Orange Cardamom Snickerdoodles: Perfect For Hosting or Gifting

These orange cardamom snickerdoodles are everything you love about a classic cookie—crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside—with a delightful twist of orange and warm spices. Snickerdoodles have always been a hit among my friends, so I decided to add a little extra fun to the mix. Bonus: they freeze beautifully, making them perfect to have on hand for an unexpected guest or a quick gift.

Cookies like these are more than just a treat—they’re an invitation. Whether you’re meeting a new neighbor or reconnecting with an old friend, these snickerdoodles are the sweetest way to break the ice and grow relationships.

If you are in a hurry and don’t have time to roll out and bake several batches of cookies, you can try our Easy Snickerdoodle Blondies. They taste like a churro smells and are a quick alternative to traditional snickerdoodles.

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Now put on a cute apron and lets get baking! But first a little history of the snickerdoodle:

Why do the call it a snickerdoodle?

Snickerdoodles have been around since the late 19th century and are thought to have German roots. The name might come from the word Schneckennudeln, which is a type of cinnamon roll, though no one’s exactly sure how that connection happened. And despite the fun name, it has nothing to do with Snickers or doodling! It’s likely one of those whimsical names that caught on in New England baking circles—and aren’t we glad it did? It’s such a fun word to say!

Ingredients

The thing that sets snickerdoodles apart is their signature sugar coating, which gives them that irresistible sweet and spiced crust. To keep things simple, I’ve separated the ingredients for the cookies and the orange cardamom sugar mixture below. And don’t worry—there’s a handy printable recipe card with all the exact measurements waiting for you at the bottom of this post!

For the cookies:

Here are some things to know:

• Orange zest- my go-to tool for this is a grater zester. It gives you a finer zest compared to the kind that’s more like a peeler. If you don’t have one, you can also use the smallest side of a 4 sided box grater, it can work in a pinch!
• Eggs- One egg plus one egg yolk. This helps the dough stick together better and not become so crumbly. .
• Cream of tartar- Traditional snickerdoodles use cream of tartar, which gives them their slightly tangy taste and distinctive texture. It’s part of what makes them so unique compared to other sugar cookies.
• Ground Cardamom- I seriously try to put cardamom in everything! I love this stuff so much!

For the orange cardamom sugar mixture:

• Orange Zest- This is the same as you used in the dough.

Step by Step Instructions

Prepare the Orange Cardamom Snickerdoodle Dough

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Line two to four cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. I use two pans and alternate. This recipe makes four batches when the snickerdoodles are one tablespoon in size.

Images 1-4: Cream the butter mixture. I use the paddle attachment at medium speed. After about two and a half minutes, it is nice and creamy. Make sure to use the spatula to get it off of the sides and bottom.

Images 5-8: Mix your dry mixture together and add it a little bit at a time to the butter mixture. The dough will be thick, but not too crumbly. The flour likes to stick to the bottom, so make sure to use your handy spatula to make sure you don’t miss any.

Use a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop, so the cookies will be uniform in size. I prefer them a little smaller so they make more and it is a smaller portion for tasting (I do too much tasting) If you want them a little bigger, you can use a 1 1/2 Tablespoon cookie scoop. Cookie scoops are the key to easy cookie making.

Place the cookie balls on the cookie sheet. I can fit 18 1 Tbsp. balls on one cookie sheet. Bake them and if they come out a little puffy, use the back of the spoon to push them down a little bit. Let them cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire cooking rack.

Enjoy them yourself or give them away! If you make this recipe and love it, leave a rating and a comment. I love to hear about it. I also love to hear about how you use these cookies to bless others and make new friends.

Looking for more cookie recipes to share with a friend? Try our Chocolate Chip Cookies, our “melt in your mouth good” lemon ricotta cookies, lemon cut out cookies, or Snickerdoodle Blondies.

Orange Cardamom Snickerdoodles

A fun, festive twist on a Snickerdoodle, this orange cardamom treat is perfect for your next gathering.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 48 cookies

Calories 93 kcal

Equipment

• 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
• 1 1 Tbsp. cookie scoop optional

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

for the cookies

• ▢ 1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature
• ▢ 1⅓ cups granulated sugar (270g)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp orange zest (one orange)
• ▢ 2 large eggs (1 egg + 1 yolk)
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour (400g)
• ▢ 2 tsp cream of tartar
• ▢ 1 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cardamom

for the sugar mixture you roll them in

• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cardamom
• ▢ 1 Tbsp orange zest (1 orange)

Instructions

 

for the cookie dough

• Preheat you oven to 375℉ (190℃)
• Line 2-4 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Using your stand mixer, combine 2 sticks butter, 1⅓ cup granulated sugar, and zest of 1 orange. Mix with paddle attachment until creamy. This was about 2 minutes 30 seconds for me.
• Add 1 egg + 1 egg yolk and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixer to make sure everything has been incorporated.
• In a medium bowl, make your dry mixture. Combine 3 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp. cream of tartar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom, and ½ tsp salt. Whisk together.
• With your stand mixer on low speed, add the dry mixture to the the stand mixer about a cup at a time. This is a thick dough. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom. It's important to check the bottom of the bowl to make sure that part all mixed in. I've had my paddle attachment not get it in the past and found a blob of flour. The cookies still came out okay, but I could have had a few more.

make the sugar mixture

• In a small bowl, combine your sugar mixture. Whisk together ⅓ cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom.
• Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop out and roll into dough balls. Roll dough balls in the sugar mixture and place on your parchment lined cookie sheet. leave about 2 inches between each cookie.
• Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. They are really puffy when they come out of the over, so use the bottom of a glass to squish them down a bit. Let them cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
• Store at room temperature in an air tight container for up to a week, or freeze in an air tight container for up to 3 months.

Notes

These  cookies are great for stacking in bags to give as gifts. I find 6 to be the perfect amount in a cookie gift bag. 

Use a cooke scoop for a uniform look— especially if you are gifting them. 

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 80mgPotassium: 35mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 129IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.4mg

Keyword cardamom, chocolate chip cookies, orange, snickerdoodles

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!