I originally published this recipe in 2013 (they’ve stood the test of time!) and have since added new photos and a few more success tips. Soft, slightly tangy, and coated in cinnamon-sugar, snickerdoodle cookies will always be a family favorite. So how about a cupcake version? It’s doable. And, obviously, delicious! I wasn’t shy about loading cinny-swirls inside these snickerdoodle cupcakes. Cinnamon peeking through the edges, cinnamon-sugar dusted on top, a mountain of cinnamon-swirl frosting, and a mini snickerdoodle cookie to top it all off. Today’s recipe is a fine example of how a delicious dessert doesn’t have to be difficult! You can impress everyone with a simple recipe and a little creativity. Seriously… how can you resist THESE?
Readers Rave Have Been Raving for Years
How to Make & Assemble Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
There are 3 parts to these snickerdoodle cupcakes: One reader, Ashley, commented: “These cupcakes are amazing! My husband asked for them for his birthday for the second year in a row. These are definitely going to be part of our yearly celebrations. One of the best cupcake recipes. ★★★★★” One reader, Sharon, commented: “This was my first ever cupcake I’ve made from scratch. I made two batches and took them to work. Rave reviews! They said they were literally the best cupcake they had ever eaten. Will definitely make again and again. ★★★★★”
First, the cupcake batter. It comes together in minutes—you don’t even need an electric mixer. Whisk together dry ingredients, whisk together wet ingredients, whisk wet + dry together. The batter is similar to my strawberry shortcake cupcakes. The assembly: Spoon 2 Tablespoons of cupcake batter into 12 cupcake liners. Then sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar. Top with more cupcake batter and 1 more teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar. Some of the cinnamon-sugar layer from the center may peek out on the top. Give the tops a gentle swirl with a toothpick. Here’s how that whole assembly step looks: By the way, you’ll similarly layer cinnamon goodness in these banana chocolate chip streusel muffins. Another must-try for my fellow cinnamon-sugar lovers! Here’s what the cupcakes look like after baking: Next, the frosting. These snickerdoodle cupcakes are so utterly tasty, that you don’t even need frosting. But let’s be serious. If you have the opportunity to make cinnamon frosting, you should make it. That’s just sensible! The frosting I used to top these cupcakes is two-toned. First, I made vanilla buttercream. Then I transferred half of the frosting to a separate bowl and beat 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon into it. Here is exactly how I swirled the two frostings together: I simply filled my piping bag with half of the cinnamon frosting on one side and half of the vanilla frosting next to it. Side by side, cinnamon + vanilla in one swirly-twirly frosting. I used a Wilton 1M tip to frost, but any piping tip would work. If you do not have a piping bag + tip, no worries! You can frost the two frostings however you’d like on top of the snickerdoodle cupcakes. Or just use all vanilla frosting or all cinnamon frosting. And if you love cream cheese frosting, try topping these snickerdoodle cupcakes with the frosting from this recipe for banana cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
Garnish & Topping Options
And last but not least, a little finishing touch for your snickerdoodle cupcakes—and I do mean little! Whip up a batch of my soft and thick snickerdoodles (a quick and easy 20-minute recipe) and make them into mini cookies, which is about 2 teaspoons of cookie dough per cookie. Bake them for 7 minutes. This is optional, but topping a cupcake with a mini cookie is one of the easiest ways to make a simple dessert look extraordinary. You could also garnish these snickerdoodle cupcakes with a cinnamon stick, like we do with these chai latte cupcakes. And if you want to try filling cupcakes, these would be fantastic with some salted caramel in the middle.
