These sourdough snickerdoodle cookies are soft and chewy with crisp edges, a buttery cinnamon-sugar coating and a rich, nutty flavor from browned butter. They have the classic tangy flavor of a snickerdoodle with a subtle sourdough twist.
This recipe uses 1 cup (240g) of sourdough discard, making it a delicious way to use up the extra starter in your refrigerator.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Simple to make. These sourdough snickerdoodle cookies use straightforward ingredients and don't require any complicated techniques.
- Uses a full cup of sourdough discard. Each batch uses 1 cup (240g) of discard, making this a great recipe when you have extra starter to use.
- Soft and chewy. The cookies have soft, tender centers with lightly crisp edges.
- Rich brown butter flavor. Browning the butter adds a deep, nutty flavor that complements the cinnamon and sourdough.
- Classic cinnamon-sugar coating. Rolling the dough in cinnamon sugar gives the cookies their signature snickerdoodle finish.
Recipe Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make these soft and chewy Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies.
Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter when baking so I can control the amount of salt in the final recipe. There's no need to bring the butter to room temperature since it will be browned before adding it to the cookie dough.
Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their signature tangy flavor and works with the baking soda to help the cookies rise.
Baking Soda: Works with the cream of tartar to help the cookies rise and spread as they bake.
Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.
Bread Flour: I typically use bread flour rather than all-purpose flour in my cookie recipes. Bread flour helps create a chewier cookie.
Tip: If you don't have a digital scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a butter knife. Try not to compress the flour into the measuring cup. Too much flour creates dense cookies.
Egg Yolks: Bring the egg yolks to room temperature before adding them to the cookie dough. Save the egg whites to make this Easy Swiss Meringue.
Tip: Egg whites and egg yolks are easier to separate while they are still cold. Separate the eggs, save the whites for another recipe, and then allow the yolks to come to room temperature.
Sourdough Discard: This recipe uses 1 cup (240g) of sourdough discard. There's no need to feed your discard first. Older discard will generally give the cookies a stronger sourdough flavor than newer discard.
Pro Sourdough Tip: Keep a glass jar in your refrigerator to store your sourdough discard. Continue adding to it until you're ready to bake with it. Not sure what to make? Find a sourdough discard recipe based on how much you have.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you only have salted butter you will need to omit the salt in the recipe. There is about ¼ teaspoon of salt per stick of salted butter.
- If you don't have cream of tarter you can substitute two teaspoons of baking powder for BOTH the cream of tartar AND the baking soda. If you do use baking powder instead of the cream of tarter the texture of the cookies will be slightly different.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Slice the butter into pieces and melt it in a light-colored skillet over medium heat stirring or whisking constantly. (Image 1) Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. (Image 2)
Continue stirring/whisking for about 5-7 minutes, the foam will begin to subside and the melted butter will darken to a deep amber color. (Images 3 & 4) Remove the browned butter from the heat, and pour it into a bowl. Allow the butter to cool for 30 minutes.
Tip: Using a light-colored pan makes it easier to monitor the color of the butter as it browns.
If you still have questions about how to brown butter, check out this video on how to brown butter from America's Test Kitchen.
Step 2: In a large bowl add the browned butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Whisk until there are no lumps of brown sugar. (Image 5)
Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth. (Image 6) Fold in the sourdough discard. (Image 7)
Step 3: Stir in the cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add the bread flour and stir until just combined. (Image 8)
Step 4: Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. (Image 9)
Tip: Chilling allows the butter in the dough to firm up and gives the flour time to fully hydrate, which helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar for the cinnamon-sugar coating. (Image 10) Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using two tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll the dough into balls. (Image 11)
Tip: To quickly portion the dough, use a knife to cut the chilled dough into similar-sized pieces.
Step 6: Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating thoroughly, then place on a baking sheet about two inches apart. (Image 12)
Tip: Use a light-colored cookie sheet. Dark cookie sheets absorb more heat and can cause the bottoms of the cookies to overbake.
Tip: Shaping the dough into taller balls is another trick to keep them from spreading too much.
Step 7: Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are still soft. Allow the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. (Images 13 & 14)
Tip: Slightly underbaking your snickerdoodles helps keep them soft and chewy. For the best flavor, they're at their best within 2-3 days.
Tip: Slightly underbaking your snickerdoodles helps keep them soft and chewy. For the best flavor, they're at their best within 2-3 days.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Instructions
Make-Ahead: Prepare the cookie dough and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much by hydrating the flour and allowing the butter to firm up.
Storing: Store cooled snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezing Cookie Dough: Unbaked cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place the portioned dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container and label with the date.
When you're ready to bake, remove the dough balls from the freezer and allow them to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven, then bake according to the recipe instructions.
Freezing Baked Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool completely, then freeze them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen cookies overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter.
Recipe FAQs
Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their signature tangy flavor and works with the baking soda to help the cookies rise. It also helps prevent the sugar in the cookie dough from crystallizing, creating a softer, chewier cookie.
If the butter is too warm, the cookies may spread too much and become flat and crispy. Allow the browned butter to cool as directed and be sure to chill the cookie dough for the full 2-3 hours before baking. Overbaking can also make the cookies hard, so remove them from the oven while the centers are still soft.
