Satisfying snickerdoodle cupcakes with a rich and creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting sprinkled with cinnamon sugar on top. And they’re completely gluten free!
We all know how adored snickerdoodle cookies are. What could make them better? Making them cupcakes!
A fluffy, snickerdoodle flavored cupcake base, with a cream cheese frosting that is flavored with cinnamon is a top tier dessert. While you can bake these any time of year, they are most loved and desired in the fall and winter months, during the holidays.
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes Ingredients
1 cup of butter: Your butter should be soft enough to mix easily, but not so soft that you wouldn’t be able to pick it up without drooping.
1 1/2 cup of sugar: We are using plain old granulated white sugar for this recipe.
4 eggs: As you will read in the recipe instructions, I like to really mix the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture to get some more air into the batter.
2 cups gluten free all purpose flour: The specific flour blend you use may slightly impact your end result for these cupcakes. Overall, I prefer Cup4Cup flour and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. Whichever flour blend you use, make sure it is a 1:1 substitute and also has xanthan gum.
2 teaspoons baking powder: Baking power is my leavening agent of choice for this recipe.
Pinch of salt: As always, we want to add just a little salt for balance.
4 teaspoons cinnamon: This may seem like a lot of cinnamon and it is! I think snickerdoodles are best with a bold cinnamon taste. You can certainly adjust the recipe by adding more or less to suit your preference.
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla: Vanilla pairs deliciously with the cinnamon to further enhance the flavor.
1/4 cup milk: We only use a bit of milk for this recipe to add moisture alongside sour cream.
1/2 cup sour cream: Sour cream is going to add lots of moisture and contribute to the texture of these cupcakes.
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes: Step by Step
- First thing’s first: You want to preheat your oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit and line some cupcake pans. This batter should make 24 cupcakes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. You will be pouring this into the wet mixture, so this bowl does not have to be able to fit anything more than the dry ingredients.
- Cream butter and sugar together with either a stand or hand mixer. This equipment will efficiently whip enough air into the mixture for a nice texture in the end. Initially, this will appear yellow and gritty. Whip for a few minutes until it appears a little more white. You do not need to mix until the sugar is fully dissolved.
4. Once your mixture looks like the second picture, you can add the eggs. Once they are all in, whip this on a medium speed for 2 more minutes. Here is where we want to incorporate even more air.
5. Now, you can add the vanilla and sour cream. You can mix this until the batter looks even.
6. While mixing on a low speed, you can add the dry ingredients. Once that is done, add the milk. You will only want to mix this for 1 minute once all of the ingredients are in.
7. Scoop into lined cupcake pan. This is easiest with a thumb press scooper. You can also use regular spoons. A good tip for thick batter is using one spoon to scoop and a second spoon to scrape the batter off. I fill these about 3/4 of the way up the liner.
8. Put them in the oven! These tend to take between 27 and 30 minutes to bake. Ovens differ, so I recommend checking on them at 25 minutes. They are finished baking when a toothpick inserted either comes out clean, but moist, or with very few moist crumbs.
Remove them from the pan right away, and let them cool on a wire rack.
Make sure to cool these completely before frosting! Any amount of warmth will ruin your beautiful decorations.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- To make the frosting, start by whipping butter and cream cheese together on a high speed for 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla and continue to mix.
- Slowly add in powdered sugar and cinnamon, making sure to scrape down the sides periodically.
- Continue to whip this mixture on high for 5 minutes.
I think these cupcakes look best with simple piping. You can either use a large round tip or simply cut a hole in your piping bag!
Top these with a cinnamon sugar mixture. Just mix equal parts cinnamon and sugar.
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting – Gluten Free
Ingredients
for the cupcakes
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup gluten free 1:1 all purpose flour my favorites are Cup4Cup and Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour
- 1 pinch salt
for the cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- 1 ½ cup butter softened
- 2 cups cream cheese
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 ½ tsp cinnamon
- 3 ½ cups confectioners sugar
- 1 pinch salt small pinch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In your main mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar. Mix on medium for 2-3 minutes. The mixture should have become whiter in color by now.
- Stir in the eggs. Mix for another 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.
- While mixing on a low speed, add in the dry ingredients. Add the milk right after. Mix until combined and do not over mix. It is best to only mix your batter for 1 minute once all the ingredients are added.
- Scoop into lined cupcake pans and bake!
- Bake for 27-30 minutes. Check on them after 25 minutes. All ovens tend to be a bit different.
- Once a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with very few moist crumbs, you are ready to take the cupcakes out of the oven.
- Cool on a wire rack while you make the icing.
More gluten free recipes here!
