
About this recipe
What happens when you take a classic Snickerdoodle and give it a Mexican twist? You get these Café de Olla Snickerdoodles—soft, chewy cookies rolled in a warm, spiced sugar mix that tastes like a comforting cup of café de Olla.
Instead of traditional cinnamon sugar, we blend cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and allspice—the same spices used in café de olla, Mexico’s iconic spiced coffee. And to make things even better, these cookies are egg-free snickerdoodles, using soft tofu for that perfect texture. If you love Snickerdoodles but want to give them something extra, this recipe is for you!
Why will you love these
- Soft & Chewy: The mix of butter and oil keeps them tender for days.
- Egg-Free: Perfect if you’re out of eggs or prefer a plant-based option.
- Mexican-Inspired: The café de olla spice blend adds a warm, cozy flavor. Have them with a Mexican Hot Chocolate.
- Perfectly Sweet: Just the right balance of sweetness with a hint of spice.

Ingredients
- AP flour, baking soda, salt.
- Unsalted butter, can be swapped for vegan butter.
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar and Cafe de olla syrup
- Soft tofu
- Vanilla extract
- Spiced Sugar Coating

How to make
- Preheat & Prep: Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients
- Cream Butter, Oil, Syrup & Sugar
- Combine & Form the Snickerdoodles
- Roll in Spiced Sugar
- Bake
- Enjoy
Tips for the Best Snickerdoodles
💡 Make it extra spiced: Add a pinch of cinnamon or ground star anise directly into the dough.
💡 Chill the dough (optional): If you want thicker cookies, chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling.
💡 Storage: Keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them!
Café de Olla Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- 1 Hand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchement paper
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup café de olla syrup
- 1/4 cup soft tofu about 2 tbsp, blended or mashed until smooth
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Spiced Sugar Coating:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground star anise
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, vegetable oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy—this gives the cookies that irresistible chewy texture.
- Mix in the café de olla syrup, soft tofu, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Don’t overmix!
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and allspice. Scoop the dough into 1-tablespoon portions, roll into balls, and coat each one in the spiced sugar mixture.
- Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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