The classic cinnamon-sugar cookie gets the cupcake treatment! Cinnamon-sugar-swirled vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy cinnamon-swirled frosting… these snickerdoodle cupcakes always get rave reviews. Try them and you’ll taste why!
I originally published this recipe in 2013 (they’ve stood the test of time!) and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
Soft, slightly tangy, and coated in cinnamon-sugar, snickerdoodle cookies will always be a family favorite. So how about a cupcake version? It’s doable. And, obviously, delicious!
I wasn’t shy about loading cinny-swirls inside these snickerdoodle cupcakes. Cinnamon peeking through the edges, cinnamon-sugar dusted on top, a mountain of cinnamon-swirl frosting, and a mini snickerdoodle cookie to top it all off.
Today’s recipe is a fine example of how a delicious dessert doesn’t have to be difficult! You can impress everyone with a simple recipe and a little creativity. Seriously… how can you resist THESE?
Readers Rave Have Been Raving for Years
One reader, Julia, commented: “These are the best things I have ever made in my kitchen, no lie. ★★★★★”
One reader, Ashley, commented: “These cupcakes are amazing! My husband asked for them for his birthday for the second year in a row. These are definitely going to be part of our yearly celebrations. One of the best cupcake recipes. ★★★★★”
One reader, Sharon, commented: “This was my first ever cupcake I’ve made from scratch. I made two batches and took them to work. Rave reviews! They said they were literally the best cupcake they had ever eaten. Will definitely make again and again. ★★★★★”
Here’s My Cake Version
And, yes, I have a snickerdoodle cake recipe, too!
How to Make & Assemble Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
There are 3 parts to these snickerdoodle cupcakes:
- Cinnamon-swirled vanilla cupcakes
- Cinnamon-swirled vanilla buttercream
- Mini snickerdoodles for garnish (optional but so much fun if you have time!)
First, the cupcake batter. It comes together in minutes—you don’t even need an electric mixer. Whisk together dry ingredients, whisk together wet ingredients, whisk wet + dry together. The batter is similar to my strawberry shortcake cupcakes.
The assembly: Spoon 2 Tablespoons of cupcake batter into 12 cupcake liners. Then sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar. Top with more cupcake batter and 1 more teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar. Some of the cinnamon-sugar layer from the center may peek out on the top. Give the tops a gentle swirl with a toothpick.
Here’s how that whole assembly step looks:
By the way, you’ll similarly layer cinnamon goodness in these banana chocolate chip streusel muffins. Another must-try for my fellow cinnamon-sugar lovers!
Here’s what the cupcakes look like after baking:
Next, the frosting. These snickerdoodle cupcakes are so utterly tasty, that you don’t even need frosting. But let’s be serious. If you have the opportunity to make cinnamon frosting, you should make it. That’s just sensible!
The frosting I used to top these cupcakes is two-toned. First, I made vanilla buttercream. Then I transferred half of the frosting to a separate bowl and beat 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon into it.
Here is exactly how I swirled the two frostings together: I simply filled my piping bag with half of the cinnamon frosting on one side and half of the vanilla frosting next to it. Side by side, cinnamon + vanilla in one swirly-twirly frosting.
I used a Wilton 1M tip to frost, but any piping tip would work. If you do not have a piping bag + tip, no worries! You can frost the two frostings however you’d like on top of the snickerdoodle cupcakes. Or just use all vanilla frosting or all cinnamon frosting.
And if you love cream cheese frosting, try topping these snickerdoodle cupcakes with the frosting from this recipe for banana cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
Garnish & Topping Options
And last but not least, a little finishing touch for your snickerdoodle cupcakes—and I do mean little! Whip up a batch of my soft and thick snickerdoodles (a quick and easy 20-minute recipe) and make them into mini cookies, which is about 2 teaspoons of cookie dough per cookie. Bake them for 7 minutes. This is optional, but topping a cupcake with a mini cookie is one of the easiest ways to make a simple dessert look extraordinary.
You could also garnish these snickerdoodle cupcakes with a cinnamon stick, like we do with these chai latte cupcakes. And if you want to try filling cupcakes, these would be fantastic with some salted caramel in the middle.
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Cinnamon Swirl Frosting
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Cinnamon-sugar-swirled vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy cinnamon-swirled frosting… these snickerdoodle cupcakes always get rave reviews. Try them and you’ll taste why! Feel free to garnish with a mini snickerdoodle cookie or a cinnamon stick.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 and 1/3 cups (266g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature*
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cinnamon-Swirl Frosting
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3–4 cups (360–480g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- optional for garnish: 12 cinnamon sticks or 12 mini snickerdoodles*
Instructions
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcakes: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and 1 cup (200g) sugar together. Mixture will be gritty. Whisk in the egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is completely combined. Batter should be creamy and mostly smooth; a few small lumps are OK.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon together. Set aside.
