Recipe: Clementine Orange Snickerdoodles | Cooking On the Side (2024)

Cookies

Over the past few years there’s been a little sleeper of a cookie trend among the food blogs. It hasn’t come through in huge waves, like macarons or hasselback potatoes. Just an isolated post here and there…but over time it’s nearly evolved into a movement.

Food bloggers have been tinkering with snickerdoodles.

Snickerdoodles – the after school cookie jar favorite that I, until recently, only knew in its classic form: rolled in cinnamon sugar. Well, the realm of snickerdoodles has expanded greatly. Check out some of the incredible flavor variations people have come up with:

Someone needs to open an all-snickerdoodle bakery stat!

If a flavor tastes great with cinnamon and sugar, it’ll probably taste great in snickerdoodles. That’s the guiding thought I had in my head as I gazed at the big bowl of clementine oranges on my kitchen island. The next thing I knew, golden hued, citrus-scented Clementine Orange Snickerdoodles were emerging from the oven. Adding clementine zest and juice to the classic recipe I shared on the blog a while back gave the cookies just enough of a flavor twist to be complementary and interesting, not overpowering. Now to give some of these other variations a spin…

Recipe: Clementine Orange Snickerdoodles | Cooking On the Side (1)

Clementine Snickerdoodles

Adapted from the Snickerdoodles recipe on the back of the Gold Medal all-purpose flour package

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes

Yield: 5 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • Zest of 2 clementine oranges
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed clementine orange juice
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Combine the sugar, butter, clementine zest, juice and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
  3. Shape the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Combine the cinnamon sugar topping ingredients together in a small bowl; roll the balls in the mixture. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, lined with parchment.
  4. Bake the cookies until they’re set and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove them from the cookie sheet. Cool them completely on a wire rack.

You can, of course, always substitute other varieties of oranges in this recipe. If you use a navel orange or another that’s much larger than a clementine, you’ll probably only need the zest from one piece of fruit.

Cookies

14 Comments

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14 Comments

  1. What a nice twist on an old cookie favorite!

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  2. Omg love the sound of this!

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  3. Amy wrote:

    Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie….I love them so much, I’ve converted them to a pie, muffins, pancakes… cinnamon and sugar. Sigh. Love your variation here, and I’ve also got my eye on the Chai, lemon, and spiced rum.

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  4. Dying to try these since snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies.

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  5. Colleen wrote:

    My mom’s sugar cookies have orange zest in them– they are tastier than many that I’ve tried. (I think it’s actually an old Better Homes & Gardens recipe.)

    So this seems like a naturally delicious combination– yum.

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  6. Amanda wrote:

    Gorgeous cookies, Kathy! What fun flavor combos, I could definitely get in on this snickerdoodle craze 🙂

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  7. Carolyn wrote:

    Snickerdoodles are popular, that is true. And I love your little flavour variation on them here.

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  8. naomi wrote:

    Wow- I love how creative this snickerdoodle is. I can’t wait to try it, Kathy!

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  9. Mike wrote:

    I remember my first snickerdoodle – it was after college, and my roommate’s mom sent him back to our apartment with some wonderful, chewy, delicious snickerdoodles. Changed my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mrs. Nudelman!

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  10. Kalyn wrote:

    Oh my, delish!

    Posted 2.15.12Reply

  11. MK wrote:

    I baked these to the recipe and they all went flat 🙁
    Tasted delicious, though! 🙂

    Posted 3.25.13Reply

    • Kathy Strahs wrote:

      I’m sorry to hear they went flat on you! Sometimes that can happen if the leavening (in this case, baking soda) is past its prime. I’m glad they at least tasted good. 🙂

      Posted 3.25.13Reply

  12. Mary wrote:

    Does this really make 5 dozen cookies?

    Posted 8.26.20Reply

    • Kathy Strahs wrote:

      All depends on what size you make them!

      Posted 8.26.20Reply

Recipe: Clementine Orange Snickerdoodles | Cooking On the Side (2024)

FAQs

Is clementine zest the same as orange zest? ›

Clementine Zest

That's why I recommend swapping orange zest with this citrus zest, though this replacement might throw in a touch sweeter and less tart flavor. However, this minor difference won't hurt your baking recipe, so you can substitute it at a 1:1 ratio.

Why are they called snickerdoodles? ›

The Joy of Cooking claims that “snickerdoodle” comes from “Schneckennudel,” a German word that literally means “snail noodles.” Schneckennudels don't have anything to do with snails or noodles, though—they're actually delicious-looking German cinnamon rolls.

Why do my snickerdoodles taste bitter? ›

Cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodles that tanginess. I've found that a lot of people are very sensitive to the tangy flavor of cream of tartar and the bitter, metallic flavor baking soda can have.

Why are my snickerdoodles crunchy? ›

Granulated Sugar and Ground Cinnamon: These two are mixed together to create the classic cinnamon-sugar coating that snickerdoodles are known for. The sugar caramelizes slightly as the cookies bake, giving them a slightly crisp exterior.

Can you use zest from cuties? ›

Clementine peels can be used whole to make candied peels, infuse liquor, or bring a boost of flavor to braises, stews, brines, and poached chicken. You can also zest them to use in co*cktails and as a flavor enhancer for baked goods and vinaigrettes.

Are snickerdoodles supposed to be soft when they come out of the oven? ›

They puff in the oven and then settle back down while cooling into a soft, thick, supremely chewy cookie with a gorgeous crinkly top. They've received nothing but rave reviews! Snickerdoodle is sort of a strange name, yes?

Why did my snickerdoodles come out dry? ›

However they won't be particularly chewy and they should not spread out on the baking sheet that much. There are several reasons why the cookies may have become dry and crumbly but the two most likely are that either the cookies were baked for too long or too much flour was added to the dough.

How to tell when snickerdoodles are done? ›

How do you know when the cookies are baked? The snickerdoodle cookies will only take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep your eye on them! It's best to rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes so that the cook evenly. The cookies are done when the edges are just set and the centres are soft and cracked.

What does the word "snickerdoodle" mean? ›

1931s Joy of Cooking claims the term snickerdoodle is based off the German word Schneckennudel—a German pastry whose name literally translates as 'snail noodle'. A Schneckennudel is a yeast dough roll that more closely resembles a cinnamon bun, not a snickerdoodle cookie.

Why do my cookies go flat after I take them out of the oven? ›

If your cookies come out of the oven looking flat, you may not have adequately chilled the dough before baking. Chilling times may vary depending on the cookie you're making, but you should typically chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours before you pop it in the oven.

Can you substitute orange zest for mandarin zest? ›

Clementines are a type of mandarin oranges, an ideal option to substitute orange zest. Therefore, they have a deep color and are sweeter than regular oranges. Like oranges, these fruits have a tangy flavor profile.

Can you substitute orange for clementine? ›

It is absolutely fine to substitute other orange family fruits for clementines/satsumas. If using oranges then you may only want to use about 3/4 of the juice or zest of a regular orange, as it tends to be larger in size than a clementine but use all of the zest from a clementine or mandarin if necessary.

Can you substitute clementine zest for lemon zest? ›

Zest using a veg peeler, fine side of a cheese grater, zester, or Microplane and add to the dish in the same ratio. 1 teaspoon lemon zest = 1 teaspoon clementine zest.

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