Name: Peppermint Snickerdoodles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 36
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: COOKIE INGREDIENTS; 1 1/2 cups sugar; 1 cups softened butter; 2 eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla; ½ teaspoon peppermint extract; 3 ½ cups flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar; TOPPING; 3 tablespoons red and green sugar sprinkles; 2 teaspoons cinnamon

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My Holiday Peppermint Snickerdoodles are the perfect holiday cookie and a hit with all my family. The cookie dough is flavored with both vanilla & peppermint extract, before being rolled in cinnamon sugar sprinkles for a real festive flavor.

Holiday Peppermint Snickerdoodles

This recipe for Homemade Peppermint Snickerdoodles is a very simple and easy bake!

These cookies take only 10 minutes to prepare and other 10 minutes in the oven to bake. A great tasting sweet treat in minutes.

Not only do these cookies taste delicious but they are the BEST Christmas Cookie for holiday hinners or cookie swaps.

This recipe is really versatile too. You can easily swap or remove the peppermint extract for another flavor. Making it really easy to adapt this cookie recipe for a different seasonal holiday and I’ve made some suggestions later in this post.

Also consider trying these Homemade York Peppermint Patties. Dip cool minty rounds of filling in chocolate for a copycat treat that is just delightful!

What is a snickerdoodle?

A snickerdoodle is an American sugar cookie that is flavored with ground cinnamon. Cream of tartar is also added as a raising agent in the cookie dough, which gives the cookies their slightly sour, tangy taste. I’ve given these snickerdoodle cookies a festive twist by adding some peppermint extract to the cookie dough.

How to make Peppermint Snickerdoodles:

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl.

Once the mixture is nice and smooth, add the eggs and vanilla.

Beat or mix again until a smooth consistency.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.

Slowly stir those into the butter mixture until the cookie dough is well mixed.
You can either use a wooden spoon, or a hand mixer as I have done here.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the topping either in a bowl or on a plate.
Roll batter into 2-inch size balls.
I like to do this on a plate and then roll the cookie dough balls through it.

Place the balls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and press each ball of dough down to flatten.
Place the cookie sheet into the hot oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

When baked, remove the sheet from the oven and set the cookies onto a wire rack.
Allow the cookies to cool a little before enjoying.

Recipe ingredients & substitutions:

SUGAR: I use white granulated sugar in this cookie dough.
BUTTER: you can use either salted or unsalted butter, either will work. Just ensure the butter is softened to make it easier to combine with the sugar.
EGGS: I add 2 eggs to the cookie dough.
FLAVORINGS: I use a combination of both vanilla extract and peppermint extract to flavor these cookies.
FLOUR: I use all purpose flour for these snickerdoodle cookies.
SALT: I add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to the cookie dough.
RAISING AGENTS: I use a combination of both baking soda and cream of tartar in the cookie dough. Cream of tartar adds that sour tang to the dough that we come to expect in a snickerdoodle cookie.
TOPPINGS: to make the red and green sugar coating, I combined red and green sugar sprinkles with ground cinnamon for touch of warming spice.

Recipe variations:

This is a really versatile recipe and you can easily adapt the flavors to suit your own taste. Using the sugar cookie dough recipe you can also make these cookies to suit other holidays. Here are some ideas:

If you want to boost the peppermint flavor in these cookies, try crushing some peppermint candy canes or peppermint candies and mixing them in before you scoop and roll the cookie dough.
Swap the peppermint for some pumpkin spice mix for Halloween.
Cocoa powder can be added for a chocolate flavored snickerdoodle.
There are many colors of Sanding Sugar, so you can adjust the coloring as well, if you’re making the recipe for a different holiday.

Recipe hints & tips:

I recommend taking the butter out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking the cookies. This will allow the butter to soften and make it easier to cream together with the sugar.
Line the cookie sheet with some baking parchment, this helps stop the cookies from sticking to the sheet.
This recipe will make roughly 36 cookies, but can be easily doubled if you are feeding a crowd over the festive holidays. You can also use half the dough now, and freeze the remaining cookie dough for another day.

FAQs:

Do you flatten snickerdoodles before baking?

Yes, always press the ball of cookie dough to flatten it before baking the cookies. This will ensure the cookies remain flat and stops the dough from puffing up in the oven.

Why do you add cream of tartar to snickerdoodles?

Cream of tartar is more acidic than baking powder, which gives a slight sourness to the cookie dough and results in the slightly tangy flavor we all expect from snickerdoodles.

Why do my snickerdoodle hard?

If your cookies are too hard then you may be baking them at too low a temperature, which means you have to cook them longer and they dry out in the oven. I suggest baking the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 375F.

How long will snickerdoodles stay fresh?

Once baked and cooled, place the cookies into an airtight container and store on the counter top at room temperature for up to 7 days (although they rarely last that long in my kitchen).

Can I freeze snickerdoodle cookies?

Once baked and cooled, place them in a single layer into an airtight container. If freezing multiple layers, place a sheet of baking parchment between each layer to stop them cookies sticking together. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Can you freeze snickerdoodle cookie dough?

Yes, cookie dough freezes really well. Once combined I like to roll and flatten the raw cookie dough before placing it into an airtight container and freezing for up to 3 months.

Don’t miss these additional delicious Snickerdoodle and Peppermint Recipes here at When Is Dinner:

Yield: 36

Peppermint Snickerdoodles

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

COOKIE INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cups softened butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
3 ½ cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
TOPPING
3 tablespoons red and green sugar sprinkles
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl.

Once the mixture is nice and smooth, add the eggs and vanilla.

Beat or mix again until a smooth consistency.

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.

Slowly stir those into the butter mixture until the cookie dough is well mixed.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the topping either in a bowl or on a plate.

I like to do this on a plate and then roll the cookie dough balls through it.

Roll batter into 2-inch size balls.

Place on cookie sheet.

Press each ball of dough down to flatten.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g