Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

Everyone loves the original snickerdoodle cookie, but this chocolate version is even more delicious! Prepared with brown sugar and cocoa, the cookies are rolled in a cinnamon sugar mixture, which gives the cookie that recognizable and familiar crinkly appearance. Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies are soft and chewy with slightly crispy outer edges.

All I have to say about Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies is yum. In fact, it’s more like, yum, yum, yum! They are so soft and chewy. And, they’re cinnamon-y and chocolatey and sugary! I swear, I could eat the entire batch, but then I’d probably die. So, for now, I’ll stick to just one! Snickerdoodles are not that common here in Canada, so I hope this recipe encourages some of my Canadian readers to give them a try.

A snickerdoodle is a type of cookie made with butter, sugar, and flour, and rolled in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Eggs are also used as an ingredient, with cream of tartar and baking soda added to leaven the dough. Snickerdoodles are characterized by a cracked surface and can be either crisp or soft depending on the ingredients used.

The snickerdoodle is a very common cookie in the United States but is relatively unknown in other countries. It’s common to Mennonite and Amish communities too. In more recent times, the Snickerdoodle cookie has transformed into a popular flavour. General Mills created a Snickerdoodle-flavoured Chex Mix Muddy Buddies for their snack line. And, during the 2014 holiday season, Dunkin’ Donuts unveiled a Snickerdoodle Cookie Latte. Nestle has a Snickerdoodle Coffee Mate flavour. There’s even a Snickerdoodle ice cream!

I’m going to tell you all about this cookie recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the cookie recipes! Before I get into this brand-new series, let me make mention of the three previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. And now, I’m starting out on this new series, which is the sixth annual instalment! I cannot believe that this is the sixth year in a row that I’ve shared Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! But, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 6! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family. 

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series! Even though this is the fourth series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is softened and at room temperature.
• Brown Sugar 
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Cocoa Powder – Use good quality cocoa powder and not the kind you mix with milk to make chocolate milk.
• Baking Soda
• Cream of Tartar – The acid in the cream of tartar gives everything a distinctive tangy flavour.  When used in cookies, it adds a chewiness, which happens because cream of tartar prevents sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing into crunchiness.
• Granulated Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until well combined – about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add to the butter and brown sugar mixture and beat to incorporate. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Portion one tablespoon of the cookie dough. Roll into a ball and then roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each ball. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

THE ORIGINS OF THE SNICKERDOODLE

According to the Joy of Baking website, snickerdoodles, also called snipdoodles, or cinnamon sugar cookies, have been around since the late 1800s. They probably originated in New England and are either of German or Dutch descent. Unfortunately, there is no clue as to how they got such a peculiar name.

The Joy of Cooking cookbook, one of my personal favourite cookbooks, has a better definition. It says that the cookies are a New England favourite. They are large, crinkly-topped sugar cookies which are probably German in origin. Their name may be a corruption of the German word, schneckennudeln, which translates roughly as crinkly noodles.

Why crinkly noodles? Who knows! And, frankly, who cares? This cookie is included in this sixth instalment of Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas because it tastes so good. It’s a soft, pliable cookie, with sweet, sugary, buttery, chocolatey and cinnamon-y flavours. You’re going to love this one!

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies, you certainly can! Pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation has evaporated. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!