Sourdough Snickerdoodles

These perfect sourdough snickerdoodle cookies use simple ingredients and will give your sourdough discard new life! I love these sourdough snickerdoodles because they have crisp edges with a soft interior and a chewy texture, along with a big cinnamon flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

• Deliciously Tangy – These cookies have that signature snickerdoodle tanginess from cream of tartar, but also 100 grams of sourdough starter or discard, making them truly flavorful. 
• Super Quick – Don’t you love sourdough cookies that comes together quickly? These sourdough snickerdoodles are very easy to make and don’t have a ton of ingredients. You can chill them for more flavor, but you certainly don’t have to. Perfect for a cookie emergency!
• Great Texture – I love how a good snickerdoodle is chewy in the middle but just starting to crisp up around the edges. You’ll want to pull the cookies from the oven a bit earlier than you think so they’re perfectly soft and chewy in the center once cooled. 

Ingredients

• Sugar – I like to use granulated sugar in the cookie dough batter and then a finer white sugar to roll the cookies in before baking.
• Butter – I’ve used salted butter (I know, I know, most people prefer unsalted butter, but I just love salted butter). Make sure you use softened butter (whether it’s salted or not).
• Egg – just one large egg for this recipe. Mine was around 60g.
• Sourdough Discard – like most sourdough discard recipes, you can use sourdough starter discard or you can use active sourdough starter. They choice is yours. Either one will bring a more complex flavor profile to your cookies. Using sourdough discard in these cookies, rather than active starter will bring a more complex, tangy flavor in comparison to a classic snickerdoodle.
• Vanilla extract – you can also use vanilla bean paste if you like a stronger vanilla flavor.
• All-purpose Flour
• Cream of Tartar & Baking Soda – together, these ingredients give your sourdough snickerdoodles a soft, velvety interior. Cream of tartar is actually tartaric acid and is a byproduct of the wine making process. It’s really important when it comes to snickerdoodle cookies because it gives them their signature tang. It also helps to keep to give them a buttery soft interior.
• Salt – just a pinch.
• Cinnamon – You’ll need ground cinnamon in the cookie dough batter and to make the cinnamon-sugar coating.

How To Make Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies

I generally make this sourdough snickerdoodle cookie recipe with a stand mixer and paddle attachment, but you can use an electric hand mixer, or just do it by hand (just use a whisk and elbow grease).

You’ll start by adding the sugar and butter together to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on high speed until creamy and uniform, about 2 minutes. 

Next, you add the egg, sourdough starter (or discard), and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.

Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. It helps to do this slowly so it’s easier to mix the dough.  Continue to mix until the cookie dough is uniform. 

If you’re baking the cookies right away, preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC. If you have the time, I like to chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let the flavors develop and make it easier to scoop. You can even refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days for a more complex sourdough flavor. 

When you’re ready to bake, make the cinnamon-sugar mixture by blending together the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 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 on the prepared baking 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 a fairly pale golden brown so they’re still nice and chewy when they cool. If you prefer a crispier snickerdoodle, leave the cookies in the oven for another minute or two. If your cookies are quite puffy, use the back of a large spoon to pat the cookie down into a flat shape. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

You’ll find full instructions and detailed ingredients in the recipe card further down this post. If you really love cookies, you could also try these sourdough chocolate chip cookies, sourdough skillet cookie, sourdough sugar cookies or these sourdough gingerbread cookies.

Flavor Variations

Now I understand that snickerdoodles are kind of like an institution – and you shouldn’t really mess with the original, right? But since we’ve added sourdough discard, I figured a little more variation isn’t going to hurt!

Here are some of the ways I love to change up my sourdough snickerdoodles to give them a fun little twist!

• Add pumpkin spice to the cookie dough – a great way to make these for Thanksgiving! Or try these sourdough pumpkin snickerdoodles.
• Add 50g of peanut butter to the mixture (crunch or smooth – your choice).
• Sprinkle sea salt onto the cookie dough balls before you bake them. Trust me, you’ll love it!
• Swap out white sugar for brown sugar to give you a richer flavor with a darker cookie crust. Stick with white sugar for the topping tough.
• Add some chocolate chips to the mixture (with the dry ingredients) for a chocolatey twist on these classics.

Storage Tips

Room Temperature

Store these sourdough snickerdoodles in an airtight container, like a cookie tin or jar (avoid plastic containers) for up to a week. They will stay fresh for around a week, especially since they are a softer cookie.

Freezing Instructions

Cookie Dough

1. Place cookie dough balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze them on the cookie tray.
2. Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc bag and place into freezer for up to 4 months.
3. When you want to bake them. Allow them to thaw slightly, roll in cinnamon sugar mixutre.
4. Place onto baking sheet and follow baking instructions above.

Baked Cookies – You can freeze the cookies once they’re baked. Place cool cookies into a resealable plastic bag or freezer-safe container. Allow to thaw at room temp before enjoying your snickerdoodles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Share the sourdough love!