These Snickerdoodle Cupcakes are based on the classic cookie, with warm cinnamon flavor. They’re easy to make, topped with swirls of sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. Perfect for cinnamon lovers, and for birthday parties or any celebration!
Easy Cinnamon Cupcakes
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes are a fantastic sweet treat for the cinnamon lovers in your life!
With all of the flavors of classic snickerdoodles, these cupcakes have just the right amount of sweetness and cinnamon warmth. And topped with a tangy-sweet homemade cream cheese frosting that’s dusted with cinnamon sugar – what’s not to love? It’s snickerdoodle perfection!
Like snickerdoodles? Then check out this outrageously fun recipe for Pan-Banging Snickerdoodle Cookies!
I first made this easy cupcake recipe many years ago for our daughter Hatti’s 9th birthday. She was going through a big snickerdoodle cookies phase, and these cupcakes turned out to be the perfect celebratory treat!
What You’ll Need
This recipe is fabulously simple, made with basic pantry ingredients. Cinnamon is infused in each part, for that classic snickerdoodle flavor.
FOR THE CUPCAKES:
- Flour – These cupcakes use equal parts all-purpose flour and cake flour. Be sure to sift the cake flour before using it.
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Cinnamon – A generous amount of cinnamon is used to ensure every bite of these cupcakes is filled with warm flavor. This also adds such a lovely warm fragrance!
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature but not melted.
- Sugar
- Eggs – The eggs should also be at room temperature.
- Pure vanilla extract – Use “pure” extract, not “imitation”, for the very best flavor.
- Milk – Any milk you have in the fridge will work.
FOR THE CINNAMON-SUGAR DUSTING:
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- Cream cheese – For the creamiest texture, be sure to use full-fat cream cheese, not low-fat.
- Butter
- Pure vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Powdered sugar – Sift it to avoid any lumps.
How to Make Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
These cinnamon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are super easy to make. Just be sure to let the cupcakes cool before adding the frosting.
- Make the cupcakes. Sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in batches, alternating with the milk.
- Bake. Divide the batter into a cupcake pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out just barely clean, about 20 minutes. Cool.
- Make the cinnamon-sugar dusting. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar; set aside.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and cinnamon, followed by the powdered sugar.
- Pipe the frosting. Use a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip to pipe frosting onto each cupcake. Immediately dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Tips for Success
For perfectly baked cupcakes, keep these tips in mind.
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing the batter can lead to cupcakes with a less-tender texture.
- Don’t overbake. When testing for doneness, a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs. If the cupcakes are baked too long, they can have a dry texture.
- Let them cool completely. For the very best frosting texture, let the cupcakes cool completely first. If the cupcakes are still warm, the frosting will want to melt – which will take away from the fluffy, creamy texture.
- Add more powdered sugar if necessary. If the frosting is too thin for piping, add more powdered sugar until it reaches the desired consistency. The amount used can vary depending on the warmth and humidity of your kitchen, so simply adjust accordingly.
- Add the cinnamon-sugar immediately. As soon as the frosting is piped onto the cupcakes, add a dusting of the cinnamon-sugar. This ensures that the cinnamon-sugar will stick to the frosting.
Serving Suggestions
Snickerdoodle cupcakes can be enjoyed at room temperature or chilled. If it’s warm, the cream cheese frosting will soften. Enjoy them with coffee, tea, or a glass of milk.
If serving these at a party, be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight.
Can I Make These in Advance?
The cinnamon cupcakes can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Take them out of the refrigerator 30-40 minutes prior to serving.
How to Store
- How to store. These cinnamon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting will keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. The cake will start to dry out, so I recommend enjoying them sooner rather than later.
