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Home » Recipes » Shaped Cookies

Spicy Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe

Published: Jul 4, 2024 · Updated: Feb 10, 2025 by Marye

A spicy, cinnamony Snickerdoodle that comes out chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 15 minutes minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
A closeup of a stack of snickerdoodle cookies.
A collage of snickerdoodle cookies with title text overlay for Pinterest.

These spicy snickerdoodle cookies take the classic snickerdoodle and add a delicious twist with a hint of sweet heat that brings out the cinnamon flavor.

If you love spicy cinnamon candies (I totally do!) then give this recipe a try - I think you'll love it.

A stack of snickerdoodle cookies.
Table of Contents
  • 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
  • 🧾🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
  • 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
  • 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
  • 🥫 Leftover love: how to store spicy snickerdoodle cookies
  • Marye's Tip o' the day
  • 💭 Insider tips: things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
  • Snickerdoodle history
  • 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
  • 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftovers
  • 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
  • 📖 Recipe
  • spicy snickerdoodle cookie
  • 💬 Comments

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite

  • These cookies combine the sweet, buttery flavor of classic snickerdoodles with a surprising kick of spice. They're perfect for adding a little excitement to your dessert table.
  • I love them for holiday cookie exchanges because everyone's eyes go wide as they take a bite, expecting traditional flavors and getting swept away by the spicy bite.
  • The first time you make these add the gound chile pepper ½ teaspoon at a time and taste as you go so you don't get it too spicy.

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'll wait.

I bet you smiled. Maybe even grinned.

🧾🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

Spicy snickerdoodle cookies labeled ingredients.

📖 Make it your own: yummy variations

  1. Extra Spicy: Add a pinch more cayenne pepper for an extra kick.
  2. Chocolate Twist: Mix in some mini chocolate chips for a chocolatey surprise.
  3. Nutty Crunch: Add chopped nuts like pecans or almonds for added texture and flavor.

In the summertime I like to use them as the outsides of a dulce de leche ice cream sandwich.

🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -

There are many different kinds of cinnamon. My favorite is the Vietnamese cinnamon because it is spicier - a bit more intense and flavorful. If there's any way you can try all of them to see what you like best you should do so. Penzeys Spices and Amazon both have nice selections.

zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive

🍴Must have tools: essential equipment

  1. mixing bowls
  2. electric mixer
  3. measuring cups and spoons
  4. baking sheets
  5. parchment paper

🥫 Leftover love: how to store spicy snickerdoodle cookies

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Place parchment paper between the layers.

You can also freeze the dough balls for up to 3 months and bake them as needed.

CLoseup of snickerdoodle cookies.

Marye's Tip o' the day

Remove cookies from oven when they still look a tad underdone. They'll continue to cook as they cool and the result will be chewy cookies.

💭 Insider tips: things to know

  1. Don't overmix the sugar and butter mixture - it can make the cookies go flat during baking.
  2. Make sure to chill the dough to prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
  3. Be sure to let the cookies cool and set for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to finish cooling. This is important. If you try to remove the cookies too quickly they will fall apart.
  4. Adjust the level of spice to your liking by adding more or less ground chipotle pepper.
  5. Use fresh spices for the best flavor.

👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

Can I leave out the cream of tartar?

Yes and no. Yes you can - the instructions are in the recipe card. BUT if you do you'll lose the texture and flavor of a classic snickerdoodle.

How can I make soft snickerdoodle cookies?

You'll need to experiment with bake times. Take the cookies out when the middles are still slightly underdone and let them sit on the baking sheet until they're cool. Longer baking time means a crunchier cookie.

Snickerdoodle history

Snickerdoodle 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.

📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love

  • Oreo chocolate chip cookies on a piece of white parchment.
    One Bowl Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Closeup of cinnamon crinkle cookies that have been decorated for the holidays.
    Chewy Cinnamon Cookies
  • Overhead view of a pile of lavender shortbread cookies.
    Lavender Shortbread Cookies Recipe: Easy Slice and Bake
  • Closeup of purple and green swirled Beetlejuice Halloween cookies with eyes.
    Beetlejuice Inspired Halloween Cookies

🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftovers

  • Ice Cream Sandwiches: Use the cookies to make homemade ice cream sandwiches.
  • Crumbled Topping: Crumble leftover cookies over yogurt or ice cream for a crunchy topping. Or, use as the streusel topping for an apple crisp.

📞 Wrapping it up: the last word

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.

So what's different about my spicy 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.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

A closeup of a stack of snickerdoodle cookies.

Spicy Snickerdoodles

4.86 from 7 votes
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A spicy, cinnamony Snickerdoodle that comes out chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Course cookies
Cuisine American - Southern
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings:48
Calories:76
Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, room temp
  • 1 ½ cups 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 cinnamon
  • 1 ground chipotle chile, may use cayenne.

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

To make these without cream of tartar substitute the baking soda and cream of tartar with 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon baking soda
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 Facts

Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

First published August 19, 2014. Last updated July 4, 2024 for readability and helpful content.

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About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

Comments

    4.86 from 7 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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    Love it? Give it 5 stars!




  1. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says

    September 12, 2016 at 6:41 pm

    I love snickerdoodles mayre! These look delish!

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      September 14, 2016 at 3:53 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  2. Aimee @ ShugarySweets says

    September 12, 2016 at 8:38 am

    What a fun twist to a classic recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • Marye Audet says

      September 14, 2016 at 3:55 pm

      Thanks Aimee!

      Reply
  3. Katrina says

    August 20, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    What a great addition to snickerdoodles, Marye. Definitely have to make these for my husband. He love this cookie and he loves spice!

    Reply
  4. Renée J. (RJ Flamingo) says

    August 20, 2014 at 7:35 pm

    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!

    Reply
  5. Sherri Jo says

    August 20, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    I am saving this recipe for Christmas baking... they will be perfect for my cookie tins! <3

    Reply
  6. patsy says

    August 20, 2014 at 11:47 am

    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!

    Reply
Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

Welcome to my kitchen! ☕

NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

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