Maple Snickerdoodles

🕒 Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook: 11 min
🍽 Serves: 24
★★★★★
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Welcome to the world of Maple Snickerdoodles — a delightful twist on the classic favorite that's perfect for those cozy fall days. These cookies combine the warm, comforting flavors of cinnamon and maple syrup, making them a must-try treat for the season.

Maple Snickerdoodles

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Ingredients for Maple Snickerdoodles

Ingredients for Maple Snickerdoodles

The secret to these cookies lies in their ingredients. Flour forms the base, holding everything together while providing structure. Cream of tartar offers that signature tangy snickerdoodle taste and helps with leavening. Baking soda works with the cream of tartar to give the cookies their rise. A pinch of salt enhances all the flavors. Cinnamon adds warmth and spice, both in the dough and the sugar coating. Granulated sugar sweetens the cookies and contributes to their chewy texture. Butter and shortening together create the perfect crumbly texture with a soft center. Eggs bind the ingredients and add richness. Lastly, pure maple syrup is the star, infusing the cookies with its unique, sweet flavor.

Why This Maple Snickerdoodles Works

During mixing, the butter and shortening trap a lot of tiny air pockets as they’re beaten with the sugar. Those little pockets stay in the dough and let the cookies puff up instead of baking into hard, flat discs. The mix of butter and shortening also keeps the dough soft; butter gives flavor and a bit of spread, while shortening holds the shape and keeps the centers tender.

As the cookies bake, the eggs and flour set up and form the structure, while the cream of tartar and baking soda react and give the cookies their lift and slight chew. The maple syrup adds extra moisture, so the centers stay soft even after the cookies cool. Around the outside, the cinnamon sugar melts, then sets again as the cookies cool on the sheet. That cooling time lets the edges firm up while the middle stays a little soft and thick, so each cookie ends up with a crisp, sugary outside and a chewy, maple‑cinnamon center.

Maple Snickerdoodles Tips & Tricks

  • Chill the dough for 30 minutes if you prefer thicker cookies that spread less.
  • Ensure your butter is softened, not melted, for the best texture.
  • Use real maple syrup for the most authentic flavor — avoid pancake syrups.

Mistakes To Avoid

Overbaking these cookies easily turns them dry and hard. The edges go from lightly golden to deep brown fast, and the centers lose their soft, slightly chewy texture. Instead of staying tender, the whole cookie ends up crisp and crumbly all the way through.

Creaming the butter, shortening, and sugar too little leaves the mixture dense and grainy. The dough then doesn’t trap much air, so the cookies don’t puff and crack nicely in the oven. They bake up flat and heavy instead of light with that classic snickerdoodle top.

Adding extra maple syrup to “boost the flavor” throws off the dough balance. Too much liquid makes the dough sticky and loose, so the balls spread too much in the oven. The cookies then bake into thin, uneven discs with chewy, underdone centers and overbrowned edges.

Skipping the parchment or crowding the baking sheet causes uneven baking. Cookies placed too close together or on a bare, dark pan can spread into each other and brown faster on the bottom. The result is a sheet of stuck-together cookies with pale tops and overdone bases.

Equipment Used:

Baking sheets, Parchment paper, Mixing bowls, Electric mixer

Ingredients

  1. 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  3. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  5. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  6. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  7. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  8. 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  9. 2 large eggs
  10. 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  11. 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  12. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Step-by-step Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
  3. 3. In a large bowl, beat together 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy.
  4. 4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in the maple syrup.
  5. 5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.
  6. 6. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
  7. 7. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
  8. 8. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
  9. 9. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
  10. 10. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze the dough?
Yes, you can freeze the dough balls after rolling them in cinnamon sugar. Just bake from frozen, adding an extra 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
What if I don't have cream of tartar?
You can substitute it with an equal amount of baking powder, but the taste and texture will be slightly different.
Can I use all butter instead of shortening?
Yes, but the cookies may spread more and have a slightly different texture.

Serving Ideas for Maple Snickerdoodles

Maple Snickerdoodles are delightful on their own but try pairing them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a simple dessert. For a cozy fall treat, serve them alongside a hot mug of spiced apple cider or chai tea. They also make a great addition to any holiday cookie platter.

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This recipe is for informational purposes only. Always follow proper food safety practices, cook foods to safe internal temperatures, and store leftovers appropriately. Results may vary.