Pumpkin Turmeric Snickerdoodles

The first time I baked snickerdoodles was from Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess. Funny, really — an American cookie, written by a British author, discovered by me in Dubai. Back then, I was simply curious, testing recipes and textures I didn’t fully understand. I’d always believed cookies had to be rich and chewy, never soft and a little cakey. It felt strange at first.

But this autumn I wanted to try again — and bring pumpkin into the mix. A little sun in cookie form. The turmeric adds a quiet earthiness and a golden glow, so when they come out of the oven, they look like tiny suns cooling on the rack, ready to brighten a chilly day. This is my own interpretation of a Western classic — warm, spiced, and made for the season.

Yield: 12–14 cookies

Ingredients

For the dough

• 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, chopped

• 65 g (¼ cup) canned pumpkin purée

• 100 g (½ cup) packed brown sugar

• 75 g (6 Tbsp) granulated sugar, divided

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 155 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour

• 8 g (2½ tsp) cornstarch

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice or baharat

• ¼ tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• ⅛ tsp fine sea salt

For rolling

• 25 g (2 Tbsp) granulated sugar

• ½ tsp ground cardamom or 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Method

1. Brown the butter

   In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir often as it foams and turns golden with a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.

2. Combine wet ingredients

   Whisk in brown sugar and 50 g (4 Tbsp) of the granulated sugar until smooth.

   Add the egg yolk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla; whisk until glossy and well combined.

3. Add dry ingredients

   In another bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, turmeric, cinnamon, and salt.

   Add to the wet mixture and stir gently until no streaks remain. The dough will be thick and soft.

4. Chill

   Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes — this step is crucial. The dough needs time to firm up; otherwise, the cookies will spread too much and lose their soft, chewy centres.

5. Coat and shape

   Mix the remaining 25 g (2 Tbsp) sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl.

   Scoop 30 g (about 1½ Tbsp) portions of dough, roll into balls, and coat in the cinnamon sugar.

   Place 5 cm (2 inches) apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.

6. Bake

   Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F.

   Bake for 11–12 minutes, until edges are set and tops show light cracks but centres still look soft.

7. Cool

   Let cookies rest on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

To Store

Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 1 month.

To Double the Recipe

Simply double all the ingredients and divide the dough between two baking sheets. Bake one tray at a time for even results. If baking from chilled dough, add 1–2 extra minutes.