Cinnamon Snaps - A Cinnamon Lovers Cookie

Cinnamon snaps are for more than just Christmas. In this post I am offering another installment from my Aunt Lou Archives series - Cinnamon Snaps - a close cousin to the ubiquitous Ginger Snaps cookies. It's a cinnamon dessert that won't disappoint.

Spice cookie history

At first, I was somewhat skeptical about cinnamon snaps. Cinnamon Snaps just sounded a bit plain, but my husband convinced me that we had to try them out, at least once, in honor of Aunt Lou. Once again we were confronted with a culinary conundrum: how do you make them? This is because, not surprisingly we were staring at a list of ingredients without any specific preparation guidelines. After a couple of minutes of head scratching, I said to my husband, "How hard can it be?" So we proceeded to make these cookie the same way we make any other cookie. We loved the result! I took a batch of cinnamon snaps into my office and they were gone in a flash!  My colleagues asked me to please give out the recipe. I happily complied and now the internet can enjoy this old-fashioned cinnamon dessert.

Spice cookies are popular in Europe. They were brought to the U.S by our European ancestors as part of their culinary tradition. In Germany for example, a spice cookie called Pfeffernusse is popular at Christmas time. It is a spice cookie with nuts that is rolled into small balls, baked and then dusted with powder sugar, and yes, there will be a recipe for this also. According to my German friend Iris, spice cookies are popular in Germany around St. Nicholas Day - December 6th.

Tips for making spice cookies

Cinnamon and ground cloves dominate the taste. Not all cinnamon is created equal!  My husband and I like to use organic Vietnamese cinnamon. You can buy it online with the link or find it locally in your market or gourmet store. The reason why we like this cinnamon so much is because it has a very sweet taste; not the "atomic fireball" cinnamon bite that one encounters often on some of the more common brands.

Ingredients for cinnamon snaps

• Flour - All purpose flour is the one to use for these cookies.
• Butter - I like to use a good European style butter as it bakes better. Look for Kerry Gold butter and always cream it at room temperature.
• Sugar - Use the standard granulated sugar.
• Molasses - Dark molasses unsulphured with no preservatives.
• Cloves - Buy whole cloves and grind them in a coffee grinder as this will give the best flavor. I have a small coffee grinder dedicated to spice grinding.
• Cinnamon - I prefer organic Vietnamese cinnamon as I mentioned above.

Visual steps to make cinnamon snaps

1. Gather all your ingredients and have them ready to go: flour, butter (room temperature), sugar, molasses, baking soda, water, ground cloves, cinnamon and salt. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. In a small bowl dissolve the baking soda in 2 Tbsp. of warm water and set aside.
3. Mix together the salt and spices in another bowl.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed. This usually takes 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the molasses to the creamed butter and sugar on low speed.
6. Add the baking soda and water mixture.
7. Mix together the spices and flour until well combined in a large bowl.
8. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl on low speed.
9. Add a little more four if necessary. The dough should be soft and pull away from the sides of the mixer.
10. Place the dough on the lightly floured surface and form a ball
11. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about ⅛ inch and cut into shapes.
12. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges get slightly dark. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How long can I freeze these cinnamon snap cookies? You can freeze them in an airtight container with freezer paper between layers of cookies. Be sure they are completely cooled before storing. They will store nicely for up to 2 months. This is a great cookie to make in advance for Christmas.
• Do I have to refrigerate the cookies? No, you do not. You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
• Can I store the cookie dough? Yes, wrap the dough tightly and you can store it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can then remove the dough, let it come to room temperature, roll out, cut and bake.

Cinnamon Snaps go great with coffee or tea, whichever you prefer. They are crunchy, flavorful and simply delicious. Did I say you can dunk them in a glass of milk? If not, by all means do.

Want to try more old-fashioned recipes from our Aunt Lou? 

Aunt Lou's Hermit Cookies - These are a classic spice cookie that are said to imitate the look of a hermit's backpack. 

Aunt Lou's Chocolate Drop Cookies - These chewy, chocolatey cookies are great for dunking in milk. 

Aunt Lou's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake - A delicious chocolate cake recipe from a family cookbook that came with no instructions and vague measurements. We figured it out just for you, our readers. 

Aunt Lou's $200 Cake - This is old-fashion cake really sparked our curiosity. It's between pound cake and birthday cake with and the strawberry frosting is the perfect balance. 

Aunt Lou's Feather Cake - This cake is anything but simple. It's dense, not overly sweet, and the perfect ending to a dinner party. 

Looking for more recipes?
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Cinnamon Snaps Recipe Card - A Cinnamon Lovers Cookie

Here is a 100+ year old fashioned family recipe for cinnamon snaps. You will love this molasses spice cookie with a nice crunch! These are very similar to ginger snaps so if you are a cinnamon fan and not so much for ginger this is the cookie for you! Dunk these in your tea, so good! 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cinnamon cookie, crispy crunchy cookies, old fashioned recipe, scratch recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings: Change to adjust-> 35 servings

Calories 1745 kcal

Author Analida Braeger

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups flour sifted, all purpose
• 1 cup butter softened (room temperature), unsalted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 Tbs. water warm
• 1 Tbs. ground cloves
• 1 Tbs. cinnamon I love Vietnamese cinnamon!
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

Make the cookie dough:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the warm water.
3. In another small bowl, mix salt and spices. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. (Moderate speed until light and fluffy.)

5. Add the molasses and the dissolved baking soda. Mix thoroughly on low speed.

6. In another bowl combine about 4 cups of the flour and spices together and slowly add to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly until the dough is soft. (Add more flour as needed on low speed.)

Roll out and bake:

1. Form a ball and roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut in desired shape. A thickness of about ⅛ inch works nicely.

2. Bake on parchment paper for 20 minutes or until just sightly dark around the edges.

Recipe Notes

Makes 3 about dozen cookies.  These are a VERY crisp cookie with a "snap" and great for dunking! 

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How long can I freeze these cinnamon snap cookies? You can freeze them in an airtight container with freezer paper between layers of cookies. Be sure they are completely cooled before storing. They will store nicely for up to 2 months. This is a great cookie to make in advance for Christmas.
• Do I have to refrigerate the cookies? No, you do not. You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
• Can I store the cookie dough? Yes, wrap the dough tightly and you can store it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can then remove the dough, let it come to room temperature, roll out, cut and bake.

Nutrition Facts

Cinnamon Snaps Recipe Card - A Cinnamon Lovers Cookie

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1745 Calories from Fat 567

% Daily Value*

Fat 63g97%

Saturated Fat 39g244%

Cholesterol 162mg54%

Sodium 2127mg92%

Potassium 1861mg53%

Carbohydrates 281g94%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 151g168%

Protein 18g36%

Vitamin A 1890IU38%

Calcium 313mg31%

Iron 13.5mg75%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.