These traditional snickerdoodle cookies are sweet and soft, with that slight tang that makes them unique. Rolled in cinnamon sugar, they're a favorite for the holidays, potlucks, and picnics. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a day before baking; the baked cookies store well.
Who can argue with cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar?
We've been on a snickerdoodle bender lately, making this the third recipe posted in the past few months to go along with pumpkin snickerdoodles and chocolate snickerdoodle cookies.
Cookie baking season is one of the best times of the year. You can make amazing homemade gifts or fill the cookie jars at home and take them to work without much effort.
Many popular cookies are made in one bowl, but you need some patience because, you know, baking one batch after the other takes time.
Snickerdoodles fall into the easy cookie recipes category. They have a unique and delicious flavor that makes them such crowd-pleasers. The cookies are soft and chewy, with a nice cinnamon flavor and a crackly top.
Cream or tartar gives snickerdoodles their characteristic chewiness and slight tanginess. This ingredient sets these cookies apart. A snickerdoodle is not a snickerdoodle if it doesn't use it.
- Easy to make: a one-bowl dough that can be made in the stand mixer, especially if making large batches.
- Make ahead: you can freeze the cookie balls to bake at a later time.
- Great flavor: snickerdoodles have a unique taste from the addition of baking soda, and the cinnamon sugar mixture they're rolled in makes them irresistible.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Cream of tartar: the ingredient that makes snickerdoodles what they are. There's no substitution. You can buy it in supermarkets and online.
- Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you like works fine.
- Baking soda: make sure it's not expired.
FAQ
I don't, not even if the cookie dough is cold from the refrigerator. Unless you want very flat cookies. In that case, slightly flatten them before baking. The puffy center that collapses as they cool down is a characteristic of these snickerdoodles.
They keep well for about 5 days in an airtight container or cookie jar. Make sure they're completely cooled down before you store them. No need to refrigerate them.
Steps to make snickerdoodles
Mixing the dough: you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (great when you make a large batch) or a mixing bowl and an electric mixer. You can also make it by hand if you're up to an arm muscle workout.
Beat butter with sugars until creamy; then add eggs and flavorings.
Make sure you sift the dry ingredients, especially the baking soda and cream of tartar, as they can clump during storage.
Cinnamon sugar coating: this is a necessary step to call them snickerdoodles, so don't omit it.
Make cookie dough balls the size of walnuts and roll them, coating them well. The cinnamon will make the color uneven.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
The cookies can be baked immediately, or the dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. Always cover the bowl well so it doesn't dry out.
Baking
Snickerdoodle cookies will rise, puff, and then crash down, giving them the characteristic crinkle. It's supposed to happen and results from the amount of cream of tartar and baking soda used.
Place them on a greased, parchment or Silpat-lined cookie sheet a few inches apart.
Bake according to the instructions on the recipe card. Let cool on a wire rack before eating.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Cinnamon: this is a cinnamon cookie, so use the best one you can afford.
- Cream of tartar is the ingredient that sets these cookies apart and makes them what they are. There's no substitute. If you leave it out, you have cinnamon cookies, not Snickerdoodles.
- Make ahead: These cookies stay well for several days, so you can make them a few days before you plan to eat or gift them.
- Large batch: You can double the recipe (a good idea if you are baking for the holidays) and use the stand mixer to make the dough.
- Size: I use a cookie dough scoop that's 1,57 inches (4cm) in diameter, the small one of this cookie scoop set). If you use a larger one, the cookies will take a few more minutes to bake, and the recipe will render fewer cookies.
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Simple Snickerdoodle Recipe (chewy)
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Ingredients
For the cinnamon coating:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cookie dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Lightly butter cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.
For the cinnamon coating:
- In a small shallow bowl, mix 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Reserve.
For the cookie dough:
- Beat 1 cup unsalted butter with 1 ½ cups sugar in a large bowl for 2 minutes, until creamy.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and mix.
- Sift dry ingredients: 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I measure them and sift directly over the butter, but you can do it in another bowl if you want). Add to the butter and mix well until no dry spots remain. Don't overmix at this point.
- Take teaspoons of dough and make balls the size of walnuts. Roll them in the cinnamon sugar and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them a few inches apart as they expand during baking.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the top is dry and the cookies barely start to crackle.
- Let cool for 5 minutes and lift them carefully with a spatula. Let cool completely on a wire rack and keep in tins or airtight cookie jars.
- You can chill the dough, covered to prevent dryness, for a day before baking.
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