Give Snickerdoodle Cookies A Fall Upgrade With One Canned Ingredient

Snickerdoodles may well be the cookie with the silliest name. While we don't exactly know how they came by their moniker, among the theories are that the word may have derived from a German word that's said to mean either "crinkly noodles" or "snail dumpling," depending on your source. While neither interpretation sounds appetizing (or apt, for that matter), the cookies themselves remain perennially popular. There's certainly nothing wrong with the standard snickerdoodle recipe, but it's still fun to change things up every now and then, particularly when it comes to adding some seasonal flavor. For autumn, what ingredient could be more appropriate than canned pumpkin? (Fresh pumpkin works too, if you're willing to cook it, gut it, and drain it, but the canned kind is a lot less labor-intensive.)

Developer Kristen Carli came up with an easy pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe that she describes as "perfect for fall." As she explains, "The flavors complement each other well." While snickerdoodles usually taste like cinnamon, Carli's cookies double down on fall flavor by including pumpkin spice partners nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. If you want the full autumnal package, pair these cookies with a PSL, a plaid scarf, and a pair of fleece-lined boots.

While these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are perfect just as they are, with or without an accompanying beverage and seasonal attire, they'd also be fantastic crumbled over the top of a bowl of ice cream or blended into a milkshake. You can also use the crumbs to make an extra-tasty crust for — what else? — pumpkin pie or incorporate them into the filling of a snickerdoodle-flavored layer cake.

Should you be interested in exploring other snickerdoodle variants, we've got plenty of those, as well. If you're more into summer flavors than fall ones, try giving your cookies a peachy twist by topping them with fruit compote. This would work with other fruit toppings, as well, or even pumpkin butter. You can also make a snickerdoodle mug cake or enjoy cookies for breakfast in the form of snickerdoodle muffins, snickerdoodle pancakes, and snickerdoodle french toast casserole. In any of these recipes, your trusty can o'pumpkin puree can be used to replace eggs, oil, or butter (¼ cup for each egg, while the others are a 1:1 swap).