Apple Butter Snickerdoodles
Apple Butter Snickerdoodles
Cookies are my sweet tooth’s biggest weakness. I might as well cover myself in blue fur and stick a pair of googly eyes on top of my head, because my addiction is akin to that monster muppet on Sesame Street. Store bought or homemade, there’s no discrimination when it comes to a delicious cookie. Bonus points are awarded if it pairs well with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.
Rounding out my baking experimentation with apple butter this fall season, it only made sense to incorporate apple butter into cookies. And these apple butter snickerdoodles take the cake! If you’ve not heard about my new found love of apple butter, you can catch up on previous posts featuring apple butter scones here and vegan zucchini bread with apple butter here. If you’re looking for a good apple butter to try, I recommend The Dutch Kettle’s and love that it’s local to North Carolina.
A snickerdoodle is similar to a sugar cookie that’s been rolled in cinnamon and sugar. However, what makes snickerdoodles distinct is the use of cream of tartar. The cream of tartar gives these cookies that desired chewiness and signature tang’ flavor. It also prevents the sugar from forming sugar crystals when baking, so snickerdoodles lack that sugary crunch you would expect from a sugar cookie.
These cookies were a fun treat to make with the kids. The snickerdoodle name made them giggle as they rolled each ball of dough through the cinnamon sugar mixture. Another perk of this recipe is that you won’t need to chill the dough, so there’s the instant gratification of putting cookies right into the oven. Fifteen minutes later we’re devouring soft, chewy snickerdoodles and inhaling the sweet aroma of cinnamon and apples with each bite.
Apple Butter Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the sugar mix, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Use Silpats to line your cookie sheets. If you do not have Silpats, you can line the cookie sheets with parchment paper and lightly coat them with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until creamy. On medium speed, beat the eggs in, one at a time, mixing until each one is incorporated. Add the apple butter and mix on medium speed to combine. Reducing the speed to low, add the dry ingredients in two portions. Mix until the dry ingredients are full incorporated after each addition.
- Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon, portion the dough and roll each portion into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar mix and place on the prepared cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart. Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 8-9 minutes and remove from the oven.
- Upon removing the cookies from the oven, wait about 30 seconds and then immediately move them to a wire rack to completely cool.
