The BEST melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, puffy, and soft Amish Sugar Cookies, madeover with all things cinnamon! With a dusting of cinnamon-sugar, heaps of cinnamon chips, and thick layer of cinnamon icing, these Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies are a cinnamon-lovers’ dream cookie.

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If you already love classic Snickerdoodles, these Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies kick things up a few notches. Let’s talk about it.

I have fond memories with classic Snickerdoodles because they were one of my Gma’s go-to cookie recipes. We had a lot of Snickerdoodles when I was growing up.

She had a handful of regular recipes. Her Lemon Bars were a staple, her fudge was allllllways around (not yet shared). She made a homemade version of Oreos using cake mix cookies, similar to these, her Pistachio Bread made frequent appearances, Snowballs are still a Christmas must-make, Cracked Top Ginger Cookies — probably thousands of batches.

And I’m sure I’m forgetting a few other oft-repeated desserts.

For a while there, Snickerdoodles were one of her regular cookies. Classic Snickerdoodles are great, and they’re timeless for a reason, but the last few times I made them, I was left wishing for a few tweaks. The biggest change I wanted to make was texture.

Classic ones are sooooo crispy and crumbly! They stay thick and puffy, but are airy, lack density, and are very crispy. At least, such was the family recipe that we’d always used.

But the second tweak is using butter over shortening. The recipe we use in my family, and many other Snickerdoodle recipes that I’ve seen, call for shortening. With a few exceptions, butter is always better in my book. It adds so much flavor.

Because I’ve had a lot of success with transforming Amish Sugar Cookies into all manner of other cookies — every flavor I’ve been able to think of to this point has become a cookie variation (see below for the list of about 20!), I decided to also turn Amish Sugar Cookies into Snickerdoodles.

They are one of my personal favorite cookie recipes, one of my most popular recipes on the blog, AND they are also very versatile. For all of those reasons, it feels like a natural fit to transform Amish Sugar Cookies into Snickerdoodles.

These Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies are not merely cinnamon-sugar dusted cookies though. These go a bit beyond that.

MANY cinnamon chips. Like, so many! When I tried cinnamon chips a few years ago, I thought they were going to be icky and artificial, for sure. They’re actually super delicious. They’re like butter and cinnamon bombs in a melty little morsel.

They come through rather authentic, and they really do add lovely cinnamon goodness. I’m a fan. I couldn’t resist adding those in. If you know you don’t like them, obviously skip them.

And a cinnamon icing… because what’s a good cookie without icing? These Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies are superb on their own actually, but what isn’t made a touch better with icing? Go for it. Adding a thick layer of sweet, buttery, cinnamon-laced icing for good measure.

Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies are a big upgrade to many traditional Snickerdoodle cookie recipes. With a few improvements upon the cookie “base”, cinnamon chips, and a spiced frosting, these are big on ‘snickerdoodle.’

To peruse through every other variation of Amish Sugar Cookies that I’ve come up with, take a look below:

Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies with Cinnamon Icing

The BEST melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, puffy, and soft Amish Sugar Cookies, madeover with all things cinnamon! With a dusting of cinnamon-sugar, heaps of cinnamon chips, and thick layer of cinnamon icing, these Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies are a cinnamon-lovers' dream cookie. If you already love classic snickerdoodles, these Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies kick things up a few notches!

Course Cookies

Keyword amish sugar cookies, snickerdoodle amish cookies, snickerdoodle amish sugar cookies, snickerdoodle cookies

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 48

Ingredients

For Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies:

1 cup butter softened
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar divided
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. cinnamon divided
2 - 10 oz. packages cinnamon baking chips

For Cinnamon Icing:

4 tbsp. butter melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 1-2 tbsp. heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

For Snickerdoodle Amish Sugar Cookies:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, oil, 1 cup granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until combined.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and 1 tsp. cinnamon.
In two additions, add flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until just combined. Do not overmix.
Fold in cinnamon chips until evenly distributed.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
Thoroughly coat balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Arrange two inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 375 for 8-11 minutes, or until edges and bottoms are lightly browned.
Remove to wire racks to cool.
Prepare icing.

For Cinnamon Icing:

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup milk or cream.
Beat in cinnamon.
Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until smooth.
Add additional milk or powdered sugar, as needed, to achieve an easily spreadable consistency. It should be slightly thicker than a glaze, and it shouldn't run off the cookie, but should be easily spreadable. It's an icing that sets, so if it's getting too thick as it sits, or you notice it's becoming harder to spread, you can pop it in the microwave for 5-6 seconds - that's ALL it takes - a few seconds will thin it back out again.
Ice the cookies generously, and allow to set.

Recipe Notes

These are good for at least a week, but best within the first 3-4 days. After a few days, they get crumbly and a bit on the drier side - still a delicious cookie though.

Store cookies in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. Stack cookies with parchment paper or foil in-between layers. Cookies will keep for about a week.

These freeze really well! Iced or plain, they freeze beautifully.