- Assemble the cupcakes: Spoon 2 scant Tablespoons of cupcake batter into each cupcake liner. Top with 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with 1 heaping Tablespoon of cupcake batter, until the cupcake liners are about 3/4 full. Some of the cinnamon-sugar filling from the center layer may peek through the top layer of batter—that’s ok. Top each cupcake with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar. Swirl each gently with a toothpick.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Shake off any excess cinnamon-sugar that isn’t sticking to the tops, as that will prevent the frosting from sticking to the cupcakes.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting seems thin and greasy or more cream if the frosting seems too stiff. Taste, and add salt if frosting is too sweet (I like to add about 1/8 teaspoon). Remove half of the frosting from the mixing bowl and transfer to another bowl, or directly into your piping bag. Beat 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon into the remaining frosting in the mixing bowl.
- Spoon half cinnamon frosting into the piping bag and half vanilla frosting into the piping bag. See above for a visual. Pipe onto cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M swirl tip. Garnish cupcakes with cinnamon sticks or mini snickerdoodle cookies, if desired.
- Cover and store leftover cupcakes at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Bake the cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and frost the day of serving. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-cup Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
- Sour Cream & Whole Milk: Sour cream and whole milk are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead of sour cream, though the cupcakes may not be as light. Same goes with a lower-fat milk (I don’t recommend nonfat). Nondairy milk works in a pinch. You can replace both the whole milk and sour cream with buttermilk (1 cup/240ml) if needed.
- Cream: For the cream in the frosting, you can use whole milk instead. However, the consistency of the frosting will not be as creamy.
- Can I Make This Into a Cake? Absolutely, and I already have a separate recipe for snickerdoodle cake. For a smaller cake, use today’s cupcake and frosting recipes, but bake as a 3-layer 6-inch cake. See this post for how to turn cupcake recipes into 3-layer 6-inch cakes.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
Just finished making these including frosting them with your recipe! While labor intensive, they came together perfectly. Baked them for 21 minutes, clean toothpick and not burnt at the edges. Waited an hour before frosting., perfect. Messy with the piping bag (always have problems with filling them, but after using the 1M tip (no coupling) they came out nice and neat. Very sweet treats, my grandkids are going to be on sugar overload with these. I did put the snickdoodle cookies I made yesterday and even though I made some smaller ones, they were still too big for the cupcakes, so I broke them in half and worked just fine.
I have made these a few times, and they are always so good! I am wanting to bring them to a birthday dinner for 3 different birthdays and 3 different tastes. I’m wondering if you think it would work to split the batter in half and add sprinkles to make it into Funfetti because I don’t need two whole batches of cupcakes. Thank you!
Hi Jeannie, yes, you can absolutely do that! The bake time will be the same for the sprinkle cupcakes.
How should I adjust baking time to make mini cupcakes?
Hi Hannah, To make mini cupcakes, bake them for 11-13 minutes at the same temperature. Enjoy!
This recipe looks amazing. I get all my recipes from you and they turn out great!! I’m thinking of making these for a family gathering and I was wondering how many these make and if I would need to double the recipe because I made your chocolate cupcakes last week for my aunts birthday and it made about 14 cupcakes.
Hi Hartley, this recipe yields one dozen cupcakes. For a larger yield, you can use our snickerdoodle cake batter and follow the recipe notes there for cupcakes. That will make about 3 dozen cupcakes.
Would this recipe turn out the same if I double it?? Is there anything extra I would do or just double the ingredients
Hi Hartley, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
OMG am I the only one that felt there was too much batter for 1 cupcakes? Overflowed and really not looking very good.
Hi Becky, are you using a standard 12-count muffin pan? I wonder if the cups of your pan hold less volume, or if the liners you are using are particularly thick. 3 Tablespoons of batter per cupcake is usually what most pans hold. The tops always look a bit wonky from the swirling and some batter can pool a bit around the edges.
Really loved this recipe
I have been dedicated to Sally’s recipes for well over two years now, and I have certainly tried a lot of cupcake recipes from her. But I have to say this beats them ALL. These snickerdoodle cupcakes were so soft, perfectly cinnamony, delicious, and just perfect in every way! The cinnamon frosting is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. My sister especially loves cinnamon and snickerdoodle flavors and she LOVED these. I absolutely can’t wait to make them again.
Thank you for the feedback, Lucy; so glad these cupcakes were a hit!
Hi Sally!
I love the mini Snickerdoodles here and would love to do minis of some of your other cookies – is there a general rule of thumb for adjusting the baking time? Thanks!
Hi Alyssa, you can definitely try it with other cookie recipes. We don’t have a general rule of thumb, but keep an eye on them with the oven light and take them out on the early side, as they will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
I love every single recipe I’ve ever tried of yours! My favorite is the Blueberry Cream Cheese Pastry Braid. Quick question: Is there an easy way to turn a regular recipe into gluten free or should I just stick to the gluten-free recipes? I have a gluten-free teammate now and I’d like to bring goodies but I don’t want him to be left out. All of your September recipes look too good not to try.
My daughter and I have been cooking with you since the early stages of your career. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us!
