Iiiits cookie time! It’s the time of year when so many of us bite off more than we can chew. Literally and figuratively. I mean, there are so many cookies to be made this time of year!
In years past, I’ve headed home from the grocery store loaded up with bags of ingredients for no less than eight different types of cookies. And then set out to make all of them inside of one day. Even before I had a kid (and therefore much less leisure time), eight different kinds of cookies were tough to turn out in one day. Let alone one season.
This year, instead of handing out cookie plates with a vast variety of cookies in all shapes and sizes, my labor of love for the season is not quite so laborious. I’m planning to give out mason jars filled with just one delicious variety of cookies: Sparkly Chocolate Snickerdoodles.
Eight of ’em fit perfectly into a wide-mouthed jar. Screw on a jumbo cupcake liner and tie on some kitchen twine and we’re good to go. Who wouldn’t want to receive a jar of chocolate snickerdoodles for Christmas? I’m hoping for no one, because I’ve got a busy week full of mason jars and cinnamon and sugar up my sleeve. Not literally, because that would be uncomfortable and sticky.
Because these cookies are dark, the sugar in the cinnamon-and-sugar coating shimmers and shines. Hence the “sparkly” in the name. Perfect for the season!
Plus, these little suckers are so easy. They’re basically a traditional snickerdoodle recipe with some of the flour swapped out for cocoa powder. Not even “basically” – that’s exactly what they are. I kept everything else the same, down to rolling copiously in cinnamon and sugar before baking.
The result is chewy but a little soft, chocolatey but still clearly snickerdoodles. And crinkly and cracked along the top, just like a good snickerdoodle should be.
Another bonus with these cookies is that they’re great to make with the little ones. My toddler loves forming the dough balls and rolling them in cinnamon and sugar. But they still turn out perfectly round after baking. Win win!
Yup, just one Christmas cookie this year. Simplification is a good thing (and so are Sparkly Chocolate Snickerdoodles).
Sparkly Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (room temperature (softened)*)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (divided)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the the butter and 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and the vanilla; mix well.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl and sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat on low speed just until combined.
- In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon until combined.
- Roll dough into approx. 1-inch balls (I use a cookie scoop). Add the balls to the bowl with the cinnamon and sugar and roll until well-covered. Set about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake until set and lightly browned, about 9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies keep well at room temperature in an airtight container (3-4 days). They also freeze well.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, with a name like mine, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
yum love these sparkling beauties. Such a fun take on a classic!
Thank you so much, Sam! 🙂
Sparkle + chocolate + cinnamon – wins in my house every time! I love these for a Christmas cookie treat!
I am making nuts and cookies for our families this year and these have moved to the top of the list for candidates. No rolling, cutting and decorating – I like that.
And no-one can say no to chocolate!
Yes – they are so easy! Thank you for reminding me – I wanted to whip up a batch of spiced nuts for the holidays, too, and totally forgot! Too much going on. 😉 Merry Christmas to you!
I love this idea for the holidays. And the mason jar idea is so cute!
These are gorgeous – perfect for cookie baking next week!
These cookies are beautiful!
Thank you so much! I even took a video to show how well they sparkle but it was so dorky I just couldn’t bring myself to post it. 😉
I admit it, I sometimes fine snickerdoodles to be a little…bland. But not these— they’re sparkly AND chocolate —love them!
What a wonderful recipe! So easy and quick. They are a bit too sweet even for my taste (and I LOVE sugar and sweet stuff, but even I have limits). They make great chocolate chip cookies too – just reduce sugar by 1/4 cup and increase cocoa by 1/4 cup to keep powder ingredients balanced; then instead of rolling them in sugar + cinnamon, i rolled them in 1 cup of mini-chocolate chips – they still turned out to be very sweet, but they’re the best chocolate chips I’ve ever had (no smell of molasses).
Thanks for allowing me to feature your recipe in my round-up of 60 Ultimate Cookie Exchange Recipes on Taste As You Go. Happy Holidays!
Terrific recipe and they are delicious. Thank you.
Made these and they were a big hit, everyone loved them
Yay, so glad everyone liked the recipe. Thanks Janet!
This dough was easy to work with. My cookies look perfect and taste amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! So glad you liked them. Thanks so much for your review!
What to do if the dough is wet and won’t roll. I messed up some place
How long can you freeze them
I’d say 3 months max-ish?
Maybe I am completely missing it since I haven’t finished my morning coffee – but how many 1 inch cookies does this recipe make?
Hi Ash, you were absolutely right – the yield was missing! Thank you for asking; I’ve added that info (2 dozen).
Made these and they were gone in 2 days. They turned out perfectly. They stayed soft and a little chewy. My family loved them!!!!!! I am making another batch and keeping in fridge so we can have them again soon! Thanks so much!😊