Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Layer 3 sheets of paper towels and place ½ cup canned pumpkin puree in the center. Blot out the excess water until it reduces down to [adjustable]¼[/adjustable] cup; it will resemble more of a playdoh texture.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to cream softened ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), ½ cup light brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar for 1-2 minutes.

Add in blotted pumpkin puree ([adjustable]¼[/adjustable] cup), 1 egg yolk (no white!), and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, then mix until just combined.

Mix in ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon cream of tartar (optional). Add in 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour and mix just until all the flour disappears into the dough.

In a small bowl, make cinnamon-sugar coating by mixing together the 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Set aside.

Scoop dough into ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) sized scoops (I use this stainless steel cookie scoop!), roll into balls, then coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place on a light metal pan lined with parchment paper (the light metal will help them spread; dark metal pans will likely result in a puffier cookie).
Flatten each dough ball into a ½" thick disc; this will also help them spread instead of be puffy.

Bake at 350°F for 11-13 minutes. Do not overbake. The cookies will continue to bake on the hot pan, allowing them to firm up without overbaking.
*If your cookies puff up a bit, immediately tap the pan on the counter a few times to help them deflate. You want to do this immediately after removing from the oven. You can also flatten the tops of the dough balls even more for the next pan to help them spread.

Allow to cool, then enjoy!