Hi Shannon, we don’t test our recipes with gluten-free flour substitutes, but many readers comment that they have used 1:1 GF subs in many recipes with success. We do have a section of the site with naturally gluten-free recipes you can peruse. Hope this helps!
I have substituted Kind Arthur Baking Measure for Measure flour for many of Sally’s recipes with great success. I would use different gf flour for any that use yeast.
It’s my birthday today and I made these! So delicious!
Happy birthday, Emma! We’re so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes!
Hello Sally,
I see that quite a few of your baking recipes have sour cream, heavy cream, or buttermilk in them. I’m wondering (as I’m lactose intolerant — like 40% of North American adults) if one can substitute lactose free yogurt for sour cream or buttermilk. I’m thinking, in particular, of the lovely looking snickerdoodle cupcakes you sent out yesterday.
Have you any experience with this kind of substitution?
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes.
Hi Gail, yes, replacing with a dairy-free sour cream or yogurt should work great. You can also use a dairy-free buttermilk, or read more about how to make a dairy free buttermilk substitute here. Hope this helps!
Just wondering if this recipe would benefit from your usual 425° for 5 minutes and then 350°?
Hi Chris, We only do that for muffins, which tend to have a thicker batter and we do this to help create those signature high bakery tops. For cupcakes, we want a flatter top (just slightly domed) so that we can easily frost them. Hope this helps!
I have a general baking question: Should you use bleached or unbleached flour when baking? (I have always used unbleached). Thank you!
Hi Susan, we prefer unbleached, but you can use either!
Sally, for the batter, can I use my stand mixer instead of whisking?
Hi Michele, you can, but be careful not to overmix the batter as it can cause the cupcakes to come out squat and dense. Enjoy!
Can. I pipe flowers with this icing?
Yes, definitely. This frosting pipes beautifully!
The ingredient list doesn’t say “melted” butter.
I notice you didn’t start these cupcakes in a 425 degree oven, as you normally do with cupcakes. Is there a reason for that? Just curious
Hi Dianne! We only do that for muffins, which tend to have a thicker batter and we do this to help create those signature high bakery tops. For cupcakes, we want a flatter top (just slightly domed) so that we can easily frost them. Hope this helps!
Do you think I could sub gf flour to make this gluten free? I use the measure for measure gf flour
Hi Cassie, that shouldn’t be a problem at all!
Hi Sally,
Can you help me understand the difference between using melted butter in this recipe and creaming softened butter together with the sugars for the wet ingredients? Is there a noticeable difference in the end product between the two methods?
Hi Shana! I usually make cakes and cupcakes with creamed softened butter (and sugar). It creates a very fluffy, light, and cake-like base for the baked good. Using melted butter, as I do here and in these strawberry shortcake cupcakes, makes a slightly denser cupcake that’s still quite soft but not as springy and light, if that makes sense. Melted butter also gives the cupcakes a stronger butter flavor and I like that here!
I need to make something for a preschool graduation. Can I make mini cupcakes in a mini muffin pan? How would I adjust baking? Thanks!
Hi Sheena! To make mini cupcakes, bake them for 11-13 minutes at the same temperature. Enjoy!
Thank you so much! I appreciate the swift reply! They’re in the oven now and looking/smelling amazing!
This recipe…. OMG AMAZING.
I ate one without the frosting, and one with, and scooped the extra frosting right into my mouth!
It is so light and fluffy, and perfectly moist. The only thing I will do in the future is slightly less of the cinnamon and sugar inside and on top.
And I might add some chai spice for the winter months. But I always make it as the recipe says the first time. All of your recipes so far have been amazing. Thank you!
How long do you bake if making mini Bundt cakes.
Hi Debbie, mini bundt cakes usually take around 20-25 minutes to bake, but will depend on your exact pan.
Is it okay if I use cream cheese instead of sour cream if I don’t have any?
Hi Loretta! Cream cheese isn’t a good substitute for sour cream, it is too thick. Yogurt would be a good alternative.
I am planning to use this recipe to make one or two 6 inch cakes and I’ll use the leftover batter to make some cupcakes. I see that in your snickerdoodle cake recipe that you use cake flour — if I want a softer sponge using this recipe, should I substitute the all-purpose flour in this recipe for cake flour? Thanks!
Hi M! You can definitely use the same amount of cake flour here if desired.
So I was wondering if instead of mixing the frosting or swirling it, could I make it only cinnamon frosting?
Definitely!
Hi Sally. I make these cupcakes on a regular basis and folks always comment that they are the best they’ve ever had and beg for more! I am curious about whether you tried this recipe with cream of tartar which is the unique ingredient for the best snickerdoodle cookies?
Hi Kellie! Cream of tartar (a leavening agent) is simply not needed here. Its slight tangy taste wouldn’t be detected in a cupcake anyway!
Hi Sally! I have made these cupcakes for my daughters birthday for the past 3 years! We love them!! This year she insist on a snickerdoodle cake. Any suggestions on turning the cupcakes into a cake?
Hi Vanessa, this batter would be the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake, or you can try our separate snickerdoodle cake recipe!