These Snickerdoodle Cupcakes are a cinnamon lover's dream come true! They have a cinnamon cupcake base, a cinnamon sugar swirl and topped with cinnamon brown sugar buttercream. In addition, they are gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be made vegan!
If you love snickerdoodle cookies, you are going to adore these Snickerdoodle Cupcakes!
Every single part of these cupcakes contains cinnamon.
My daughter is not a huge cookie fan. There is only one cookie that she eats constantly, and that is the Snickerdoodle Cookie!
She loves them so much. She seriously eats them for snack or dessert every single day!
So when I was trying to think up new cupcake flavors to try, she said let's make Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with a cinnamon swirl!
She always has the greatest ideas. She's my number one idea person. Why didn't I think of this idea?!
Anyway, that is how we came up with these awesome cupcakes. It was even her idea to make the buttercream have both brown sugar and cinnamon.
Genius girl...just genius!
You would think all this cinnamon is overpowering but it truly isn't!
The flavor is so delicious. It really tastes like a snickerdoodle cookie!
If cinnamon is also your thing, you are going to love love LOVE these cupcakes.
For more cinnamon recipes, try my Cinnamon Tea Cake, Triple Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls and my Jumbo Apple Cinnamon Muffins.
Tips for Making Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
For The Cupcakes
- Make the cinnamon sugar first- In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and the cinnamon to create the cinnamon sugar for the swirl layer. Set it aside.
- Fill the cupcake tins up halfway with batter- Sprinkle a teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar on top of the batter.
- Cover the cinnamon sugar with more batter- Fill the cupcake tins up about ¾ of the way to the top.
For the Buttercream
- Cream together the butter or vegan baking stick, the brown sugar and the cinnamon- Beat them till they’re nice and creamy and smooth. About 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly beat in the rest of the ingredients- On low speed mix in the confectioners’ sugar, water and vanilla. Once the confectioners’ sugar is combined, increase the speed so the buttercream becomes smooth.
Can these cupcakes be vegan?
Yes! Follow these simple steps to ensure they are vegan:
- Make sure your gluten free flour doesn’t contain dairy- Some brands contain dairy in the ingredients. Make sure to read the label and use a brand that doesn’t use milk powder in their flour.
- Use vegan baking sticks- Instead of butter, make sure to use vegan baking sticks.
- Only use non dairy milk- Use your favorite non dairy milk in the cupcake recipe.
Cinnamon deliciousness in every single bite, these gluten free, nut free, egg free, easily vegan Snickerdoodle Cupcakes are a must try for those of you who adore cinnamon! Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups milk of choice
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the cinnamon sugar swirl:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the buttercream:
- 2 sticks 1 cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons plus ¼ teaspoon water about 2.7 fluid ounces or 80ml
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a regular size cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cinnamon swirl ingredients until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk of choice, the light brown sugar, the vegetable oil and the vanilla.
- Slowly add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and use a spatula to combine as it gets thick.
- Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins about ½ of the way full.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar onto each cupcake. Cover with the rest of the batter filling each tin about ¾ of the way full.
- Bake for 28 minutes or until the tops of cupcakes are golden brown and spring back at you when carefully touched.
- Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
- Make the buttercream: In a large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the butter or vegan baking stick, light brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
- On low speed, slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, water and vanilla. Once the sugar is mostly combined you can increase the speed and beat until everything is combined and the frosting is creamy. If the frosting seems too thick, add more water ¼ teaspoon at a time. If the frosting appears to thin, add more confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost them. Either use an icing spatula or put the frosting in a piping bag and pipe the frosting on.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container. Enjoy!
john
I love the cinnamon flavor that came out!