Soft, chewy snickerdoodle cookies made with reduce apple cider to give you all the fall feels. These Apple Cider Snickerdoodles are a perfect fall treat!
Apple Cider
Fall is hands down my favorite season. Sweaters, s’mores, football, pumpkins, changing leaves, and of course, apple cider. Everyone in my family loves apple cider, so we keep it around when it’s available from our favorite orchard.
I love to drink apple cider, but I also love to use it in recipes. This year I decided I wanted to try it in some cookies.
If you’re looking for other apple cider recipes, here are a few of my favorites:
Apple Cider Donuts
Apple Cider Bundt Cake
Apple Cider Pancakes
Apple Cider Apple Sauce
Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
Apple cider and cinnamon go hand in hand, so the obvious move was to use apple cider for a twist on snickerdoodles. My family cookbook has a great recipe for snickerdoodles, so I started with that and made some changes to make these delightful little treats.
Reducing Cider
The key to getting the apple-cidery taste into baked goods is to reduce the cider first. You cannot skip this step.
To reduce, simmer 1 cup of the cider until it is has reduced to about 2 tablespoons. This will will ensure you get the maximum apple cider goodness packed into your cookies.
Cream of Tarter
Cream of tarter is a crucial ingredient for snickerdoodles as it does a few specific things that cannot be missed:
- It activates the baking soda.
- It makes the cookies chewy.
- It gives snickerdoodles their snickerdoodely taste.
Apple Pie Spice
You can substitute apple pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice. However, I prefer to use my own mix as I can get the exact flavor I want.
Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar gently packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tarter
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Coating
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon all spice
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat apple cider in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Simmer until cider has reduced to 2 tablespoons. This will take about 25 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes before using cider in cookies.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Use electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment to beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Next, beat in egg and the 2 tbsp of reduced, cooled apple cider. Mix until well incorporated, scraping down sides as needed.
- In a small bowl, stir together salt, flour, cream of tarter, and baking soda. Gradually beat into butter mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time.
- In a small bowl, stir together all four coating ingredients.
- Scoop dough into about 1 tbsp sized round balls. Roll balls in coating and then place on prepared cookie sheets, about 2.5 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheets for about 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.
If you enjoyed these Apple Cider Snickerdoodles, you might enjoy these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:
Chewy Chocolate Chip Candy Cookies
Chewy Oreo M&M Cookies
Easy Cutout Sugar Cookies
Apple Cider Bundt Cake
Links to items used to make this recipe:
Air Bake Cookie Sheets: These are my favorite for baking!
Silicone Baking Mats: I use these for all cookies, and a lot of baking in general. Make sure you have one set for sweets and another for non-sweets.
Stacking Cooling Racks: These are great as they can cool a lot of cookies while saving counter space.
These are so addicting.