Gingerbread Snickerdoodles ~ soft, buttery, chewy snickerdoodle dough is infused with molasses and coated with sugar and classic gingerbread spices for a holiday-ready twist on a favorite cookie!
Holiday baking is all about tradition, but who says you can’t mess with tradition every now and then?
These gingerbread snickerdoodles have the pillow-y, chewy texture of a classic snickerdoodle, paired with the warm, inviting spices of traditional gingerbread. Their golden color makes them a pretty accent for any holiday assortment, and they’ll be a hit with anyone who appreciates a simple, classic cookie, with a twist.
What is a snickerdoodle?
Snickerdoodles are about as traditional as you can get. They’re a drop sugar cookie that’s rolled in cinnamon sugar. They bake up soft and puffy and develop their characteristic wrinkles as they cool.
Why are they called snickerdoodles?
Nobody is quite sure, The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudel (“Crinkly Noodles”.) I’m not buying that one. Most likely they’re an old New England invention, they start showing up in publications at the end of the 19th century. Wherever they originated, Snickerdoodles are a vintage recipe that’s stood the test of time.
The combination of the soft, chewy texture of these cookies and the blend of holiday spices is super comforting and homey ~ I think they would be the perfect thing to bring to holiday dinners and parties, or to the office.
More classic holiday cookies to try this season ~
tvfgi recommends: USA Sheet Pans
Cookies are one of the easiest baking projects, but you do need the right equipment. Little things like the right cookie sheet and good quality ingredients can make all the difference. I’m a big fan of USA pans, they’re super sturdy and they cook evenly. USA makes a whole line of bakeware and I’m slowly replacing all my pans. It’s a bonus that they’re made in the USA!
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
Gingerbread Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
for the cookies
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons molasses, (or about 1/3 cup)
sugar coating
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven for 400F
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt and set aside.
- Beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a stand mixer or using electric hand mixer until combined.
- Add the eggs and molasses and beat until the mixture is pale yellow and thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Add the flour mixture slowly and continue to beat until just combined (the dough is soft, this is OK!)
- Whisk together the sugar coating ingredients in a small bowl.
- Using a small melon scooper or a tablespoon, form round balls with the dough and coat with the sugar toping. Place on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and bake for 6-10 minutes. The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool. They should be slightly brown and crisp on the bottom.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet until they are firm enough to move, then finish cooling on a rack.
- Optional: sprinkle a little more of the sugar mixture on top of the cookies when they come out of the oven for a bit of extra sparkle.
I made these, tastes great, turned out very flat though, I did have to cool the dough before I could roll them, very sticky, Not sure why the difference in mine and yours.
Do you think the baked cookies would freeze well? I’m trying to get most of my office Christmas cookie trays put together and frozen well before Thanksgiving to get that task off my plate.
Yes, these are good candidates for freezing. Happy baking 🙂
Such perfect snickerdoodles, bring on cookie season!
The regular Snickerdoodle recipe that I have says to refrigerate dough before baking. I love that this recipe doesn’t suggest that. I’m such an impatient baker. Waiting those few hours is very difficult for my family 🙂
Haha, I hear you, I’m the same way. My chewy ginger cookies don’t need to chill and that’s why I love them, too.
Love the flavors of a classic gingerbread, and love them as a snickerdoodle. Great recipe! And perfect for the holidays! Pinning too!
These sound great! When do you add the molasses?
Add it along with the eggs, just corrected that, thanks Alice!
These look yummy! But at what step do you add the molasses? After the eggs? Thanks!
Yes, sorry about that!
Love the cookie season 🙂 These look thick, chewy and yummy!