How many calories is a homemade snickerdoodle?

A snickerdoodle cookie is a cinnamon-sugar coated cookie that is rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. It’s a classic cookie that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. But how many calories are actually in one homemade snickerdoodle cookie? Let’s take a closer look.

A Breakdown of Snickerdoodle Cookie Ingredients

To determine the calorie count of a homemade snickerdoodle, we need to look at the ingredients that go into making the cookie dough. A basic snickerdoodle recipe calls for:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Cream of tartar
  • Cinnamon sugar coating

Let’s examine each of these ingredients individually:

All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour is a refined wheat flour. One cup of all-purpose flour contains about 455 calories.[1] Many snickerdoodle recipes call for around 2-2.5 cups of flour. So the flour contributes about 910-1140 calories to the full batch of cookies.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is used as a leavening agent in cookies to help them rise. One teaspoon of baking soda contains under 5 calories.[2] So this ingredient contributes minimal calories to the overall cookies.

Salt

Table salt or kosher salt is often added to cookies for flavor. But salt contains no calories. So this ingredient adds 0 calories to snickerdoodles.[3]

Butter

Butter is used to provide moisture, richness, and flaky texture to snickerdoodle cookies. One tablespoon of butter contains about 102 calories.[4] A typical snickerdoodle recipe calls for 1 cup (or 16 tablespoons) of butter. So the butter contributes about 1620 calories to a full batch.

Sugar

Sugar adds sweetness and helps give the snickerdoodles their signature crispy edges. One cup of granulated white sugar contains 774 calories.[5] Recipes generally use 1-1.5 cups of sugar. So the sugar adds 774-1161 calories.

Eggs

Eggs help bind the dough together and add moisture. One large egg contains about 72 calories.[6] Most recipes use 2 eggs, contributing about 144 calories to the full batch.

Vanilla Extract

Vanilla extract provides fragrant vanilla flavor. However, a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract only contains about 5 calories.[7] So it adds minimal calories to snickerdoodles.

Cream of Tartar

Cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites when whipping them, leading to fluffier cookies. It only contains about 5 calories per teaspoon, so adds little to the calorie count.[8]

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

Before baking, snickerdoodle cookies are rolled in a cinnamon sugar mixture. A tablespoon of cinnamon sugar has about 32 calories.[9] The cookies don’t absorb much of the coating, so it likely only adds a minimal amount of calories.

Calculating Total Calories

Now that we’ve looked at the calorie count of individual ingredients, we can calculate the total calories for a full batch:

Ingredient Calories
2.5 cups all-purpose flour (910-1140 calories) 1030
1 teaspoon baking soda (under 5 calories) 5
1 cup butter (1620 calories) 1620
1.5 cups sugar (1161 calories) 1161
2 eggs (144 calories) 144
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 calories) 5
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (5 calories) 5
Cinnamon sugar coating 25
Total Calories for Full Batch: 3995

For a full batch of snickerdoodle cookies, the total calorie count comes out to around 3995 calories.

Calories Per Cookie

To determine the calories in one cookie, we need to divide the total batch calories by the number of cookies the recipe makes. The yield can vary quite a bit depending on cookie size.

Here are some typical cookie yields and the resulting calories per cookie:

  • Batch makes 24 cookies: 167 calories per cookie
  • Batch makes 36 cookies: 111 calories per cookie
  • Batch makes 48 cookies: 83 calories per cookie

Based on this, we can estimate that the average homemade snickerdoodle cookie contains 100-175 calories, depending on the size of the cookies.

Comparing to Store-Bought Cookies

How does that compare to the calorie count of pre-made snickerdoodle cookies you can buy at the grocery store? Here are nutrition facts for some popular store-bought snickerdoodle cookies:[10]

  • Keebler Soft Batch Snickerdoodles: 140 calories per 2 cookie serving
  • Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake Snickerdoodles: 120 calories per 1 cookie
  • Archway Homestyle Snickerdoodle Cookies: 140 calories per 1 cookie
  • Pepperidge Farm Snickerdoodle Cookies: 140 calories per 1 cookie

The store-bought varieties all contain between 120-140 calories per cookie. So they are quite similar in calories to a homemade version!

Factors That Impact Calorie Count

Keep in mind that the exact calorie count can vary between different homemade snickerdoodle recipes based on:

  • Specific ingredients used
  • The quantity of ingredients
  • Cookie size
  • Baking time and temperature

Using ingredients like whole wheat flour or brown sugar would increase the calorie and nutrition content compared to all-purpose flour and white sugar. And underbaking the cookies could make them retain more calories and moisture.

Additionally, the calorie count provided is for the cookie dough only. If you dip the cookies in milk or eat them with ice cream, that will add more calories to your treat.

Tips for Lightening Up Your Snickerdoodles

If you’re looking to make snickerdoodles that are a bit lighter, here are some tips:

  • Use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour
  • Substitute apple sauce or banana for half the butter
  • Use evaporated cane sugar or coconut sugar instead of regular granulated white sugar
  • Replace some of the sugar with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom
  • Use egg whites instead of whole eggs
  • Reduce the baking time slightly to keep them from getting too crisp and dense

With some simple ingredient swaps and baking adjustments, you can make snickerdoodles with fewer calories and increased nutritional value.

The Bottom Line

A homemade snickerdoodle cookie made with typical ingredients contains around 100-175 calories, depending on the size. This is fairly comparable to many store-bought versions. The exact amount of calories can vary based on the specific recipe and how the cookies are baked. With some modifications, the treats can be lightened up to reduce the calorie count while still delivering that classic snickerdoodle flavor and chewy texture.

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