Christmas Snickerdoodles

These soft and chewy cookies with slightly crispy edges are sprinkled with cinnamon and colored sugar for a festive holiday treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas Snickerdoodles

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Chilling Time 30

Total Time 55

Servings cookies

Calories 356kcal

Author Ang Paris

Equipment

Ingredients

For cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon coarse salt

For topping:

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup Wilton Red Sugar
¼ cup Wilton Green Sugar

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar
Add the eggs in one at a time, beating in between.
2 large eggs
Mix in the vanilla extract and then scrape down the bowl.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sift in the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, ground cinnamon and salt. Mix on low until combined.
3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon coarse salt
Mix together the red sugar and cinnamon in one bowl and the green sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ cup Wilton Red Sugar, ¼ cup Wilton Green Sugar
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Using a medium cookie scoop for even portions, shape the dough into a ball, then roll in the topping mixture.
Place on the prepared baking pan about 1-inch apart.
Sprinkle the top of each cookie with red or green sugar for a festive holiday look.
Bake in batches for 7-10 minutes until the edges are crisp and the cookies and golden brown.
Let set on the tray 1-2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Notes

Can you substitute cream of tartar?

If you do not have cream of tartar on hand, not to worry. You can substitute 1 teaspoon of lemon juice OR white vinegar for every 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar called for in the recipe.

For this recipe, substitute 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in lieu of the 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar, if needed.

Tips for Making Christmas Snickerdoodles

The dough may seem to dry, but as you continue to mix, it will come together.
Chilling the dough for 30 minutes prevents the cookies from spreading so that you have a soft pillowy cookie.
Let the cookies rest on the tray for 1-2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Storing Cookies

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Time-Saving Tip for Making Christmas Cookies

Now here’s a quick time-saving tip about making Christmas Snickerdoodles, or any other cookie recipe. This is a big batch of cookie dough, so I like to take half of the dough and freeze it for another time. Here’s how:

Spread the dough into a log on parchment paper.
After that, roll the dough in the parchment paper and twist the ends to secure.
Slide it into a resealable bag and label it.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
On the day you want to bake, remove the dough from the freezer and let it defrost on the counter.
Slice or scoop the thawed cookie dough and bake as per the instructions.

During the month of December, I often make a large (or double) batch of cookies when I have a few minutes, and then freeze part of it. On Christmas Eve, I can pull it all out of the freezer and quickly make a variety of cookies for Santa without making a giant mess.

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