Super soft and chewy Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles that couldn’t be easier to make! Perfect for the holidays or anytime you crave a sweet, soft, cinnamon sugar cookie. Very kid friendly, grain free, gluten free, dairy free, Paleo.
I’m a bad blogger. On Thursday I asked you guys to vote which recipe I should post first, and, I’m pretty sure my pumpkin gingerbread muffins won, but, I couldn’t wait to share the pumpkin snickerdoodles!
Maybe it’s because I’ve been working on the leftovers all week and just can’t get enough of the soft, cinnamon yumminess. Maybe it’s because I’m a rebel. Who knows. Sometimes it seems like there’s no rhyme or reason to which recipes get shared first! “Go with your gut” is not a bad motto to live by, what do you think?
I also just have a weakness for cookies of all kinds, so that might have played into my decision too. I LOVE COOKIES. Does anyone NOT love them?! They’re seriously easy to make and they don’t take much time at all thanks to the 8-10 minutes in the oven and fast cooling time. I move fast in my life, and, honestly, I’d prefer if my baked goods would do the same.
Cookie baking is great for impulsive, chronically rushed people like me. Banana and pumpkin breads test my patience (bake time + cooling time drives me a little nuts) and don’t even get me started on waiting for brownies to cool before cutting them. Is anyone with me? Do I sound completely crazy right now?
I truly do LOVE brownies, but seriously, I sometimes need to be physically restrained from going at them with a knife before they’re fully cooled. I should probably just start baking them right before I go to bed. That wouldn’t keep me up at night obsessively wondering about their flavor and texture or anything. Why would anyone ever lose sleep over something as absurd as the texture of a brownie?
Luckily there is no risk at all of being kept up at night over a cookie. Yes, we are actually discussing this right now. I wound up baking these on the morning of Halloween, because I felt that if I didn’t bake something with pumpkin on Halloween the day wouldn’t be complete.
Never mind that I had a leftover skillet cookie in the fridge, never mind that at all. Pumpkin needed to happen for me on Halloween, to lift my candy-deprived spirits and all. Pumpkin, #youcompleteme. 
Now, I’d already made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (which you NEED to try if you haven’t) so I decided to go the snickerdoodle route. We are not carving new paths or taking the road less traveled here, we are just making a Paleo version of a tried and true favorite. Simple, delicious, and healthy!
The pumpkin in these cookies makes them ultra soft and moist, and I snuck in some extra vanilla to up the flavor of the cinnamon-sugar combo (I’m a vanilla rebel, I like adding a lot if I can.) You do need to chill the dough in the freezer before rolling these cookies in the cinnamon/coconut sugar topping, since the pumpkin makes the dough very sticky. No worries though, they are still quick and easy to make. Let me know what you think! Let’s bake!
Super Soft Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles 
Super Soft Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup creamy cashew butter almond is fine too
- 1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup organic coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp fine grain sea salt
For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 3 Tbsp organic coconut sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the cashew butter, pumpkin, and coconut sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla until very smooth.
-
In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir the dry mixture into the wet until totally combined, beating well. The dough will be very sticky at this point.
-
Chill the cookie dough in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. While the dough chills, combine the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar topping in a small bowl.
-
Remove dough from freezer and use a cookie scoop or spoon to form into 16 balls. Roll each ball lightly in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then place on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Once all the dough is used up, take another piece of parchment paper, or wax paper, and use to to lightly press the cookies down. You want to flatten them to about 1/2 inch thickness.
-
Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until just set and tops start to crack. Remove from oven and after about 2 minutes, transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. Cookies will remain soft and moist due to the pumpkin. Enjoy!
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Want More Paleo Holiday Cookies? Try one of these!
Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy Paleo Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
Paleo Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies
Chocolate Almond Butter Sandwich Cookies
Paleo Snickerdoodles on the Web:
Grain Free Snickerdoodles {Paleo & Vegan}
Tell Me!
What’s your favorite type of baked good to make and why?
Are you impatient with cutting into bars, brownies, and loaves?
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Paleo Running Momma!
I don’t like wasting food (mommy issues haha) so I usually bake things I’m not going to mess up like fruit crumbles or muffins. I can turn almost anything into a muffin and feel in control of the cooking time. Not that adventurous when it comes to baking lol
Same here about food wasting! I definitely get recipe heartbreak when something doesn’t go well!
So glad you posted this one! This is on my must-make list for fall!
Also, I had another question for you. Have you ever dealt with Runner’s Knee as a result of a sudden increase in mileage? If so, how did you work through it? Would love any advice that you might have.
I had tendonitis in my knee (I believe it was patellar tendonitis), while training for a marathon 2 years ago, right at my peak mileage of about 50 mpw. I still ran with it and tried to manage with a support strap but honestly it hurt until I majorly rested it after the marathon, I would say it worked itself out about a month afterwards. Other than that I haven’t had any knee problems, I do think the knees hurting is a sign mileage is too high and a step back is needed.
Thanks so much for your thoughts. I have been icing it and have significantly decreased any activity that hurts the area. Also, I am going to start going to PT for the issue as well. It is nice to hear your experience so thank you for sharing it.
Any advice for what to do while resting it? Did you do mainly yoga,etc?
They look so so soft and chewy, and I’m glad you posted them!
These look awesome!!! Love the idea of cashew butter as a base for soft, addictive cookies!
I just love cashew butter overall for so many reasons! Thanks!
I made these today -i wish they were sweeter and more of the pumpkin flavor came through. Maybe i added to much salt? not enough pumpkin? idk! They were nice and soft though! and easy to whip up!
You can try adding another Tbsp of sweetener to bring out the flavors, should work the same otherwise 🙂