Christmas Snickerdoodles Cookies

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You will never eat another snickerdoodle cookie as good as these Christmas snickerdoodles! They are slightly crisp on the outside, tender and soft in the middle and have that iconic cinnamon sugar flavor. Roll them in red and green sparkling sugar for a festive look this holiday season.

Today is day 11 of the 12 days of Christmas cookies series here on Modern Crumb!

We are on the eleventh day of the 12 days of Christmas cookies series and I'm sharing another favorite cookie recipe. This is a classic snickerdoodle cookie with a Christmas twist.

We'll be dressing them up in festive sugar sprinkles to make them perfect for the holidays. You can make a batch of Christmas peanut butter blossoms because I use the same sprinkles for that recipe!

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What Are Snickerdoodles?
How Do You Make Christmas Snickerdoodles?
FAQ
12 Days of Christmas Cookies Recipes
Christmas Snickerdoodles Cookies

You can use those classic little jars of the red and green sugar crystals. They always remind me of decorating cookies as a little kid around Christmas time with my mom.

These snickerdoodles always get rave reviews, they are chewy in the middle with the perfect bit of cinnamon taste.

They are definitely worth making, they freeze really well too.

I know these will be a showstopper at your next Christmas gathering, small family get together or even if they are just for Santa.

What Are Snickerdoodles?

Snickerdoodles have a very signature look and taste.

They have a cinnamon sugar appearance with a crinkle indent top and rounded edges. Just the sight of them is a giveaway for what type of cookie they are.

The inside of a snickerdoodle is soft and chewy.

Snickerdoodles are a rolled sugar cookie. There are a few things that set them apart from a traditional sugar cookie.

cream of tartar - snickerdoodles are made with something called cream of tartar, which gives the cookies that bit of tang taste (in a good way
cinnamon and sugar exterior - they are rolled in a mixture of cinnamon and white sugar

Just describing them, I had to go pull a few out of the freezer, heat it up and enjoy! They are so soft and puffy, and as you eat them you get a bit of crunch from the colored sugar sprinkles. Amazing.

How Do You Make Christmas Snickerdoodles?

This is such an easy recipe to follow!

It starts with creaming butter and sugar together. You'll add in your egg until everything is mixed together and smooth. Be cautious not to over mix your eggs, this could give you a tough cookie.

It's always a good idea to sift together the dry ingredients when baking. It makes the dough smoother and helps to mix everything together. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

This goes right into the wet ingredients and you'll mix together until a soft dough forms.

You will need to chill the dough for 30 minutes prior to shaping the cookies.

My method of getting perfectly sized snickerdoodles is to use a cookie scooop. This way all of the cookie dough balls are the exact same size and everything bakes uniformly.

Then, roll the dough ball in your hands. You'll want to mix together some cinnamon with the sugar sprinkles in bowls. Red sprinkles in one bowl, green sprinkles in another bowl.

They wouldn't be Christmas snickerdoodles without the red and green sprinkles. It's just makes them fun to eat!

One half teaspoon of cinnamon is the perfect amount for each bowl. You can start with a tablespoon of sugar sprinkles but if you start to run out just add more. You won't need more cinnamon.

Roll each of these balls in the sugar and cinnamon then line them up on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. In the oven they go for only 8 minutes, no more. These cooke quickly, baking at 375 degrees.

You'll notice there is no vanilla extract in these cookies. That is not a typo, there's just no vanilla.

FAQ

Why do you use cream of tartar in snickerdoodles?

Cream of tartar helps to activate the baking soda, it also makes them chewy and gives them a distinct flavor.

Can snickerdoodles be frozen?

Yes, see storing instructions above.

What do snickerdoodles taste like?

They taste a bit like a sugar cookie, with a slight tanginess (in a good way), and have an overall cinnamon and sugar flavor since that is what they are rolled in.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies Recipes

Christmas Snickerdoodles Cookies

Yield: 22 cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Chill Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 48 minutes

Ingredients

½ c butter
¾ c sugar
1 egg
1 ¼ c + 2 tbsp flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Red sugar crystals sprinkles
Green sugar crystal sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Mix in the egg
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt
Pour the dry ingredients in to the wet, stir until just combined
Chill the dough for 30 minutes
Grab two small, shallow bowls
Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to each bowl along with 1 tablespoon of red sprinkles in one bowl and 1 tablespoon of green sprinkles in the other
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Use a cookie scoop to scoop even dough balls, use your hands to form them in to balls
Roll the dough balls into the cinnamon and sprinkle mixtures and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet
Bake for 8 minutes
Transfer cookies to a wire rack
Serve