Description
These festive Christmas Snickerdoodles are soft, chewy cookies with a delicate cinnamon and cardamom flavor, rolled in colorful holiday sugars to add a fun sparkle. Perfectly spiced and lightly crisp on the edges, they make a delightful seasonal treat for holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. fine salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- pinch of ground cardamom
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (just barely softened*)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Coating
- Christmas red/green/white sanding sugar for rolling (optional: add a small pinch of cinnamon for extra snickerdoodle flavor)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and cardamom. Set aside to integrate the spices evenly throughout the flour mixture.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure uniform mixing.
- Add Eggs: Incorporate eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to maintain a smooth batter.
- Mix in Vanilla: Add the vanilla bean paste or extract and mix until combined, infusing the batter with fragrant vanilla notes.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Scoop and Roll: Using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop, form balls of dough and roll each generously in the colorful holiday sanding sugars to coat evenly. Optionally, add a bit of cinnamon to sugars for an enhanced snickerdoodle flavor. Set up multiple bowls for each sugar color to alternate rolling colors for a festive look.
- Bake: Place the coated dough balls on prepared baking sheets, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes until the edges are set but centers are still soft and slightly underbaked. Remove at 7 minutes for a soft center as the cookies will firm up while cooling.
- Finish and Cool: If desired, shape warm cookies into perfect circles using a round cutter immediately after baking. Sprinkle extra Christmas sanding sugar on top for sparkle. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy these adorable, festive treats!
Notes
- Butter should be just barely softened for optimal creaming; too soft or melted butter can affect texture.
- Do not overbake the cookies to avoid dryness; centers should remain slightly underdone to ensure chewy texture.
- Adding a pinch of cinnamon to the sanding sugar enhances the classic snickerdoodle flavor.
- You can substitute vanilla bean paste with vanilla extract if preferred.
- Use a cookie scoop for uniformly sized cookies ensuring even baking.
