This Amish Friendship Bread snickerdoodle cookie recipe is a Friendship Bread Kitchen favorite. For starters, it yields 60 cookies. Say what? No, you read that right. SIXTY COOKIES. Which means it’s super easy to share, save, or put on a buffet spread.
It’s also versatile! Got some snickerdoodle connoisseurs out there? Instead of 1 cup butter, use ½ cup butter and ½ cup shortening for a bigger snap. Like it soft and tender? Pop them out of the oven between 8 and 10 minutes. Roll them, spoon ’em and drop ’em, make them large, make them small. Keep your hands dusted with sugar and cinnamon and strangers will gravitate towards you for days.
Snickerdoodles were popular in the 1900’s in the Easy Coast, including the Pennsylvania Dutch region, and seem to originate from Germany. There are lots of theories about the true name and origin of this famous cookie, but seems to largely be credited to the German word schneckennudeln, which means cinnamon-dusted sweet rolls, and for a more direct translation, snail dumpling. Ugh. Moving on!
Like most of our other Amish Friendship Bread cookie recipes, these freeze well, too, and are perfect edible holiday or hostess gifts.
Amish Friendship Bread Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 4 cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar (for rolling)
- ⅓ cup cinnamon for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C).
- In a large mixing bowl, add in wet ingredients.
- Mix in rest of ingredients except the ¼ cup sugar and and ⅓ cinnamon.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
- Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Place balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
- Bake 10 minutes.
- Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
- ENJOY!
Notes
>> Have you tried this? Share your best pic with us or leave a comment below and let us know how it worked for you!
I chill the dough approximately 20 hours. The dough was firm and rolled nicely. So much nicer than the Dump cookies.
OMG These are delicious!!! I did add 1 tsp of vanilla paste to the wet mixture. I had to run an errand so my dough sat on the counter for about an hour. It was not sticky and needed no additional flour. My sugar to cinnamon was 6 TBLS sugar to 2 and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. I did as someone else suggested and used my small cookie scoop to scoop a cookie and then dropped it in the bowl of cinnamon/sugar and covered them with the mixture. Afterwards I just dropped the cookie on a parchment lined cookie sheet and baked for 11 minutes. They were perfect.
Can you freeze all of your cookie dough recipe doughs before cooking? I would love to make some ahead for Christmas, but don’t want to bake all of them for Christmas.
Yes, they are truly evil little things…I cannot stop eating them, and I know I’ll make them again. Just evil…
I too adjusted the sugar/ cinnamon ratio to get more sugar on the cookies. They are just wonderful, and I need to look up a sugar free version for my parents and mother in law. Might even make some for my wedding next month!!
LOL, we know the struggle, Christine! These are definitely on of our favorite cookie recipes to date. Glad you enjoy them!
Waaaay too much cinnamon used for rolling cookie balls; try 3 Tblsp white sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Also substitute butter-flavor shortening for 1/2 cup of the butter. Also add a tsp of vanilla to enhance the flavor.
When you speak of *freezing*, are you talking about the raw dough or the baked cookies?
The baked cookies! 😊
This is an excellent recipe that everyone likes. I make this recipe with gluten-free and dairy-free starter and it still turns out great! And it makes a TON of cookies, so be ready to bake awhile! 🙂
Delicious recipe! Really sticky, so I refrigerated for just a few minutes and it seemed to help. The cinnamon to sugar ratio is way off for rolling though? Me first pans came out almost brown in color. I added way more sugar for the next pans and they are perfect. Sadly, I think the first ones will be going In The trash. It’s like licking cinnamon straight out of the bottle, with a little cookie flavor.
