Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies
Snickerdoodle cookies made with sourdough discard are a delicious soft, chewy, and sweet cookie with just the hint of sourdough tang.
Snickerdoodle cookies are a soft and chewy buttery vanilla flavored cookie that is rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. Here we add sourdough discard to make them even chewier and enhance the tang of the cream of tartar.
Making cookies with sourdough is one of my favorite ways to use discard – I mean, I have about a dozen sourdough cookie recipes, and I just can’t stop making more. Whether you make classic cookies like a sourdough chocolate chip cookie or sourdough peanut butter cookies or a fun new twist like sourdough chocolate rye cookies, adding discard to your cookie recipes is a delicious idea.
Adding sourdough discard to your cookies is a great idea because it helps deepen the flavors of the cookie and helps improve the texture of the cookie. Because of the yeast in the sourdough, it makes cookies extra soft and gives it an almost cakey texture.
What kind of sourdough starter do I need for this recipe?
This recipe uses 100% hydration starter. You can use either fed and active starter, or inactive discard. It does not matter what kind of flour your starter is fed with, either.
Read “Feeding your sourdough starter” to get information on hydration rates and how to properly feed and maintain your sourdough starter.
For this recipe, your starter discard does not need to be fed and active, but the more active it is, it will change the texture of your cookies
- If your starter has been sitting in the fridge for a week and has a lot of hooch (the liquid that the sourdough yeast produces as it consumes) on top, the cookies will be slightly flatter and crisper.
- If your starter has been sitting on the counter and was fed yesterday, your cookies will be softer, more cake-like and rise more.
How these cookies taste depends largely on your starter!
- If your starter is newer (younger), or has recently been fed, there won’t be a lot of sourdough “tang” to the cookies. They will taste pretty much like your normal snickerdoodle, but will have a slightly deeper/more rich flavor to them.
- If your starter is really sour or hasn’t been fed for a while, the cookies will have a stronger sourdough flavor to them.
This recipe is very simple to make! Here is a brief overview of the recipe to give you an idea of how it works. For the full set of directions and measurements, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ½ cup of granulated sugar and cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tarter, salt and baking soda.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and granulated sugar, until light and fluffy – about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs, discard, and vanilla and mix until well mixed and creamy, about 3 minutes more.
- Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. The dough should be soft and thick and slightly tacky but not overly sticky.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough straight into the cinnamon and sugar mixture, and then gently roll to cover the dough with the cinnamon and sugar.
- Carefully transfer the cookie ball to the prepared baking sheet. Place dough about 3” apart on the sheet (I fit about 8 on my pan).
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. The edges should just be starting to turn golden brown but should still be very light. The middle of the cookie should be mostly set but can still look a little “wet”. Allow the cookies to cool for 10-15 minutes on the pan before removing to a wire rack.
Do I need to chill the dough? You do not need to chill this before baking. But you can chill the dough for 30 minutes to make it easier to handle if you want.
Recipe tips
When baking these cookies, the following tips will ensure that your cookies turn out perfect every time:
- Make sure your butter and eggs are truly room temperature. This will help to create soft and chewy cookies with the perfect texture.
- Do not overmix the dough, as this can lead to tough cookies. Make sure to mix until just barely combined.
- Don’t over bake the cookies. When you take them out of the oven they might appear under-baked, but don’t worry – the cookies will continue to finish baking while they sit on the baking sheet. Allow them to cool on the sheet for a full 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Storage Information
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
Other sourdough cookie recipes:
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Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Lline two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ½ cup of granulated sugar and cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tarter, salt and baking soda.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and granulated sugar, until light and fluffy – about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs, discard, and vanilla and mix until well mixed and creamy, about 3 minutes more.
- Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. The dough should be soft and thick and slightly tacky but not overly sticky.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough straight into the cinnamon and sugar mixture, and then gently roll to cover the dough with the cinnamon and sugar.
- Carefully transfer the cookie ball to the prepared baking sheet. Place dough about 3” apart on the sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. The edges should just be starting to turn golden brown but should still be very light. The middle of the cookie should be mostly set but can still look a little “wet”. Allow the cookies to cool for 10-15 minutes on the pan before removing to a wire rack.
