This snickerdoodles cookie recipe is for anyone who loves Hot Tamales or Red Hots candy. Full of spicy cinnamon flavor these may just be the spicy snickerdoodles sugar cookies you've been looking for!
Ahhhhh.... Snickerdoodles. Cinnamon heaven with a name that's fun to say and makes you smile. Go ahead, try it. Say it three times outloud. I bet you smiled. Maybe even grinned.

So, there is every reason in the world to make these, right? Smiles are sometimes hard to come by and this is a sweet way to make someone's day. In fact, Snickerdoodles have been creating smiles on people's faces for a long time. These cookies may also have been called Jumbles. They are attributed to either New England or Pennsylvania depending on what site you are reading. They often had currants in them but those were phased out over time. The first published recipe appeared in the mid-1800s.
Here's another possibility. The name Snickerdoodle may have come from a tiny American folk hero popular in the early 1900s who fought crime with intelligence and humor. He was a tiny little man named Snickerdoodle that drove around in a peanut shell. If you are intrigued go to the Snickerdoodle page to find out more.
While all Snickerdoodle cookies are basically made the same way they are not all created equally. I like a chewy cookie with a crispy outside — so that's how these come out. Some recipes leave out the cream of tartar but I think it brings a tart aftertaste to the cookie that I really like. The instructions for leaving out the cream of tartar are in the notes below the recipe. You make the dough, form it into balls, and then roll it in cinnamon sugar and flatten them with a cup before baking in a hot oven. A snickerdoodle cookie recipe couldn't be easier.

So what's different about my snickerdoodles cookie recipe?
If you love Red Hots or Hot Tamale candy you will find these quite addictive. The addition of chipotle or ancho pepper powder to the cinnamon mixture creates an entirely new sensation in your mouth. Of course, if you need a milder version just cut back on the pepper. Maybe mix it in a little as a time tasting as you go.
In the summertime I like to use them as the outsides of a dulce de leche ice cream sandwich. Whatever you do use good, heavy or (affiliate link) insulated cookie sheets so that the bottoms don't get too brown. I love these and I find that they work really well. Click on the link and you'll be taken to the site where you can buy them. If you do buy I will get a small commission which helps with the expenses here at Restless Chipotle.

Red Hot Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe
📖 Recipe

Red Hot Snickerdoodles
Print SaveIngredients
- ½ cup of unsalted butter, , room temp
- 1 ½ cups pure cane sugar
- 2 eggs, , room temp
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar, (to leave out cream of tartar read the notes below.)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons of roast cinnamon
- 1 ground ancho chile
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Cream together butter and 1 ½ cups sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs and the vanilla and mix well.
- Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt.
- Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
- Mix the ¼ cup of sugar and the spices
- Roll balls of dough in mixture.
- Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes (I'd take them out after 8)
Notes
The first time you make these add the pepper ½ teaspoon at a time and taste as you go so you don't get it too spicy.
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.If you like this Red Hot Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe you may also like...
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Cynthia | What A Girl Eats
I love snickerdoodles mayre! These look delish!
Marye Audet
Thank you so much!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
What a fun twist to a classic recipe 🙂
Marye Audet
Thanks Aimee!
Katrina
What a great addition to snickerdoodles, Marye. Definitely have to make these for my husband. He love this cookie and he loves spice!
Renée J. (RJ Flamingo)
A woman after my own heart! I've taken to adding ancho, hatch, or chipotle chili powder in sweets, lately, too. Love the extra kick! Marye, I would swear that I can smell these baking as I read the recipe. Mmmmm.... Pinned and Stumbled!
Sherri Jo
I am saving this recipe for Christmas baking... they will be perfect for my cookie tins! <3
patsy
I love the addition of a bit of spice to these cookies! I tend to like a chewy center with a crisp outside as well... now, I need to get baking!