Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are perfectly spiced cinnamon cookies with gooey caramel in the center. This is the perfect fall cookie recipe!
We love pumpkin and snickerdoodles; the combination of the two is even more incredible. Especially when you add a caramel in the center of every cookie!
These deliciously decadent cookies are so impressive to serve, that no one will ever guess how easy they are to make. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice add so much flavor and will make your whole house smell like fall while they are baking!
Ingredients in Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Flour – All-purpose flour works best in these cookies. You can use a gluten-free substitute if needed.
Baking soda – This is the leavening agent in the cookies so make sure your baking soda isn’t old or expired.
Cream of tartar – Cream of tartar really helps with the consistency of these cookies and makes them perfectly soft and chewy.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, allspice – All of these spices are what make these cookies so amazing. You will be adding some of the spices to the cookie dough, and reserving some of them to roll the cookie dough in before baking.
Butter – You’ll need ½ cup of butter, softened to room temperature. For best results, use real butter.
Egg – The recipe calls for 1 large egg to bind everything together.
Vanilla extract – The higher the quality of the vanilla, the better!
Pumpkin – You will only need 4 tablespoons of pumpkin to add to the cookie dough. You can use the kind from a can, or you can make your own pumpkin puree if you prefer.
Sugar – Most of the sugar will be added to the cookie dough, but some will be reserved to mix with the reserved spices to roll each ball of cookie dough in.
Caramels – The recipe calls for 20 Werther’s Pumpkin Spice Soft Caramels, but you can use any type of soft caramel. Hard caramels will not soften and melt in the same way, so make sure to use soft caramels!
How to make Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Preheat the oven to 375°.
MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH
Add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cloves, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Add the butter and ¾ cup sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and canned pumpkin to the mixing bowl and mix well. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically to ensure the butter and sugar are fully incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well until a soft dough is formed.
MAKE THE CINNAMON COATING
Add the remaining sugar and spices to a small mixing bowl and stir to combine.
ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out a two-tablespoon-size portion of dough and roll it into a ball.
Unwrap a caramel, use your fingers to squeeze it into more of a ball shape, and press it into the center of the cookie dough ball.
Press the sides of the dough around the caramel to fully cover it and roll the dough ball between your hands to smooth it out.
Coat the dough ball in the sugar and spice mixture.
Repeat steps 7-10 until all the dough is used up.
Place the cookies, evenly spaced, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Do not flatten the cookies.
BAKE AND SERVE
Bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
These cookies are best served warm while the caramel is still warm and gooey. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days.
Tips for amazing Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Make sure that you have enough flour in the dough. If the dough is too sticky, you may need to add a little bit of flour. The dough in this recipe is slightly sticky and may stick to your fingers slightly as you are rolling the balls, but if they are impossible to shape into balls, add a little bit more flour.
- Do not melt the butter! The butter needs to be softened (at room temperature), but using melted butter will ruin these cookies.
- Spend a little extra time when you mix the butter and sugars. Creaming them together for 2-3 minutes will improve the consistency of your cookies.
- Preheat the oven. This will help your cookies turn out right every time!
- Use a cookie scoop! If you want all your cookies to be perfectly shaped and have them all be the same size, a cookie scoop is the way to go.
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Doing this will make it really easy to remove the cookies from your cookie sheet so that you don’t have to scrape them off the pan – they will just slide right off in perfect shape!
- Don’t overbake the cookies – when I take mine out of the oven, they still look slightly underbaked but they will continue to bake on the cookie sheet for a couple more minutes so that’s ok!
HOW DO YOU SOFTEN BUTTER?
I like to soften butter by using the defrost function on my microwave. If you need the full 1/2 cup cube of butter, you can leave it in the paper wrapper, otherwise, place the amount of butter you need in a glass or porcelain bowl. I use the lowest defrost setting on my microwave and just let it run for 20 seconds. Check the butter and see how soft it is by pressing it with a rubber scraper. If it is still not soft to the touch, meaning it doesn’t indent when you press into it, let it warm for another 5-10 seconds. Watch it closely! Butter softens very quickly.
Can I make these cookies without cream of tartar?
Cream of tartar is an important ingredient in this recipe, as it helps to activate the baking soda and give the cookies their signature texture. If you don’t have cream of tartar on hand, you can substitute it How can I tell when the cookies are done baking?
How can I tell when the cookies are done baking?
The cookies should be lightly golden brown on the bottom and around the edges when they are done baking. They will still be slightly soft in the middle but will firm up as they cool. Be sure to let them cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Other fall cookie recipes that we love!
- Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies
- Pumpkin Pudding Cookies
- Caramel Apple Snickerdoodles
- Maple Donut Cookies
- Glazed Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Halloween Cobweb Cookies
- Caramel Apple Cake Mix Cookies
- Halloween Funfetti Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Cookie Cups
- Orange Pumpkin Cookies
- Chunky Apple Cinnamon Cookies
Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are perfectly spiced cinnamon cookies with gooey caramel in the center. This is the perfect fall cookie recipe!
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