The cookies are done when the edges look set and the centers are still soft and cracked. They will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
Yes. You can use active sourdough starter instead of sourdough discard. For the most accurate results, weigh the starter or discard with a kitchen scale.
Are you a classic snickerdoodle fan, or has the browned butter won you over? Let me know in the comments below.
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies with Brown Butter
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Cookies
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter browned and cooled
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks room-temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt or 1 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 cups bread flour
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Slice the 12 tablespoons unsalted butter into pieces and melt it in a light-colored skillet over medium heat stirring or whisking constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Continue stirring/whisking for about 5-7 minutes, the butter will become a deep amber color. Remove the browned butter from the heat, and pour it into a bowl. Allow the butter to cool for 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl add the browned butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, and ¼ cup white granulated sugar. Whisk until there are no lumps of brown sugar. Add the 2 egg yolks and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth. Fold in the ½ cup sourdough discard.
- Stir in the 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt. Add the 2 cups bread flour and stir until just combined. Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). In a small bowl stir together the ¼ cup granulated white sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for the cinnamon-sugar coating.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using two tablespoons of dough each roll into tall oblong balls. Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture coating thoroughly.
- Place nine dough balls on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes for soft cookies or 15 minutes for crunchier cookies. Allow the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Melissa Benford says
Wow, just delicious and plentiful. It's nice to mix up the regular cookies with some snickerdoodles from time to time and these hit the mark. I used a smaller scoop to form the dough, which made about 4 dozen smaller very tasty cookies.
PS: I love that this recipe calls for a full cup of discard!
Erica says
I am so happy you liked them! I always try to cram as much sourdough discard into a recipe as I can. It has to go somewhere.
Jenny says
How serendipitous was this, that I needed to feed my sourdough starter on the same day my granddaughter wanted snickerdoodles?! Found this recipe and they turned out perfect! Loved the tip to make the balls more oblong. They aren't overly sweet, and I love the tang from the sourdough. This is a keeper!
Erica says
That was very serendipitous! I am so happy you enjoyed the cookies.
Katie says
Yummy but….
Okay, these by far are the best snickerdoodles I’ve ever had EVEN with something going wrong. I’ve made them so far 3 times in the last 4 days. Each time they come out flat, like thinner than a pancake. I’ve gotten higher quality butter, new baking soda, made sure my discard was from the same day, I’m struggling as to what happened. I googled it and says my butter was too soft….but it’s browned butter. I made sure it was room temp before use. I let the dough rest over night (3 hours the first batch but the following two were over night). Can anyone help me trouble shoot here? I’m very new to sourdough but felt confident enough with my discard. Thanks in advance! I also tried posting this in the comment section and somehow managed to do it in the reviews section! Apologies.
Erica says
I am happy you love them even with issues.
I have a couple of suggestions. Do you have an oven thermometer? Sometimes an oven's temperature needs to be recalibrated and your oven could actually be at a hotter temperature than what it says it is at. Baking cookies at a higher temperature causes the butter to melt more quickly and the cookie to spread more. If you do find out your oven temperature is off adjust the temperature you set it at until the oven thermometer reads the correct temperature.
Are you rolling the cookie dough into oblong balls that are taller than they are wide? These cookies need the extra height to create crisp edges and a chewy center without spreading too much. The taller cookie dough ball gives the cookie's edges time to set and become crispy before the dough spreads too much.
You can also try lining your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Parchment paper is slightly textured giving the dough some friction which slows the spread.
Michelle says
I would love to try this recipe! Any chance you know the weight of the butter after browning? I want to make sure I don't have too much. Thanks!
Erica says
Unfortunately, I have never measured the weight of the butter after browning. If you start out with the 12 tablespoons (170 grams) of butter before browning you should be good. I did do a quick Google search. Butter is about 15% water. When butter is browned the water in the butter evaporates so my guess is that once it is browned the butter should weigh about 144.5 grams.
Ronnie Mathieu says
These cookies were amazing! They pillowy soft on the inside and had a slight buttery crunch on the outside. I am excited to try more sourdough starter discard recipes.
Erica @ Raspberries and Kohlrabi says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the cookies! I love sourdough discard recipes. I probably make more sourdough discard recipes than loaves of sourdough bread.
Lynne Odgaard says
Bake for how long?
Erica @ Raspberries and Kohlrabi says
10-12 minutes for soft cookies or 15 minutes for crunchier cookies.
Robin says
Hi thank you for this recipe. I tried it and I feel like I did something wrong. The cookie was delicious, but very delicate and a little greasy. I am wondering: do you weigh the butter before or after browning it?
Erica @ Raspberries and Kohlrabi says
The butter should be weighed before browning it. Did you wait for the butter to cool before adding it to the sugar? If the butter is too hot it can melt the sugar creating greasy cookies.
Robin says
I did wait for it to cool, for sure, I think what I did wrong was brown enough butter to weight it out after being browned, so there was technically too much butter. Thanks for the quick response! I'm going to try again soon.