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frosted cookies on parchment paper
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Frosted Spice Snickerdoodles

A new twist on a classic!
Course: Dessert
Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 2¾ cups all-purpose flour 345g
  • 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled 5 min. 230g
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 70g
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Rolling Sugar

  • ½ cup granulated sugar 100g
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

Frosting

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp. 115g
  • 2½ cups confectioners’ sugar 300g
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk 45ml
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions

For the cookies

  • Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
  • Combine sugars and melted butter. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy — will take a few minutes.
  • Add room-temp egg and vanilla extract. Beat at low to medium speed until combined.
  • Add dry ingredients. Mix until combined. The dough will be very thick and heavy, yet slightly crumbly.
  • Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 45 minutes
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  • Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and roll 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough into each ball. About 20-24 balls, give or take.

For the rolling

  • Mix the sugar and spices together in a small bowl. (If you want to sprinkle some of the spice mixture on the frosting, set aside 1/4 cup before rolling dough balls.)
  • Roll each dough ball into the remaining mixture to coat evenly.
  • Place 10 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet.
  • Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes — check at 8 minutes as time depends on size of cookies. The cookies will look very puffy, soft, and underbaked. If tops are cracked, they baked a bit too long.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting

  • With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy – about 2 minutes.
  • Add confectioners’ sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and cream with the mixer running on low.
  • Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon more cream if frosting is too thick.
  • Frost cooled cookies. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cookie. Sprinkle with reserved sugar/chai spice topping if desired.