Tender pumpkin snickerdoodles oozing with caramel. The flavor combination can’t be beat!
It’s the season for pumpkin everything, and I, for one, could not be more thrilled. Some of my all-time FAVORITE things have pumpkin in them, like my Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Bread (TO DIE FOR, I tell ya) and Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. Dare I say it’s better than the actual pie? Yes. I dare say.
Now I’m going to add these delectable, gooey Pumpkin Caramel Snickerdoodles to the pantheon of pumpkin delights. I’m not sure “pantheon” was the right word to use just there, but I’m going to use it anyway.
So basically, you make snickerdoodles with pumpkin puree, and then stick a big caramel right in the middle of the dough before you bake it. I’m sorry I did not take pictures of myself demonstrating the insertion of the caramel into the dough, but I’m pretty sure you get the picture. (My hands were sticky at the time).
Tips for Making Pumpkin Caramel Snickerdoodles
1.With normal snickerdoodles, you make a small ball and roll it in sugar and cinnamon. These are going to be large cookies. We need a lot of dough to hold all that caramel. So I got two large scoops of dough and sandwiched the caramel between them. Then I sealed it inside and rolled the large ball in my hands until it became perfectly round. The dough is really quite soft, so roll quickly and gently.
2. Some of the caramel will probably leak out the bottom of your cookies while they are baking. That is o.k. and to be expected.
3. It’s best to eat these while they are still warm, because the caramel will harden up as it cools.
4. I highly recommend the use of silicone baking mats. They make cookie removal SO much easier (especially when caramel is involved). They’re really inexpensive, so if you have Amazon Prime, just click on the link back there and have some shipped to you ASAP! If you don’t have silicone baking mats, parchment paper should also do the trick.
5. Oh, there’s one more thing. If you don’t have any caramel or don’t like it (WHAT? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?), these are pretty darn good pumpkin snickerdoodles all by themselves. This recipe only uses 7 Tbsp. pumpkin pureé, so it’s great when you have a little leftover pumpkin you need to use up. You can either use canned pumpkin, or make your own pureé.
So get out your cookie sheets, because baking season is here! Celebrate by making these Pumpkin Caramel Snickerdoodles today!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles recipe adapted from Well Plated.
Pumpkin Caramel Snickerdoodles
Tender pumpkin snickerdoodles oozing with sweet caramel.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 7 Tbsp. pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon for rolling
- 24 wrapped caramels
Instructions
- Melt the butter. Let cool slightly, then stir in the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Stir until no lumps remain.
- Add in the pumpkin and vanilla and mix well.
- Add 1/2 cup of the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients (except the extra cinnamon and sugar for rolling). Mix well.
- Add the remaining 1 cup of flour and stir just until the flour disappears.
- Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to three days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a shallow dish, mix together the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon for rolling.
- Unwrap 24 caramels. (You may need more or less depending on how much dough you use for each cookie).
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough and release it into your hand. Place a caramel on top of the dough and press lightly. Scoop another ball of dough, and press that on top of the caramel. Seal the edges of the two balls of dough so that the caramel is completely encased.
- Gently and quickly roll the ball between your two hands until it is smooth and round.
- Roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and place on your cookie sheet. Only place two cookies per row, as these do spread and become quite large.
- Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are barely golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack or parchment paper to cool.
- Best eaten fresh.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 256Total Fat: 7.4gSaturated Fat: 3.5gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 45.2gFiber: .4gSugar: 26.8gProtein: 1.9g
Pin me!
Malinda says
Love the idea of turning snickerdoodles into pumpkin ones and making them even better with caramel!!!
Melissa Howell says
Caramel does make everything better 🙂
Danielle Green says
These cookies look unbelievably delicious with that melt-in-your mouth middle!
Melissa Howell says
They ARE unbelievably delicious!
Valentina @ Valentina's Corner says
We are going to make these with my kids. They LOVE cookies with surprises in the middle. 🙂
Melissa Howell says
I hope you and your kids enjoy making and eating them!
Julie Evink says
That caramel totally makes these cookies over the top!