Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cupcakes Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

These pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are perfect for fall gatherings. They start out with a cake mix, and couldn’t be easier! 

pumpkin snickerdoodle cupdakes no text

Hello everyone! Elizabeth here, and today I’m welcoming you into my kitchen! For those of you who might not know, I’m Ann’s daughter, and I occasionally visit my mom’s blog to share a recipe, or something I’ve done around my house. I love all things snickerdoodle, and all things pumpkin, and these cupcakes are the perfect combination of both. They are also extremely moist, and have just the right amount of spice.

pumpkin snickerdoodles cupcakes batter

Ingredient Notes + Variations

  • Using a box cake mix and canned pumpkin is such a time-saver, and these cupcakes taste like they are made from scratch.
  • This recipe can also be made into a pumpkin cinnamon chip cake. Prepare a bundt pan, pour in the batter, and bake according to the directions on the cake box. If you don’t want to make the cream cheese frosting, here are two other options. Heat a container of store-bought vanilla frosting in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir in one teaspoon of cinnamon. Drizzle over the cooled bundt cake. Or simply dust the bundt cake with powdered sugar.
pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes in pan

About the Cinnamon Chips

Hershey’s cinnamon chips can be found in the baking aisle of your grocery store. They usually appear in September, and disappear after Thanksgiving. If you can’t find them, you can order them online.

If you can’t find the cinnamon chips, and don’t want to order, just leave them out. These pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes are still very tasty! A reader left a comment below saying that she used butterscotch chips, and that they were delicious.

How to Make

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Put first six ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl.
  • Beat according to directions on cake box.
  • Add cinnamon chips. Mix until combined.
  • Place cupcake liners in the vessels of a muffin pan or spray each vessel with Baker’s Joy.
  • Using a large scoop, fill vessels with batter.
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
  • Add the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and cinnamon to the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Mix on medium-high until well combined.
  • Add half the bag of powdered sugar. Mix well. Keep adding powdered sugar until the frosting is the desired consistency. You will have about 1/4 of the bag left.
  • Top cupcakes with frosting. Store in an airtight container.
  • Refrigerate leftover frosting for up to 2 weeks.

Perfectly Sized Cupcakes

To get the perfect size for your cupcakes, and one that looks beautiful with the frosting, use a large scoop. The scoop should not be overfilled. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting that goes on these cupcakes is delicious…and it really adds so much flavor.

pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes with butter cream frosting

How to Pipe a Cupcake

  • Using a spatula, fill your piping bag (fitted with a tip) about ¾ of the way full with frosting.
  • Squeeze the frosting down towards the tip of the bag, and then twist the open end to close it. It’s important to make sure that there is no air inside.
  • Hold your bag with the tip in the middle of the cupcake.
  • Squeeze your bag, and move the tip in a circular motion around the cupcake – I like to move clockwise.
  • Once you’ve piped a complete circle, continue to pipe smaller circles on top until you have your desired amount of frosting on the cupcake.
pumpkin snickerdoodle cupdake on mini pedestal no text

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More Pumpkin Recipes

Favorite Baking Supplies

There is nothing better than the smell of pumpkin combined with cinnamon baking in the oven. If you are in the mood to bake, I highly recommend these pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes. They will definitely put you in the mood for Fall!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cupcakes Recipe

Cupcakes full of pumpkin and cinnamon topped with a cream cheese frosting. Perfect for fall family gatherings or after-school snacks.
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5 from 2 votes
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Time to Frost 15 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 can 100% pure pumpkin (15 oz.)
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Hershey Cinnamon Chips (or Nestle Pumpkin Spice Morsels)

For the frosting

  • 2 lb. bag powdered sugar
  • 3 sticks butter softened (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 4 oz. cream cheese softened
  • 1 tablespoon Cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Put first six ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl.
  • Beat according to directions on cake box.
  • Add cinnamon chips. Mix until combined.
  • Place cupcake liners in the vessels of a muffin pan or spray each vessel with Baker’s Joy.
  • Using a large scoop, fill vessels with batter.
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
  • Add the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and cinnamon to the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Mix on medium-high until well combined.
  • Add half the bag of powdered sugar. Mix well. Keep adding powdered sugar until the frosting is the desired consistency. You will have about 1/4 of the bag left.
  • Top cupcakes with frosting. Store in an airtight container.
  • Refrigerate leftover frosting for up to 2 weeks.
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30 Comments

  1. Lea Kagel says:

    King Arthur’s baking catalog sells cinnamon chips!

    1. Ann Drake says:

      Thank you so much…I will include that in the post!

