Vanilla Lilac Snickerdoodle Cookies

These soft, chewy lilac cookies incorporate fresh lilac flowers right into the dough! They’re delicately floral, complemented by the subtly sweet flavor of real vanilla beans.

Lilac flowers have a strong, intoxicating aroma, but their flavor is more subdued, so I didn’t want to overpower it with other stronger flavors. I find the combination of lilac and vanilla bean to be perfectly ethereal. 

The cookie recipe here is based on a classic snickerdoodle, complete with that signature tang from cream of tartar, addictively fluffy texture, and crunchy sugar coating. Of course, I swapped the cinnamon sugar for lilac sugar!

Harvesting and preparing lilac flowers

Lilacs usually bloom around mid-spring and only last for a couple of weeks, so you need to act fast. Look for flowers that are open and free of pests, damage, and disease. Harvest flowers from areas where you know they haven’t been sprayed or treated with any pesticides or herbicides, and where there is minimal opportunity for pollution (away from roadsides, for example).

You can use any kind of edible lilac for this recipe. I used white lilacs because that’s what I have in my yard, and I think they look lovely and elegant in these cookies. I’d love to see what they look like with purple lilacs!

Use garden shears or pruners to cut a handful of healthy-looking lilac branches, placing them immediately into a vase of water to keep them fresh. Once you’ve harvested enough branches, bring the blooms inside and give them a gentle cleaning.

Preparing lilacs for culinary use

When using lilacs for dessert recipes, you’ll want to pluck the little flowers off the stems, avoiding the green bits as much as possible. Remove all the flowers you need for your recipe and wash them gently. I give them a light rinse in a colander and then let them drip dry.

Next, lay the flowers out on a towel-lined sheet pan in a single layer until they’re dry. You can also blot them gently with paper towels to speed up the process. Now, they’re ready to bake with!

How to make lilac snickerdoodle cookies

The process for making these lilac cookies is the same for making classic snickerdoodles, with the important addition of creating a lilac-vanilla sugar! Here’s how to make these cookies:

• Add sugar and lilac flowers to a food processor and blend until flowers are completely broken down. Then, scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean into the food processor and blend again until mixed.
• Pour this lilac-vanilla sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and beat until blended. Then add the eggs, vanilla, and salt.
• Blend in the dry ingredients (flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda) and mix until everything is thoroughly combined.
• Lastly, roll cookie dough balls in lilac sugar until evenly coated on all sides. Bake and enjoy!

Lilac cookie tips

These are my best tips to make these cookies perfect:

• Make sure your butter is at cool room temperature, about 65° F. Ideally, it is slightly softened but not squishy soft. This will create the best texture for these cookies.
• Harvest the best-looking lilac flowers you can find and use the flowers right after you pick them so they’re as fresh and aromatic as possible.
• Don’t skip the cream of tartar! It adds a unique flavor to this recipe and also works together with the baking soda to give these cookies lift and fluffiness.
• Remove the cookies from the oven just as the edges start to turn golden brown. Some of them may look just slightly underdone in the middle, but they will continue to cook slowly for a minute or two after you remove them from the oven. If you over bake them, they won’t be quite as soft.

Freezing & storing the cookies

I often freeze some cookie dough when I make a batch of cookies. That way, I can bake some right away and save the rest to bake up later.

If you’d like to freeze some or all of this cookie dough, first scoop your dough and roll into balls. Then, roll the cookie dough balls in the lilac sugar. Place the cookie dough balls on a sheet pan and allow to chill until hardened, at least an hour. Once frozen, store in a sealed plastic bag or container until ready to bake.

To bake frozen cookies, place cookies onto parchment-lined sheet pans and allow them to warm up slightly at room temperature while the oven preheats. There’s no need to fully defrost them! Bake as usual, but expect an extra minute or two for baking.

Baked cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

Looking for more lilac desserts? Try these favorites:

• Lilac Sugar
• Lemon Lilac Butter Cake
• Lilac Crème Brûlée