one and said, ‘I want to kiss whoever made these’ and then, can I pay them to make me a batch? Well, this recipe has now been added to the favorites file, thank you very much for sharing!!5 stars

      • Whitney Reist says

        January 23, 2023 at 11:46 am

        Such a great story - thank you for sharing and trying the recipe!

    3. Jennifer Winchester says

      October 30, 2022 at 12:23 pm

      By now I've lost count how many times I've made these. Our family looks forward to these every Fall and they're a huge hit at every gathering I have brought these to. It's by far one of our most loved cookie recipes. <35 stars

      • Whitney Reist says

        October 31, 2022 at 10:30 am

        Thank you so much, Jennifer! I'm glad you and your sweet family have enjoyed the cookie recipe and I'm honored to have a part in your family cooking traditions!

    4. Harriet says

      January 07, 2015 at 10:23 pm

      Hi there to all, the contents existing at this website are genuinely
      amazing for people knowledge, well, keep up the good work fellows.

    5 from 6 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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