Snickerdoodles remind me of my mom. I’ve previously mentioned her epic holiday baking. Every surface of our house would be covered in cooling cookies. There would be boxes upon boxes of fudge stored away in the spare bedroom. It’s impossible to pick a favorite, but buttery, cinnamon-covered snickerdoodles were definitely high on the list. It’s the perfect Fall treat.
I made these Snickerdoodle Cupcakes for my sister-in-law right after we arrived here. Cupcakes aren’t nearly as ubiquitous in the UK as they are in the US, at least not the king with piles of buttercream. Frankly, I think the piles of buttercream are the whole point.
These cupcakes start out with a tender cinnamon cake and are topped off with completely appropriate piles of cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They also get sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for a bit of sparkle and a subtle crunch. Are they as good as my mom’s cookies? Is anything ever as good as mom’s cookies? I don’t know. These cupcakes are, without a doubt, awesome.
Certain scents and flavors can connect you with some of the most wonderful moments in your life. Snickerdoodles take me to my happy place. Snickerdoodle cupcakes are every kind of awesome!
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 ounces milk
- 4 ounces butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar for garnish
- Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and line your cupcake pan with 12 papers.
- Sift flours, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon into a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about five minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Scrape down your bowl and beat until everything is well combined.
- With your mixer on its lowest setting, mix in the flour in three batches with half the milk in between each batch. It's gonna go flour, milk, flour, milk, flour. Mix until just combined.
- Divide your batter among your 12 waiting cupcake papers. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese until blended. Beat in the powdered sugar. Add it about a half cup at a time if you don't want to clean powdered sugar off every surface of your kitchen. Mix in the vanilla and cinnamon and beat until it's light and fluffy.
- Spread or pipe your frosting onto your cupcakes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
