Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe

A batch of sourdough snickerdoodle cookies in a round container lined with white linen. There is a bite taken out of the top snickerdoodle cookie.

Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe

A sourdough version of your favorite snickerdoodle cookie. These are a little tangy, crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. You've just got to try them - they are so good, you'll need to make a double batch!!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Sourdough Discard

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Servings cookies

Calories 111kcal

Author Kate Freebairn

Equipment

Stand Mixer optional
Cookie Sheet

Ingredients

280 g Granulated Sugar
230 g Butter (softened at room temperature)
1 Egg (large, mine was 60g)
100 g Sourdough Starter (or Sourdough Discard)
8 g Vanilla Extract
350 g All -purpose Flour
12 g Cream of Tartar
5 g Baking Soda
5 g Salt
3 g Ground Cinnamon

Topping

50 g Granulated
5 g Ground Cinnamon

Instructions

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the sugar and butter teogher on high speed until cream and uniform (around 2 minutes).
Add the egg, sourdough starter, and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
In a separate, medium bowl, add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon sugar and whisk to combine,
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (it helps to do this slowly so it's easier to mix) and mix until the cookie dough is uniform.
If you're baking the snickerdoodles right away, preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF). If you have time, I like to chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour to let the flavors develop and make it easier to scoop. You can leave the dough in the fridge to ferment for up to 3 days for a more complex sourdough flavor.
When you're ready to bake, mix together the sugar and ground cinnamon for the topping in a small bowl and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the sourdough snickerdoodle dough into small balls (I like to use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to ensure the cookies are all about the same size). Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar and place onto the cookie sheets with plenty of surrounding space for the cookies to spread.
Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. I like to take them out when they're fairly pale golden grown so they're still nice and chewy when they cool. If your cookies are quite puffy, use the back of a large spoon to pat the cookie down into a flat shape. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

Snickerdoodles are really easy to make, but there are a few things you can do to make sure you get perfect sourdough snickerdoodle cookies every single time!

- Make sure you cream the butter and sugar really well. You want the sugar to have dissolved into the butter and have not grittiness at all. You can use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer or hand mixer for this for the best results.

- The dough should be tacky, but not sticky. You should be able to handle it without it sticking to your hands, but it shouldn't not be so dry you have to press it together.

- You don't have to refrigerate the dough, however you'll get a much tangier flavor if you do. Refrigeration also makes the cookie dough much easier to handle and gives you a softer interior when they are baked.

- For crunchier cookies, just bake them a little longer (2 to 3 minutes is sufficient). This will ensure you get lovely crisp edges.

- Give these cookies plenty of space on the cookie sheet as they spread quite a bit.

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