Healthier Snickerdoodle Cookies

As someone who likes to reduce the sugar in recipes, cookies have always been annoying because any change in ingredients can destroy the texture. These healthier snickerdoodle cookies took me so long to create, but I’m super happy with the final product. They are made with less butter and sugar than traditional snickerdoodles, but they still have that classic, super soft and chewy texture.

Cookies have always been the most challenging baked good for me to make because any change to ingredients has a huge effect on the texture. For example, sugar is super important in cookies to the taste but also to spreading and chewiness. This recipe combines many different variations for snickerdoodle cookies that have less sugar and butter, but still have that amazing texture.

Method and ingredients:

Sugar: This recipe calls for both white sugar and brown sugar, which might seem unusual for snickerdoodles. The white sugar helps with spreading while the brown sugar makes the cookies more chewy.

Butter: Another unique part of this recipe is that you will need softened butter and melted butter. The softened butter will get creamed with the sugar which aerates the dough and keeps it nice and soft. The melted butter helps the cookies to spread more and makes them chewier.

Applesauce: This ingredient may seem surprising in a snickerdoodle recipe, but it plays an important role. Since I reduced the sugar and butter, the applesauce is crucial to replacing some of the moisture.

Nutmeg: Most recipes don’t include nutmeg, but I think that it adds a nice complexity to these cookies. Feel free to skip it if you don’t have nutmeg or you don’t like the flavor.

Forming the cookies: These snickerdoodles don’t spread as much in the oven as traditional recipes because of the reduced sugar and butter. That’s why you need to slightly flatten these cookies before you bake them, or you might end up with snickerdoodle balls (which honestly doesn’t sound THAT bad). I like to use the bottom of a cup to flatten my dough balls. Gently press down to flatten the cookies until they are a little more than 1/2 inch thick. Be careful not to flatten too much.

Baking: It’s super important to not overbake these cookies. In order to have a soft and chewy texture, you should remove the cookies when they are still super delicate. The surface should be set, but you shouldn’t be able to pick one up. They will continue to cook even after you remove them from the oven, so take them out when they are still slightly underbaked. Then let them rest on the pan for 1-2 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack. It’s helpful to have a spatula for this.

If you liked these healthier snickerdoodle recipe, you might also like…

• Snickerdoodle amaretti cookies
• Healthy gingerbread muffins
• Healthier ginger molasses cookies
• Double chocolate crinkle cookies
• Healthier sugar cookies

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5 from 3 votes

Healthier Snickerdoodle Cookies

I love the classic soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies, but I wanted to make a healthier version while keeping the same texture. These cookies are made with less sugar and butter, but you would never know!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Keyword: christmas, cookie, healthy, snickerdoodle

Servings: 36 cookies

Author: Half the Sugar Baker

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups unsalted butter 1/2 cup softened, 1/4 cup melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

For the cinnamon sugar:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, add the 3/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup softened butter. Beat with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Then add the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined. Then add the 1/4 cup melted butter, applesauce, and the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined. Finish mixing with a spatula or large spoon.
• For the cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.
• Roll the dough into balls the size of a walnut, around 1 1/2 tablespoons. Then roll the dough ball in your cinnamon sugar mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little room for spreading. Repeat until you run out of dough.
• Use the bottom of a cup to gently press down on each dough ball until it is slightly more than 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The top should be just set and very soft. Once done baking, remove from oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Notes

Be careful not to overbake these cookies. Remember that they will continue to cook briefly after you remove them from the oven. They should be removed once the surface is set and no longer shiny, but it should still be very delicate.