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Easy Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Skull Cookies Recipe

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These Easy Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodle Skull Cookies are the perfect weeknight baking project. They come together in under 30 minutes, use mostly pantry staples, and look incredibly impressive without requiring any fancy piping bags or decorating skills.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (for coating)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (for coating)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional, for coating)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula once or twice.
  3. Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until just combined. The mixture might look a little curdled, but that’s normal.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. The dough will be slightly sticky but should hold together. If it feels too wet, add a tablespoon of flour. If it’s too dry, add a teaspoon of milk.
  6. In a small, shallow bowl, mix together the 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, and optional extra pumpkin pie spice.
  7. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough (about 1.5 tablespoons). Roll it into a ball between your palms. Drop the ball into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll it around until fully coated. Place the coated ball onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie.
  8. Gently flatten each dough ball slightly with the bottom of a glass or your palm. Then, press the skull cookie cutter into the center of each flattened dough round. Press firmly but don’t cut all the way through—you just want an imprint. Lift the cutter straight up.
  9. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are just set and lightly golden. The centers will still look soft and slightly puffy.
  10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Chilling the dough is not required, but if you have time, 15 minutes in the fridge can make the cookies slightly thicker. Use a light-colored baking sheet to prevent over-browning. For consistent cookie sizes, use a small cookie scoop. If dough is too sticky, lightly grease your hands with vegetable oil.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin spice, snickerdoodle, skull cookies, Halloween, easy, weeknight, fall, pumpkin

Find it online: https://elaraeats.com/easy-pumpkin-spice-snickerdoodle-skull-cookies-recipe/