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. We do something similar with these brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes, try them next!
If you love snickerdoodles, you might also enjoy these white chocolate chai snickerdoodles, peanut butter snickerdoodles, maple pecan snickerdoodles, and snickerdoodle blondies, too.
Print
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 piping 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!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Omg I loved these cupcakes so much but the batter stuck to my cupcake liners!!! Can you tell me why this happened? Thanks so much
Hi Zoe, unfortunately some cupcake liners will do that—some brands are better than others. If you had troubles with sticking, we’d recommend trying a different brand next time if you can. We’re glad you still enjoyed the cupcakes!
Best recipe ever! So delicious and pretty and simple. I absolutely love love love these!
Hi, would food coloring on the frosting change the flavor?
I need blue & red frosting.
Hi Becky! You can add gel food coloring here, but the colors will be muddled with the cinnamon in this frosting.
The recipe says a yield of 12 but I’m pretty sure it’s 24.
Hi Chris! This recipe yields 12 cupcakes.
Hello! Can these be made into mini cupcakes?
Hi Lauren, to make mini cupcakes, bake them for 11-13 minutes at the same temperature. Enjoy!
Can I use cake flour? In what recipes is it okay to substitute with cake flour.
Hi Elizabeth, you can definitely use the same amount of cake flour here if desired.
These cupcakes we’re such a hit! I brought them to a friend get together consisting of about 15 kids, so you know there weren’t any leftovers!! I also got many complements! I really do think in many cake recipes adding the sour cream or yogurt makes them so good. I would do less powdered sugar in the frosting however, 3 cups is probably enough. I enjoyed assembling the cupcakes too, so fun! However, I would love to know the taste difference between them and the chai spiced cupcakes, do they taste similar? I haven’t tried the chai ones. Thank you so much for the delicious recipe!!
Hi Sam! They’re similar, the chai latte cupcakes have a bigger variety of spices (including cardamom!) and these snickerdoodle cupcakes have more texture form the cinnamon sugar swirl. So glad you loved these!
Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Michelle, for best results, we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling.
I made these for a small baby shower and my goodness did the ladies love them!!! I was asked for the recipe, asked if I would make them again and none were leftover because everyone grabbed some to take home! They were absolutely delicious!
For the frosting, I saw your substitution of milk vs. cream, and that the frosting wouldn’t have the same consistency. What about swapping the milk with evaporated milk? Would that also have the same effect?
Hi Michelle! We haven’t tested evaporated milk – let us know if you do.
The cake was moist however it was very sweet. I’m going to cut the sugar almost in half for the filling and what goes on top. Other than that good recipe.
Other than the cinnamon swirl frosting, is there another frosting you’d recommend?
Hi Danielle, regular vanilla buttercream would be here fantastic, too.
These snickerdoodle cupcakes look absolutely delicious! I love how you’ve added the cinnamon swirl frosting it must bring such a perfect balance of sweetness and spice. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe soon! I can already imagine enjoying one with a nice cup of coffee at El Panecito Gardena while catching up with friends. This is definitely a must-make for my next baking day!
Could these cupcakes be frozen before frosted?
Hi Vonda, Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.
I have made many of Sally’s recipes and they are always a huge success. These cupcakes, however, have been raved and requested more than anything else I have made. Several have asked me to make them for birthday parties. It provides the perfect balance of cinnamon and sweetness. Highly recommend making these, they are not much harder than vanilla cupcakes.
Made these with King Arthur gluten free 1:1 flour and these were delicious! Got so many compliments on them!
Hi, can I use Greek yoghurt in place of regular yoghurt or sour cream? Thanks
Hi Bixie, that should be fine.
What adjustments would need to be made to bake these as mini cupcakes?
Hi Debbie, to make mini cupcakes, bake them for 11-13 minutes at the same temperature. Enjoy!
I made this into a 3 layer 6 inch cake and it turned out amazing. It was so good!
Can these be made by substituting gluten free flour?
Hi Linda, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
These are delicious!
I prefer less frosting per cupcake, so I used the leftover frosting to make mini snickerdoodle sandwich cookies with all the tiny snickerdoodles I baked!!
Is there a reason you use AP flour in this recipe as opposed to using cake flour? I just noticed that in the snickerdoodle cake and other cakes you use cake flour mostly. Just curious. Thanks.
Hi Nikki, you can definitely use the same amount of cake flour here if desired.
I’m making a larger batch of these for a friend’s wedding. I was going to make them Thursday night so deliver them to her on Friday. Her wedding is on Saturday. Will they be fine in a sealed plastic container at room temp during that time?
Hi Kayla, we usually recommend making cupcakes and cakes only 1 day in advance as they can dry out if made sooner than that. Is there any way you could make them on Friday?
These cupcakes are insanely good and surprisingly straightforward to make. I’ll be making them again and again!
I make a loooot of cupcakes, mostly using Sallys recipes, but these are UNBELIEVABLE! First time making them today and I am shooook. So good!!! (Just don’t overfill like I did lol)
I have made these multiple times and they are a big hit! The cinnamon really takes these bad boys to the next level with only a little extra effort. My husband, who is my best critic, absolutely loves them. I check the internal temperature when cooking them and they come out perfectly cooked around 205F.
Hi Sally,
In the ingredients list it states soften to room temperature butter. In the directions it states melted butter. Will either or work? I am making these and your Best Vanilla Cake for my grandson’s 1st birthday!!!
Hi Carole, the cupcake batter uses melted butter, and the frosting uses softened butter. Hope this clarifies things!
I made these to bring to work and everyone was obsessed! My sister can’t have gluten and snickerdoodles are her absolute favorite. Do you think these could be make with the King Arthur one to one gluten free flour?
Hi Lindsey, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but some readers have reported success using a 1:1 GF substitute like the one you mentioned. If you try it, please let us know how it goes!
Baked for my husband’s birthday. Absolutely incredible and came out perfectly!