Bursting with cinnamon flavor and topped with a creamy RumChata flavored buttercream frosting, these grown-up snickerdoodles are the perfect treat. Basically, RumChata is like drinking a snickerdoodle, so these RumChata cookies just make that a reality.
What is RumChata?
While it’s a tradition in our family to drink RumChata at Christmas, it’s delightful any time of the year. On its website, RumChata describes its flavor as a blend of Mexican spices, Caribbean rum, and Wisconsin dairy. It tastes like cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and cream. Its name is a blend of rum and horchata (a Mexican drink with the same flavors).
Why You’ll Love These RumChata Cookies
Full of flavor. Adding cinnamon vanilla rum to these cookies enhances the cinnamon flavoring. Even if you choose not to top them with the buttercream, the cookies are still full of flavor.
Soft & Chewy. These cookies are so soft and fluffy. This comes from a combination of ensuring the butter and sugar is extra fluffy, not overmixing once the flour has been added, and the cream of tartar.
Quick to assemble. These cookies are super simple and quick to put together (and they smell delicious, I may add). Because they only take around 30-40 minutes total, these make the perfect last-minute dessert. Looking for more last-minute party ideas? Check out this Healthy Fruit Dip.
Unique dessert. Your friends will love these treats. They have a unique flavor and are just plain fun to eat. Bring them to Taco Tuesday or pair them with Margarita night. Or, if you’re like my family, add them to your Christmas cookie list. 😂
Want to try another unique dessert that uses another favorite adult beverage? Check out these Bailey’s Cupcakes.
What does Cream of Tartar do in Cookies?
You may be wondering why some recipes use cream of tartar as that seems like an odd ingredient to use. Well, cream of tartar does a couple of things in baked goods – it helps stabilize the bake without having to add additional liquid (like eggs or oil) and it makes your baked good super soft and fluffy.
How to Make RumChata Cookies
RumChata cookies take around 30 – 40 minutes from start to finish. Chilling the dough is optional, but it helps the cookies keep their shape.
You can make these cookies in a single bowl (which makes cleaning up a breeze). Cream the butter and sugar together for at least 3-4 minutes. You’ll want it to be light, fluffy, and creamy. Next, add the egg and RumChata. The mixture may look curdled at this point, but that is okay – the dry ingredients will smooth it out.
Sift together the dry ingredients (sifting helps keep these cookies light and fluffy). You can do this in a separate bowl if you’d like or you can put the sifter over your large bowl and add the ingredients individually. I did the second method (so I have fewer dishes) and it worked out great.
As mentioned before, chilling the dough is optional at this stage. I chilled the dough for 15-20 minutes and the dough was much easier to handle and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Plus, they ended up looking beautifully round when baked.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and dip them into the cinnamon sugar mixture and make sure they are fully covered. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten out with the bottom of a glass (this will create flatter cookies). Bake for around 8 minutes. You don’t want to overbake these cookies so you don’t want them to be too golden brown. You can leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes and the cookies will continue to slowly bake.
To make the buttercream
Alright, so this buttercream is a little extra and completely optional but man is it delicious. It is just your typical buttercream but enhanced with a couple of teaspoons (or tablespoons if you really need it 😉 ) of RumChata.
Mix the softened butter until creamy and fluffy, around 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and RumChata and mix for another 3-4 minutes until extremely fluffy. I’ve learned that the key to super soft buttercream is to just leave the mixer running for longer than you’d think necessary and it turns into a dreamy, silky smooth frosting.
Decorate however you’d like and enjoy! (And maybe pour yourself a glass of RumChata 😉 ).
Looking for more cookie recipes?
RumChata Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp RumChata
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Buttercream
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp Rum Chata (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (around 3-4 minutes).
- Add egg and RumChata.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until just combined.
- Chill dough in fridge for 20 minutes.
- Roll dough into a ball and dip it in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Be sure to completely cover in cinnamon and sugar. Flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass or with your hands.
- Bake for 8 minutes until light golden brown around the edges.
Make Buttercream Frosting
- Cream the butter until fluffy, around 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and RumChata. Mix until light and fluffy (an additional 2-3 minutes more)
