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!
Hello, how does this icing pipe? Will it stiffen or will it remain soft and droop?
Hi Hailey, You can see in my photos that I was able to pipe it with a star tip very well! It won’t crust over but it stays stiff. You can always adjust the consistency of frosting to your liking by using more or less cream/milk.
I’ve made these more than once. a HUGE success. I’m planning to make this into a cake actually for thanksgiving – with the cinnamon buttercream between layers and the vanilla buttercream on the outside (with embellishments of the cinnamon for decoration. Of course there will be miniature cookies also. Any tips for baking time for a cake?
Hi Sonja! You can double the recipe and bake in two separate 9-inch cake pans. Fill the pans only 1/2 way full and use any extra batter to make cupcakes. Double the frosting recipe as well. If interested, I recently shared a recipe for a snickerdoodle cake 🙂
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. My daughter said the same thing.(Unfortunately, I didn’t get one because the were in such high demand). I did make the second beach of frosting by beating the powdered sugar first to loosen the lumps, then add the butter beating until fluffy. was a much better texture and taste compared to these instructions. Will definitely make again and again. Any advice on cooking times if I made mini cupcakes instead? (More to go around!)
YAY! I’m thrilled that you made them and that they were such a hit! If you want to make mini cupcakes next time bake them for 11-13 minutes at the same temperature. Enjoy!
Can you frost these cupcakes and leave them out for a few hours?
Absolutely.
Hi Sally, I have to tell you about my experience with these cupcakes. I have made at least six batches in the last two weeks. The cupcake is extraordinary! I did make a change to be icing. I use a vanilla bean buttercream icing and I fill them with some apple/cinnamon filling. They are absolutely amazing! Every person that has tried them has raved over them. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
Sally, these are THE BEST cupcakes. I am not a snickerdoodle cookie fan but these
cupcakes are awesome !!!
Hi! I love your snickerdoodle cookie recipe and it’s my husbands favorite too! I’m wanting to make a cupcake version and came across this version of yours. I noticed, however, that some of the ingredients are slightly different (which I get since it’s cookie vs cupcake), but I’m wondering why it doesn’t call for the cream of tartar? Is there a reason to leave that particular ingredient out of the cupcake version?
Thanks!!
Hi Krystal, thanks for asking. Cream of tartar (a leavening agent) is simply not needed. Its slight tangy taste wouldn’t be detected in a cake or cupcake anyway!
I made these and took them to work and everyone loved them and couldn’t seem to get enough. I posted a photo of them on a baking page as well and had 100’s of people begging for this recipe. I haven’t had a bad recipe from Sally’s baking addiction and am so glad I stumbled across this.
If I want to make 24 cupcakes, can I just double the recipe in one bowl or should I make the recipe for 12 twice?
Hi Deborah! For best results, I recommend making two separate batches.
I have made this recipe as a cake now for the 5th time, I keep getting requests for it. Perfect and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
These cupcakes turned out exactly what I was hoping for. They were fluffy, moist, and had that snickerdoodle tang just like the cookies. My coworkers were very pleased. I fully reccomend this recipe.
Does the yogurt/sour cream have to be full fat? Thanks!
Hi Katie! For best taste and texture, I recommend full fat.
Any thoughts on how to turn this into a layer cake?
Hi Holly! You can double the recipe and bake in two separate 9-inch cake pans. Fill the pans only 1/2 way full and use any extra batter to make cupcakes. Double the frosting recipe as well.
I tried this recipe for the first time yesterday. I took in into my job everyone went crazy over theses cups!! Outstanding receive! It’s definitely going to be a family favorite
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.
What a great find this recipe is! My whole family loved them. My daughter texted me a picture of a half eaten cupcake and said “Best thing ever!”. I am guessing they will sell well at the hurricane relief bake sale I am bringing them to! Thank you!
These were the most delicious things EVER!!! I made a batch to take to work and they disappeared in less than an hour!
Just curious, have you ever tried freezing any of your cupcakes? I need to make a whole bunch for a bake sale and thought I could get some done ahead of time. Not sure how freezing and thawing would turn out.
Thanks for the good recipes!
Yes – I usually have make ahead tips at the end of the recipe 🙂 This one says frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
If you want to make all the icing cinnamon swirl should I just add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon? Just want to be sure. Thank you.
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons would be plenty.
Just made a double batch of these cupcakes tonight; they are amazing!
OMG….These are absolutely the most wonderful Snickerdoodle cupcake I have eaten…moist and very tasty …the Snickerdoodle flavor is spot on!
Thank you Sally.
Made these for my husband for Father’s Day, Snickerdoodle cookies are his favorite! These were a huge hit, even though I had to improvise with a mini cupcake tin. Thanks so much for creating these!
Hi Sally, can these be made as mini cupcakes? If so, how would I adjust the baking time? Thank you!
Yep– 10-13 minutes bake time
I made these for my girls at church and the said they were the best cupcake they’ve ever had! Thank you!
10/10 will make again!!!! I didn’t even need to make frosting!!
These cupcakes are AMAZING. When I tell you I almost fainted when I tasted them…They are simply the best. They came out so soft and fluffy. And the icing is spot on! Will definitely be making these again for the holidays.
I have made these on two separate occasions and they are absolutely delicious! Everyone just loves them!
Sally,
Just made these cupcakes. I topped them with a creamy vanilla buttercream flavored with espresso powder and they are incredible! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Hi Sally! I know it’s been awhile since you’ve posted this recipe, but I wanted to leave you a comment to let you know that these cupcakes are AMAZING. Snickerdoodles are my absolute favorite cookie, and these cupcakes that have the mini cookies on them are perfection. I made a batch of these for my office potluck (with the mini snickerdoodles on top) and they were eaten up in seconds. Rave reviews. I even got chastised for not bringing a double batch! So, thanks again for another winner and recipe book staple!