Chocolate snickerdoodles take the traditional cookie up a notch. Rolled in cinnamon sugar, they're sweet with that slight tang that makes them unique. The dough can be made a day ahead, and the baked cookies keep well.
Who can argue with chocolate and cinnamon sugar? More so if it's a cookie.
Snickerdoodles are a must for the holidays.
Cookie baking season is one of the best times of the year when we can make amazing homemade gifts, and it's expected that we fill the cookie jars at home.
It takes some patience because, you know, baking one batch after the other takes time, but the recipes are usually easy to make and fast to bake.
This chocolate snickerdoodle recipe falls under that category: easy and delicious.
The cookie is soft with a balanced yet deep chocolate and cinnamon flavors, and a crackly top.
Barely spicy, they're a must for the Holidays around here, together with snowballs, chocolate peppermint cookies, chocolate fudge, and gingersnaps.
Ingredient list
- Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened. I like Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, Ghirardelli Premium baking cocoa, and Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder. And, in my experience, the dark ones are the best (this does not apply to the super dark used for making homemade oreo cookies known as dark cocoa powder).
- Cream of tartar: the ingredient that makes snickerdoodles what they are. There's no substitution. You can buy it in supermarkets and online (like Mc Cormick gourmet cream of tartar).
- Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you usually use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon, Mc Cormick's culinary cinnamon, or Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- Unsalted butter.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt: I like using kosher salt or fine sea salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Baking soda: make sure it's not expired.
- White granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- Egg: fresh, large.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.
Why use cream of tartar?
Cream or tartar gives snickerdoodles their characteristic chewiness and slight tanginess. It's what sets these cookies apart from others.
This is the ingredient that sets these cookies apart. A snickerdoodle is not such if it doesn't use it.
About this recipe
- Easy to make: a one-bowl dough that can be made in the stand mixer, especially if making large batches.
- Make ahead: you can freeze the cookie balls to bake at a later time.
- Great flavor: snickerdoodles have a unique taste, and adding cocoa powder makes them irresistible.
How to make chocolate snickerdoodles
Mixing the dough: you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (great when you make a large batch) or a mixing bowl and an electric mixer. You can also make it by hand if you're up to an arm muscle workout.
Beat butter with sugars until creamy; then add eggs and flavorings.
Make sure you sift the dry ingredients, especially the cocoa powder and baking soda that can clump during storage.
The final batter is thick and even, so make sure no flour spots remain.
When ready to bake, make cookie dough balls and roll them in cinnamon sugar. This is a necessary step to call them snickerdoodles.
Vintage Kitchen tip: the cookies can be baked immediately or the dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. Always cover the bowl well so it doesn't dry out.
Baking
Snickerdoodle cookies will rise, puff, and then crash down. That is supposed to happen and is the result of the amount of cream of tartar and baking soda used.
Place them on a greased, parchment, or Silpat-lined cookie sheet a few inches apart.
Bake according to the instructions on the recipe card. Let cool on a wire rack before eating.
I don't, not even if the cookie dough is cold from the refrigerator. Unless you want very flat cookies. In that case, slightly flatten them before baking. The puffy center that collapses as they cool down is a characteristic of these snickerdoodles.
They keep well for about 5 days in an airtight container or cookie jar. Make sure they're completely cooled down before you store them. No need to refrigerate them.
These cookies are meant to be soft and chewy and should be removed from the oven while still tender in the center. They will harden as they cool. Don't wait until they're completely set. That will render tougher cookies.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Cocoa powder and cinnamon: the better the cocoa powder and cinnamon quality, the better the flavor of these cookies.
- Cream of tartar: the ingredient that sets these cookies apart and makes them what they are. So there's no substitute. If you leave it out, you have chocolate cinnamon cookies, not snickerdoodles.
- Make ahead: these cookies keep well for several days, so you can make them a few days in advance from when you plan to eat or gift them.
- Large batch: you can double the recipe (a good idea if making lots of these cookies for the holidays) and use the stand mixer to make the dough.
- Size: I use a cookie dough scoop that's 1,57 inches (4cm), the small one of this cookie scoop set). If you use a larger one, the cookies will take a few more minutes to bake, and the recipe will render fewer cookies.
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Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
For the coating:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients of the coating in a small shallow bowl. Reserve.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
- Grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- Beat butter with sugar for a few minutes in a large bowl, until creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well.
- Add vanilla and mix.
- Sift dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt (I measure them and sift directly over the butter, but you can do it in another bowl if you want).
- Add to the butter and mix well until no dry spots remain.
- Scoop pieces of dough and make balls the size of walnuts.
- Roll them in the sugar and place them on the prepared sheets, spacing them a few inches apart to let them expand during baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the top is dry and the cookies barely start to crackle. It might take a few minutes longer, depending on your oven. I recommend you do a test run with a couple of cookies and check the baking time before you bake them all.
- Let them cool for 5 minutes on a cooling rack, and remove them carefully with a spatula.
- Cool the cookies on a wire rack and keep them in tins or airtight cookie jars.
Notes
Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened. And, in my experience, the dark ones are the best (this does not apply to the super dark used for making homemade oreo cookies known as dark cocoa powder).
Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you usually use works fine. Make ahead: these cookies keep well for several days, so you can make them a few days in advance from when you plan to eat or gift them. Large batch: you can double the recipe (a good idea if making lots of these cookies for the holidays) and use the stand mixer to make the dough. Size: I use a cookie dough scoop that's 1,57 inches (4cm). If you use a larger one the cookies will take a few more minutes to bake, and the recipe will render fewer cookies.
The Ninja Baker says
Love your taste in chocolates and cinnamon, Paula. 100% agreed! And who doesn't love a soft cookie that's easy to make? Thank you always for your brilliant baking tips and sharing your passion for all things delicious =)
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks Kim! Chocolate and cinnamon rock for sure.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
They look soft chewy and so inviting!