  2. Cecilia from Georgia says:

    5 stars
    It seems the pumpkins grow from the same pumpkin patch! (I know that’s lame;). You are as talented as your Mom and I can’t wait to try the pumpkin-snickerdoodle-cupcakes! I have my bridge group next week and this will be a hit! Thanks for popping in!

  3. I made these to serve on my Christmas Eve birthday. Everyone loved them and wanted the recipe. I made it gluten free simply by using King Arthur gluten free yellow cake mix. Delicious!

  4. The Hershey cinnamon chips are out and also can’t find the pumpkin spice. Is there another choice?

    1. Ann Drake says:

      Hi Rita…I know the cinnamon chips are hard to find. They appeared at my grocery store and one week later they were gone. I can’t think of any other item to substitute. The recipe calls for just 1/2 cup so leaving them out shouldn’t change the taste too much. The cinnamon chips are available in a pack of four on Amazon. Here is my affiliate link to take a look: https://amzn.to/2D4vEbQ. I’m sorry I couldn’t be or more help!

      1. I used the butterscotch chips – wonderful!

  5. OH yum . It’s going to be on the cool side here this week & having friends over for afternoon coffee these will be perfect.Thanks for sharing.

  6. I made these last weekend and they were super delish! I’m making them again, but first I have to find cinnamon chips. I’ve looked at Jo-Ann’s, Target, Stater Brothers, Vons, and Wal-mart…no luck! I’ll have to buy them online. Getting back on track…I thought they were super easy to make, instructions were simple to follow; including the ingredients from the cake box was a great bonus, so that way instead of telling me to buy ingredients on cake box…they’re listed! LOVE that, so I don’t forget! Instead of the frosting listed listed above, I bought whipped cream cheese frosting. I loved how light the frosting was with the cupcake. It was a great balance with the moist cupcake. My mission now is to find cinnamon chips; I need them in my life! Thanks for the recipe. I’ll make them again!

    1. Ann Drake says:

      Hi Katie! The cinnamon chips are very hard to find. I found Nestle’s Pumpkin Spice Morsels and they work just as well. Enjoy!

  7. I have made these twice. They are absolutely delicious. Very easy to make. My family loves them. Friends love them. Bible study ladies love them. When I made the frosting, I froze the leftovers and got it out when I made the cupcakes the second time! I don’t know what else to say, you need to try this recipe!

    1. Ann Drake says:

      Great idea to freeze the frosting so it’s ready for the second batch…thank you!

  8. Ann,
    I made your frosted pumpkin cookies yesterday and they were delicious!! Thank you for sharing your recipe. Jill

    1. Ann Drake says:

      Glad you liked them!

  9. Tracy R Rathbone says:

    I am definitely a pumpkin fan of any kind. These look so delicious, I can’t wait to give them a try.

  10. This is a double-winner! Like you Elizabeth, I love snicker-doodles and pumpkin! I am definitely going to make this recipe! I can’t wait…..and I too have never heard of cinnamon chips, but I will definitely look for them in the Baking section! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

  11. I have never heard of Cinnamon Chips – could you please enlighten me

    Thank you so much

    1. Ann Drake says:

      Hi Gail…they look like and are packaged like chocolate chips. They are usually in the baking section in the fall. I think Hershey’s makes them? Not 100% sure about that. Not every grocery store carries them but they can almost always be found at Walmart. Happy Baking!

  12. AND…I’m going to write it out on the new recipe cards I just printed from Ann!

  13. I’m making this delight this week! Thanks for sharing!

  14. 1 TABLESPOON of cinnamon?????

    1. Ann Drake says:

      Yes! If it sounds like too much for you just reduce the amount. Enjoy!

  15. Kathleen G says:

    Looks delicious and pumpkin is my favorite food during this time of the year, Autumn:).
    Apple Green color mixer, love it!
    Thank you for another good post!
    Kathleen in Az

  16. These look delicious and so simple to make, who doesn’t like a recipe using a cake mix. Funny thing, I was looking through my recipes the other day for pumpkin recipes. I can wait to make these. Thank you Elizabeth.

    1. OOPS-I meant to say can’t wait to make these.

  17. These look so tasty! I do a lot of baking and have never seen/heard of cinnamon chips so I’ll be on the lookout for those.

  18. Norma Rolader says:

    Wow!!!! Looks yummy yummy thank you for sharing God bless

  19. Barbara Mossbarger says:

    The recipe sounds delicious, but I am questioning the amount of butter required for the frosting. One pound sounds a little much. Is it possibly one stick? Anxious to try it!

    1. Ann Drake says:

      The amount is correct but keep in mind that this recipe makes quite a bit of frosting. It works well to cut the recipe in half. Enjoy!

  20. Marie Claire says:

    It’s so nice to have you here! These cupcakes look yummy, and I can’t wait to smell them baking.