Snickerdoodles have always been one of my favorite cookies. They’re soft and chewy, with that unique tang, and a crunchy coating of cinnamon sugar. And these high altitude snickerdoodle muffins have all the flavors of the cookies, but in a soft, fluffy muffin that’s perfect for cold weather weekend breakfasts.
Looking for more high altitude snickerdoodle recipes? Don’t miss these soft and chewy snickerdoodles, snickerdoodle cake, and cinnamon ice cream.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
All the Snickerdoodle Flavor. I’m a big fan of cinnamon sugar baked goods, and snickerdoodle muffins have all the flavor that I’m looking for with a fluffy and tender texture that’s just irresistible.
Easy to Make. These muffins come together quickly in just one bowl, with no mixer needed.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour. Provides structure for the muffin batter.
- Granulated Sugar. Sweetness and moisture.
- Corn Starch. A little corn starch (just a tablespoon in this recipe) tenderizes the crumb of baked goods and makes very soft, fluffy muffins.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Baking Soda. Reacts with the acid in the buttermilk, making the muffins rise. Although snickerdoodle cookies use cream of tartar as a leavener (which also gives them their tangy flavor), I found that it added a gummy texture to these snickerdoodle muffins, so baking soda is better.
- Nutmeg. Freshly grated nutmeg adds a lovely, subtle spice to these muffins, and nicely complements the cinnamon.
- Butter. Melted, unsalted butter makes these muffins soft, moist and rich.
- Buttermilk. Moisture, flavor and acidity.
- Eggs. Structure and richness.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Cinnamon-Sugar. The cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top of the batter is the perfect crunchy finish for snickerdoodle muffins.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a standard-sized muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Spray the liners with non-stick baking spray. The non-stick spray is essential to keeping the muffins, and the cinnamon sugar, from sticking to the paper.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, corn starch, salt, baking soda and nutmeg.
- Separately, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, and mix just until moistened.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups.
- Sprinkle the batter generously with the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake the muffins for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the pan, and set on a cooling rack. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm. I like to sprinkle them with extra cinnamon sugar as soon as they come out of the oven.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use oil instead of melted butter?
Yes, that should work just fine.
What should I use if I don’t have buttermilk?
Instead of the buttermilk, you can substitute half sour cream and half whole milk, or make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar to 1 cup whole milk.
How long do these muffins stay soft?
These are best eaten warm and fresh from the oven, and are delicious slathered with butter. The cinnamon sugar on the leftover muffins will get a little sticky, and the muffins won’t be as soft and tender the next day.
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High Altitude Snickerdoodle Muffins
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Muffin Pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup granulated sugar + 2 tsp ground cinnamon)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a standard-sized muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Spray the liners with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, corn starch, salt, baking soda and nutmeg.
- Separately, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, and mix just until moistened.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the batter generously with the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake the muffins for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the pan, and set on a cooling rack. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm.
Hi. Have you ever added Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips to your batter? As a topping? I add them to my Snickerdoodle oatmeal cookies! Amazing!
A little heavy on nutmeg for me, but I also have a question. Am I supposed to use all of the cinnamon sugar mix on the top? Still a lot leftover a generous sprinkle.
I used all of it.
How do they freeze?