I made these tonight. I’m not a huge snickerdoodle fan but one of my daughters co-workers requested them. I must say, they were really good. The dough was extremely sticky even after I added an extra half cup of flour. So, I came up with a plan. I put the cinnamon/sugar mixture in a small bowl. I did add a bit more sugar than it called for. I didn’t like the sugar to cinnamon ratio for the rolling portion of the recipe. I used my small cookie scoop to scoop a cookie and then dropped it in the bowl of cinnamon/sugar. I used a large slotted spoon to dust and coat the cookie with the cinnamon/sugar. I then scooped the cookie up with the slotted spoon and shook off the extra Cinnamon/sugar. Then, just dropped the cookie on the parchment lined cookie sheet and baked for 12 minutes. They were perfect. There is absolutely no way I could have hand rolled these cookies unless I added a lot more flour. I was afraid it would change the texture. So, the cookie scoop/slotted spoon technique worked great. Give these a try, they are yummy.
I usually refrigerate the dough for a few hours or overnight, and that solves the stickiness problem even without adding extra flour.
These cookies are awful! They’re making me gain weight because I can’t stop eating them! ??
Seriously though, these are the BEST cookies I’ve ever eaten. I make them frequently “for my kids.”
Whew, you had me worried there for a second, Lisa, when I read the first four words! Yes, this is our go-to snickerdoodle recipe, and it’s even better that it’s made with Amish Friendship Bread starter! They freeze beautifully, too (in case that’s any kind of deterrent — it’s not for me, LOL). T
I just pulled the first tray out of the oven and the 2nd tray is baking. For me, I will be getting 4 dozen cookies from this recipe. Like everyone else, I too think 1/3 cup cinnamon is way to much for rolling the cookies in; so I used 2 Tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon to roll my cookies in and this was just the right amount for me. I baked the cookies for 9 minutes and they turned out lovely.
I love how many cookies we get from this one recipe! Thanks so much for sharing, Althea, and happy holidays!
Hi!
I can’t wait to try these! One question – do you use an electric mixer or do you mix by hand?
Since the instructions on baking day say not to use a metal bowl, I wasn’t sure if that would apply to mixing with my metal attachments on my mixer.
Thanks so much for your help?
Hi Beth! Either one is fine — just don’t use something that’s not coated (like cast iron). Have fun and post a picture when done — we’d love to see it!
I love making these cookies! My 9 yo. son just asked for them last week as part of our Christmas cookie baking this year. I even made them for my daughter’s wedding reception 2 years ago. I pulled some starter from my freezer and I’m ready! I’m also making some to share for my son’s Christmas concert coming up this weekend. Thanks for the great recipe.
I made a starter dough mix.I want to make snickerdoodles.what do I add to the starter dough to accomplish this? Eggs or? Someone plz help memim frustrated. Happy thankgiving thanx
Hi Renae! This recipe uses a cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter, not the bread recipe. So follow the directions above by adding just 1 cup of the starter to the rest of the listed ingredients. Does this help?
I tried to make these and sadly failed. I couldn’t roll the dough at all. It became a sticky cinnamon sugar mess everywhere. The small batch of cookies I did manage to make came out more like splats than pretty round goodies. Any advice?
Hi Serenity! It’s always a bummer when a recipe fails! 🙁
I’m not sure what happened but next time I would add flour (and make sure it’s all purpose and not cake flour) until the dough becomes more workable (it will be sticky but you should be able to roll them into balls). You can also chill the dough to help firm it up, too. Make sure all your ingredients are fresh, especially the cream of tartar and baking soda. Also make sure your oven is properly calibrated — cookies are less forgiving if temperatures run too low or too high and can spread too much or not enough. If your starter is runny instead of thick (like pancake batter), I would definitely up the flour a bit.
I hope this helps and that you’ll give it another try sometime!
Did you add cinnamon and sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls in before you place them on sheet to bake? If you the cinnamon sugar mixture for coating outside in the recipe it would explain consistency you describe. Just toss dough balls in sugar cinnamon mix before baking.
Is it really 1/3 cup cinnamon? Am really asking for I have never had these before and would like to try them.
You mix the 1/3 cup cinnamon and the 1/4 cup sugar together in a bowl and then roll the cookie balls in them before you place them on the baking sheet. it is the coating for the outside of the cookie…hope this helps
Turned out very well! Just had to use a slotted spatula to squoosh them down a bit. Substituted coconut sugar for white sugar and used white whole wheat flour (25% of the 4 cups called for) to try to make them a tax bit healthier!
