Soft, sweet, perfectly spiced and slightly chewy, these Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies are a beloved classic with a fun sourdough twist. Each cookie dough ball is rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking to give that signature crackled top we all love. Use your sourdough starter discard or active sourdough starter to make this easy cookie recipe.
I don't think I've met anyone who doesn't love snickerdoodles. I had so much fun creating this sourdough version of a snickerdoodle cookie and it worked out better than I could have imagined. Not only does the sourdough starter make these cookies super soft but it also doubles up on that signature tanginess that cream of tartar traditionally gives a snickerdoodle. So it really made sense here and it totally worked!
Snickerdoodles are a classic around the holidays and I love adding them to my Christmas Cookie Boxes. If you are baking these around the holidays, be sure to check out my How to Make a Christmas Cookie Box guide and my 2023 Christmas Cookie Box for some fun inspiration. My Eggnog Snickerdoodle Thumbprint Cookies are always a big hit around the holidays and I'll have to try to adapt them to this sourdough version!
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Ingredients
These sourdough snickerdoodles have pretty classic cookie ingredients. There are a few that are a little unique such as the sourdough starter of course. I designed this recipe as a sourdough discard cookie recipe, but you can actually use your starter at any stage of development. If it is active, just be sure to stir it down very well before measuring to knock out the bubbles and get an accurate measurement. You will get more tanginess from a mature discard, but either will work.
Cream of tartar is another ingredient that is unique to snickerdoodles. It adds a slight tanginess as well as a softness and chewiness that is classic to a snickerdoodle cookie. If you don't have it, you can simply omit it and you'll still have an excellent cookie and you'll still get plenty of tanginess from your sourdough starter.
All ingredients and measurements are listed in the recipe card.
Step-by-Step Instructions
I'm showing the stand mixer method here, but you could use a hand mixer or a wooden spoon and some elbow grease.
Place soft butter and sugar in mixing bowl.
Beat until pale and creamy with paddle attachment.
Add eggs, vanilla, and sourdough starter.
Beat again until creamy.
Add dry ingredients.
Mix until just combined. Give it a final scrape and stir with a silicone spatula.
Scoop dough balls and chill for easier handling (optional but recommended)
Roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar and bake in preheated oven.
Storage, Make Ahead, and Freezing Instructions
- Store the baked and cooled snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Baked and cooled cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in airtight freezer bags.
- Dough balls can be flash frozen in a single layer then transferred to freezer bags for up to 3 months before baking. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour and roll in cinnamon sugar just before baking.
Top Tip
Don't over bake your cookies! You want them to be cracked on top, set around the edges, but still quite wet inside. They'll be puffed when they come out of the oven but as they cool on the trays they will sink and become the perfect soft and chewy snickerdoodle texture.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Triple Lemon Sourdough Scones
- Sourdough Discard Waffles
- Sourdough Discard Blondies
- Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies
Soft Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
Soft, sweet, perfectly spiced and slightly chewy, these Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies are a beloved classic with a fun sourdough twist. Each cookie dough ball is rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking to give that signature crackled top we all love. Use your sourdough starter discard or active sourdough starter to make this easy cookie recipe.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 36 cookies
Ingredients
for the cookie dough:
8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks or 226 grams) at soft room temperature
1 and ¾ cup white granulated sugar (350 grams)
2 eggs, room temperature
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup sourdough starter, discard or active* (120 grams)
3 and ½ cups all purpose flour (490 grams)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
for the coating:
½ cup white granulated sugar (100 grams)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl and set aside.
- If you are not chilling your dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees now.
- Place butter and sugar in mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with a paddle attachment until creamy, light, and fluffy scraping down sides as needed - about 2-3 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer or a wooden spoon.
- Add eggs, vanilla, and sourdough starter and beat again until very creamy - about 2 minutes
- Add all dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom and sides and give a final mix by hand.
- Use a two tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out dough balls onto a parchment lined tray. You should get about 3-dozen. At this point I like to cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. You don't have to do this but it is a very soft dough and chilling will make it a bit easier to work with when rolling in the cinnamon sugar.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet about an inch apart - I usually get 9 to 12 per cookie sheet. They do spread so don't overcrowd the pan.
- Bake one tray at a time for 9-11 minutes. In my tests, I found 9 minutes was perfect for unchilled dough and 11 minutes was perfect for chilled dough. Do not overbake. You are looking for the edges to be set, the tops to be crackled and puffed up, and the inside to still look a bit wet. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays. They will sink, settle, and cool to the perfect soft, chewy texture.
Notes
If measuring by volume, be sure to stir down your sourdough starter before measuring.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes plus optional chilling
- Cook Time: 9-10 minutes per tray
- Category: sourdough discard recipes, sourdough discard cookies
- Method: sourdough, baking
- Cuisine: American
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