Snickerdoodle Sand Dollar Cookies: The Hawaiian Beach Vibes You Didn't Know You Needed

My friends, I may have left the beach, but the beach hasn't left me.

You know how some people come back from a tropical vacation refreshed, with glowing skin and a new lease on life? Yeah, that’s not me. I came back with a sunburn on my forehead, and a heart full of longing. Ever since we got back from Hawaii, I’ve been in full-on denial. I’m drinking coconut sparkling water like it’s my job and I've rewatched the video retrospective that Ken made over and over again.  No matter what I do though, I'm still thousands of miles and 4 time zones away from a beachy sunrise. 

But because I’m nothing if not a delusional optimist, I’ve been dreaming up ways to bring the beach to my landlocked kitchen. The idea came to me while I was stress-scrolling through vacation photos and also eating cookies (multitasking is my spiritual gift). I l thought about my beloved snickerdoodles and noticed something. That cinnamon sugar coating? It kinda looks like sand. The soft crackles in the cookie? Reminiscent of wind-blown beachy perfection.

And that’s when it hit me.

Snickerdoodle Sand Dollar Cookies.

Yep. Beach cookies. But make them cozy.

Now, I know snickerdoodles get unfairly typecast as "fall cookies," and I am here to set the record straight. These are year-round cookies, people. Cinnamon is a lifestyle. Sugar is eternal. And soft, chewy cookies are always in fashion. Just because it's August and the weather is 1,000% sweat in in places you forgot you had, doesn’t mean you can’t turn your oven on and make something that tastes like vacation.

And here’s the thing: If you pop a few slivered almonds on top in a sand dollar pattern? BOOM. Instant beach vibes. Sure, the almonds are mostly decorative, but when you’re deep in post-vacation grief and your children are still bitter that you left them behind, YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.

Of course, my kids wanted theirs without almonds. Because ARFID doesn’t care about my emotional need for a beach-themed baked good. And I happily obliged, because A) they actually ate the cookies and B) there were plenty of “sand dollars” left for me. And by “plenty,” I mean “exactly six,” because I ate the rest in a moment of private cookie-fueled therapy.

So here’s the recipe. Put on your best island playlist (I recommend The Hip Abduction’s Pacific Coast Highway for maximum mental transport), light a coconut candle, and pretend the pile of laundry in the corner is just “beachy ambiance.”

Snickerdoodle Sand Dollar Cookies

Yields: About 2 dozen cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 10-12 minutes
Vibes: Immaculate

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp cream of tartar (don’t skip it – it’s the snickerdoodle soul)

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For cinnamon sugar coating:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp cinnamon

For decoration (optional but adorable):

• Slivered almonds (5 per cookie if you’re going for sand dollar realness)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and channel your inner island spirit guide.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You want the texture to be somewhere between “cloud” and “whipped frosting you’re trying not to eat directly out of the bowl.”

3. Add eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Beat until smooth and your batter looks like a silky dream.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients in batches, mixing until just combined. Try not to overmix — you want your cookies to be soft like Hawaiian sand, not tough like a hotel pool towel.

5. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar for rolling. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, roll dough into 1.5-inch balls. Then coat each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture like you’re rolling it in magic dust.

6. Place dough balls on your prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten each ball with your hand or the bottom of a glass (this is your artistic canvas, people).

7. Now for the sand dollar magic: Press 5 slivered almonds into the top of each cookie in a flower/star pattern to mimic the design of a sand dollar. Feel free to whisper “aloha” while you do this.

   If you have almond-averse family members (hello, ARFID), leave a few plain — they’ll still taste like a vacation you can chew.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are just set but centers are still soft. Don’t overbake unless you want beach rocks, not beach cookies.

9. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Or eat immediately while staring longingly at photos of tide pools and shave ice. Your choice.

Final Thoughts from My Delusional Island Fantasy Life:

I know these cookies won’t actually transport me back to Kauai. I know they won’t fix my laundry pile or make the cat let me sleep in just once. But for just a moment, they bring a little piece of the beach to my very un-beachy life. And that? That is the kind of everyday magic I will always say yes to.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to crank Pacific Coast Highway, eat a cookie with precisely five almond slivers, and stare at my screen saver like it’s a window.