These snickerdoodles will stand out in the crowd of holiday cookies with their unique flavor. The brown sugar and additional spices give a little extra oomph to this holiday classic.
The holidays are not complete without this cookie. Right along with this and sugar cookies you can not go wrong with these in your cookie jar. These snickerdoodles are the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Chalk full of your favorite holiday warming spices it is like getting a nice little holiday hug. My favorite part is how easy they are to make and it is a great recipe to make with the family. If you happen to be big into cookie exchanges then this should be your go to recipe as it is bound to be a hit.
In this recipe
There is a reason why snickerdoodles are such a popular cookie. They are soft with a wonderful spiced coating which makes them perfect for the holiday.
Brown sugar: this will add a richer caramel flavor.
Nutmeg and allspice: These warming spices are a perfect compliment to the classic cinnamon that is normally found in snickerdoodle recipes.
Cream of tartar: helps keep the cookies nice and tender after they are done baking by preventing the sugar from caramelizing.
I love these cookies because you can take a little liberty with the flavors in your sugar mixture. Head down to the Mix it up section to see a few ideas and additional baking/storage tips.
Don't overmix the cookie dough
With all cookie dough recipes it is important to work with the flour as little as possible. This will help keep your cookies soft and chewy. The best way to do this is to use a low speed and only mix until the ingredient have been just combined. This will also help with preventing a lot of gluten formation which will make the cookies tougher as well as not adding additional air. This can cause the cookies to spread into each other and you get a blob or become cakey in texture.
Refrigerating snickerdoodle cookies before baking
While not all cookies require refrigeration most will actually benefit from popping it into the refrigerator for at a couple of hours. However, in this case you will need to chill this dough. It allows the flour to hydrate and gluten to relax. It also gives the flavors some time to develop. Most importantly it gives the butter a chance to solidify which is what you need in order to roll these out and then roll them in the sugar mixture. This is an important step and if you are pressed for time you can make the dough the night before and then roll them out and bake them the next day.
A cookie scoop for snickerdoodles
You don’t want to get the dough too warm while you are preparing to roll it in the sugar mixture. I have found the easiest way to do this is to use a scoop. This will make sure that all of the cookies are uniform is size and cook evenly. However, what is just as equally as important is it makes rolling the dough in the sugar mixture infinitely easier. The dough won’t stick to your hands as well as you will get a more even coating on each and a nice round shaped cookie.
Mix it up
Want to change it up and make it your own? Check out some flavor ideas as well as some tips and tricks.
- Swap out the nutmeg and/or allspice for ginger and/or cardamom.
- Use all brown sugar to roll the cookies in instead of a mixture of brown and white sugar.
- Bake the dough in a cast iron skillet instead of on a sheet pan.
- This dough can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 2 months.
- If the dough is going to be frozen roll into balls first and freeze on a flat surface for a few hours before transferring to a container. This will help with baking much later.
- Use a cookie scoop to get the general shape place in a bag and refrigerate on a flat surface.
Looking for other holiday cookie recipes?
Brown Sugar and Spiced Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Mixing Bowl
- Lined sheet pan
- Large bowl
- Cling film
- 2 tablespoon cookie scoop
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup butter unsalted, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt kosher
Sugar Mixture
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp allspice
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the flour, cream of tartar, salt, and baking soda together. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, on medium-high speed, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and mix until the butter starts to lighten slightly.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined before adding the next one. Add the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined, place the dough into the bowl, cover in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- While the dough is in the refrigerator mix all of the sugar mixture ingredients together.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or gas mark 4.
- Using the 2 tablespoon cookie scoop roll the dough into a ball and roll in the sugar mixture. Place on lined sheet pan. Bake for 12 minutes or until the sides start turning light brown. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Repeat again once the sheet pan is cool.
Notes
- This dough can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 2 months.
- If the dough is going to be frozen roll into balls first and freeze on a flat surface for a few hours before transferring to a container. This will help with baking much later.
Nutrition
