Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
These apple cider snickerdoodles are a perfect Fall treat. Made with reduced apple cider and warm spices, these cookies stay soft and chewy for days.
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Dough:
- 1 ½ cups apple cider, see note
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, see note
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed, or light brown
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
Rolling Sugar:
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, see note
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
Directions
- Start the recipe by reducing and cooling 1 ½ cups of apple cider. In a small pot set over medium-high heat, add the apple cider and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and keep it at a strong simmer. Stir occasionally with a spatula so that it doesn’t burn or scorch while reducing. Reducing the cider to about a ¼ cup will take around 20-25 minutes.
- Once reduced to a ¼ cup, pour into a heatproof container or glass measuring cup and let it cool to room temperature. You can also let it cool for a few minutes at room temperature and then transfer it to the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to cool faster.
Make the Cookie Dough:
- In a mixing bowl, add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Whisk together to fully combine and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup white sugar, and ⅓ cup dark brown sugar and cream together at medium speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Now add the ¼ cup reduced and cooled apple cider and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix on low speed for a minute. Next, add the egg and egg yolk, one a time, and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated and no visible streaks of egg remain.
- Finally, add the dry ingredients a bit at a time and mix at a low speed until just combined and no pockets of dry flour are visible. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for about an hour before baking.
Roll & Bake the Snickerdoodles:
- While the dough is chilling, mix the ¼ cup white sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, and ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice in a small bowl and set aside.
- When it’s almost time to remove the cookie dough from the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and, using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out about 12 cookies. Take one dough ball at a time, roll it into a smooth ball in your hands, and then roll it through the sugar mixture. Repeat this process until all 12 cookies are shaped and rolled and placed back on the baking sheet about 2-inches apart.
- Return the cookie dough to the fridge between batches.
- Bake the snickerdoodles for 9-11 minutes. The cookies should just be starting to brown on the edges and look a bit under cooked. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes to finish baking and setting enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat this process until all cookies are baked. Serve and enjoy the cookies with some hot apple cider or a cold glass of milk.
Equipment Used
Notes
1) Apple Cider – *Please use apple cider and NOT apple cider vinegar* You need to reduce the cider a lot because it intensifies the flavor here. Because you’re reducing it so much, be sure to use normal apple cider and not a flavored one like cinnamon apple cider or it can be overpowering.
If you’re trying to make a smaller batch and reduce the ingredients by half, make this small change for the cider. Change from 1 ½ cups to 1 cup and reduce it down to 2 tablespoons instead.
2) Cream of Tartar – The two main parts of what makes snickerdoodles different from other cookies is that they are rolling in cinnamon-sugar, and they’re made with cream of tartar. This ingredient is what gives them their characteristic tang and soft chewiness.
If you really want to replace it, you can. Use baking powder in a 1:1.5 substitution. So instead of 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, use 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder. Reduce the baking soda to a ½ teaspoon as well. This will slightly change the flavor and texture however, and the cookies will probably be a bit cakier with a bit more of a rise also.
3) Rolling Spices – I prefer making an apple pie spice that includes cardamom in it. If you don’t keep that on-hand, however, just omit it and increase the allspice to a ¼ teaspoon.
If you do have apple pie spice, however, you can use that here instead. For the cookie dough, use 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. For the rolling sugar, use 1 ½ teaspoons apple pie spice and another ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 123kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 65mgPotassium: 55mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 9gCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
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