Thank you , I love these and always make to batches, when I make them. these are one of my many favorites
Since snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies, I can’t wait to try this one. Tomorrow sounds good since I have some starter in the freezer!
I have to try this. They are my husbands favorite
Morning!
I made a HUGE batch of these cookies for thanksgiving. I’m not much of a baker. This recipe was easy to follow and the cookies were great!
Thanks for this website!
I currently have three bags of starter brewing, so I will e referencing again in a few days.
I am lost, I followed the reciepe to the T except… My cookies didn’t end up like cookies, there more like small hard balls, so I decided the next 12. I would smash em down a little an they did the same thing, they didn’t expand like cookies I have made before from the store… Can someone guide me on how to do the correctly I love snicker doodles an I would love to make them at home for my children…
PS I live in Alaska with a high altitude it takes longer than normal to cook most things an some recipes have to be altered but I am new to this an I am not sure what I need to do to fix my problem!!!
Hi Erin,
We’ve made these several times with great results, so I’d say it could be your ingredients (make sure they are fresh, especially the baking powder and cream of tartar). There’s a good chance, too that your altitude is affecting your outcome. Check the forum (aka the Kitchen Table) for more discussions on high altitude baking, and here’s a great link to King Arthur Flour’s explanation of necessary adjustments for high altitude baking: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html. Good luck!
Hi! I live in NC, and my cookies turned out the same way. They’re more like biscuits than cookies. Delicious, but not cookie texture. 🤷🏻♀️
just wondering about storage of these? i.e how long they’ll last in an airtight container and also, how they go with freezing?
i have my starters and am looking for some recipes i can make in advance as xmas gifts (i want to do a little mixed box/jar of delicious treats)!
thanks!
emily
This is an easy and great tasting recipe. I had half a cup of starter left after my days’ baking, so I halved the recipe and had plenty of cookies
I used softened butter, not melted. Cookies turned out great.
Great recipe! My mom wanted almond cookies, so I used this as the base. I omitted the cinnamon and added about 3/4t vanilla extract and 1-1/2t almond extract. Incidentally I also broke up the flour, using about 1/2c almond meal, 1c whole wheat flour and 2-1/2c standard flour (just because I has these). I rolled into balls, dabbed a little sugar on top and flattened each ball a little. They came out tasty! Mom will love them. 🙂
It says to use 1 cup Amish friendship bread starter. Do I make the Snickerdoodles before or after I have fed the starter? Sorry if these sounds stupid but you say 1 cup of the friendship bread “starter”. Hope to hear from you. I love snickerdoodles and have never made them. I am so glad to get some recipes to use with the starter. Thanks again.
I had made these yesterday 3/12/13…and I always use starter after I have done the feeding.
Can anyone tell me if the butter should be melted, or just softened?
I always soften butter to room temperature for baking…so I would say soften, not melted.
Room temp barely. Not left out
to melt.
Can anyone tell me if the butter is melted?
1/3 C Cinnamon? I did this and it’s way too much.
Janelle, I just made these yesterday, 3/12/13. My husband is a Snickerdoodle fiend…the coating of the cinnamon was not to his liking, I had to add a lot more sugar for it to make his approval, I have since written notes on the recipe page I have in my notebook of AFB. Even the texture was not to his liking exactly, so I will need to make further modifications.
Just made two batches of these and they were delicious.
very good… hubby and granddaughters enjoyed them.
Where can I purchase the jars and/or crocks that you give away in your contests? I see them in alot of your pictures and see them in your comments and would really love to have them. I never seem to win anything…so, is there any way to buy them…if I can afford them that is. 🙂 My Army son loves snickerdoodles & will be home in a few weeks on post deployment leave..so I will be making these for him. I know he’ll love them!
These are great! Easy & Delicious… my two favorite things.
Does the starter have to be the 10 days old to work in this recipe?
According to my mother, no.
thank you for posting this recipe. i have been wondering what else can be done with the starter mix. And I love snickerdoodle cookies
I see snickerdoodles in my future! These are my all time favorite cookie. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