- Can I freeze these? Yes, you can freeze these snickerdoodle cupcakes for up to 3 months. Freeze in a freezer-safe container and then thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Cupcake Recipes:
- Coconut Cupcakes with Fluffy Buttercream
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Fluffy Buttercream
- Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
- Chocolate Chip Angel Food Cupcakes
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Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Ingredients
for the cupcakes:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups cake flour sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1¾ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups milk
for the cinnamon-sugar dusting:
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sugar
for the cream cheese frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
- For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line standard cupcake/muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
- Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out just barely clean, about 20 minutes. Do not over bake. Transfer pans to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
- For the cinnamon-sugar dusting: In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
- For the cream cheese frosting: In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and cinnamon and beat just to combine. Slowly add sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin for piping.
- Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip (I use Ateco No. 808), pipe frosting onto each cupcake. Immediately finish by dusting the frosting with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. The frosting needs to be freshly piped in order for the cinnamon-sugar to stick to it.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in 2011 and then updated in 2022.
These were wonderful! Loved them with the cream cheese frosting and cinnamon sugar topping :)
Wonderful! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Tara. :)
Hello, this sounds lovely, and I am going to try it, I am a fairly reasonable baker but I just have a few precisions, we don’t have cake flour, would you mind having a look at the package and letting me know whats added to the flour to make it cake flour and I would also like to know if when you say 24 cupcakes are they quite small. I guess I am trying to find out how to make around 12 what I would call queen or fairy cakes. The cupcakes I have seen in france made by american bakers seem almost half the size of ‘regular for me’ cupcakes or buns, about a big inch in diameter? thank you in advance for your help. The caramel ones look spectacular also. will have to give those a whirl -thanks
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i made snickerdoodles in school like a 100yrs ago just kidding but ilove them so much i am going to try your cupcake recipe. thank you very much. debbie
I agree on all your suggestions, once I had them in the refrigerator for a bit the frosting set up well, but it does soften back up fairly quickly once they are set out for guests. It didn’t fall though (which was my concern) so overall an A rating for this one, thanks!
I just made these and I need to figure out why they turned out dry. I have a thermometer in my oven so I was spot on for the temp, I reduced the time because I make mini’s. The frosting is also a little less stiff than I wanted but overall these are a hit in flavor!
Hello Stacey – I’ve made these several times and haven’t had any issues. I haven’t made minis, however, and do know that they usually require less baking time than I always guess. I would try baking for even less time – and check with a toothpick fairly early on, and then continue to check after every minute or so until they are just done. The frosting is not stiff. I would say it has a softly medium consistency. I would just make sure your cream cheese is just barely at room temperature when you start making it. And if it’s too soft for your liking/piping, chill the finished frosting for 20 or 30 minutes before piping. I hope this helps – best wishes!
Just made these — so light & fluffy and of course delicious :) I have a prior recipe that is basically the same, except with buttercream & I now think I prefer the cream cheese frosting instead!
Hi Darci – great to hear from you, thanks for letting me know – have a great weekend!
Oooh! I can’t wait to try these! Snickerdoodles have always been one of my favorites, as are just about any cupcake. Put them together and I am expecting Happy Mouth! Perhaps I’ll make these up for my birthday in August instead of a regular cake..hmm. Got my wheels turning now! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
Hey!
I was wondering if the cream cheese frosting was enough to frost all 28 cupcakes, I’ve read a lot of recipes that usually call for double the cream cheese for 24 cupcakes!
Lovely recipe, and belated happy birthday to your little girl!
Thanks!! =)
That frosting recipe is all I used for my cupcakes, but you can see I didn’t pile on an excessive amount of frosting onto each cupcake. It was more like a little cap sitting in the middle of the cupcake top. If you want to frost out to the edges and pile it high, yes, I would increase the quantity. Thanks for stopping by, Ashley!
Just found your website after searching for snickerdoodle cupcakes! I also heard mixed reviews about the 7 minute frosting which I have never made so I was glad to find your cream cheese frosting recipe! Great job and I love your site!
How sweet! These look magical, with that bit of sparkle…perfect for a birthday indeed.
these look delicious! and super cute styling… love the colors!!