Sourdough Snickerdoodles Recipe

Yield: cookies

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 30

Sourdough Snickerdoodles Recipe uses sourdough discard for soft, chewy cookies with a cinnamon sugar coating. A perfect treat for any time!

4.85 from 13 votes

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Equipment

Ingredients

360 grams all-purpose flour about 2 1/2 cups
12 grams cream of tartar 2 teaspoons
6 grams baking soda 1 teaspoon
5 grams salt 3/4 teaspoon
3 grams ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons
226 grams unsalted butter, softened 1 cup
270 grams sugar 1 1/3 cups
70 grams light brown sugar 1/3 cup
1 egg
1 egg yolk
120 grams sourdough discard 1/2 cup
8 grams vanilla extract 2 teaspoons

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

70 grams sugar 1/3 cup
8 grams ground cinnamon 4 teaspoons

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
To a medium bowl, add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and whisk until combined. Set aside.
360 grams all-purpose flour, 12 grams cream of tartar, 6 grams baking soda, 5 grams salt, 3 grams ground cinnamon

I highly suggest using a kitchen scale at least when you are measuring your flour. Snickerdoodle cookies are notorious for being too cakey and dry! This often occurs due to too much flour being added to the dough. To avoid this cookie disaster, opt for using a scale to have perfectly soft and chewy Sourdough Snickerdoodles every time! If you don’t have a kitchen scale, I recommend fluffing the flour and then spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife for a more accurate flour measurement.

To a bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter and sugars. Mix with a paddle attachment for 3-4 minutes on medium speed, or until the butter is light and fluffy and no clumps. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the eggs and mix for another 2 minutes on medium speed, or until the mixture is a pale yellow color and fluffy.
This can also be done with a hand mixer.
226 grams unsalted butter, softened, 270 grams sugar, 70 grams light brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk
Add in the sourdough discard and vanilla extract and mix on low until everything is combined.
120 grams sourdough discard, 8 grams vanilla extract
While mixing on low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredients and stop once the flour just has a few flour streaks. With a rubber spatula, scrap the sides of the bowl and mix the rest of remaining flour into the dough by hand. Over mixed cookie dough leads to tough cookies!
With a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop 35g of dough per cookie or about 2 Tablespoons. This dough is very soft, but shouldn’t be sticky. Once rolled, it should form a smooth dough ball.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the cookie dough into a smooth, round dough ball, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until completely coated.
70 grams sugar, 8 grams ground cinnamon
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet a few inches apart - I baked 8 cookies at a time - for 9-11 minutes. As stated before, Snickerdoodles are notorious for being known as dry and hard cookies, the key to preventing that is not over baking them! The cookies are ready when the edges are just beginning to set, the tops will look mostly matte with a bit of shine in the middle.
Immediately after you remove the cookies from the oven, grab two spoons! Use the backs of the two spoons to push the cookies towards the center. This trick helps the cookies to remain thick and chewy, rather than flat. Do this quickly, as it doesn't take long for the cookies to set as they cool.
After shaping, leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.

If you prefer even more cinnamon flavor and a bit of crunch, dip the warm cookies into the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture!

Repeat with the remaining cookie dough to make about 30 cookies total. Serve warm with a glass of milk and enjoy!

Notes

How to Store

If you have any leftovers (though I doubt it!), just let the cookies cool down and toss them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh at room temperature for about a week.

Want to keep them longer? Just pop them in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw them out, and they’ll be just as good as when you baked them!

Tips

For a long fermentation, roll the dough into cookie balls, cover them, and store in the fridge until you’re ready to bake—up to 3 days.
You can freeze this cookie dough, and when you bake it, just add a few extra minutes to the baking time at the same temperature.
You can skip the cream of tartar if you want, but then it wouldn’t really be a true snickerdoodle!

FAQs

Can I use active sourdough starter for this Sourdough Snickerdoodles recipe?

Absolutely! Just substituted the same amount in grams.

How can I add more flavor to my Sourdough Snickerdoodles?

If you love that cinnamon sugar goodness and want to boost the flavor, try dipping your warm cookies in some extra cinnamon sugar right after they come out of the oven. It makes them even more delicious! If you're up for a little twist, you can also use brown butter in your dough. Brown butter sourdough snickerdoodles are seriously tasty.

This recipe card was updated on 03/12/26.

Nutrition

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