Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

These easy snickerdoodle cookies are easy to make and make a classic delicious addition to your cookie platter for the holidays. And these snickerdoodles are a sneak peak recipe to my new cookbook that is coming out!

So when I was brainstorming cookie recipes for my upcoming cookbook, The Beginner’s Baking Bible, I was thinking of all the different cookie combinations that I wanted in the book. But let’s face it sometimes you just can’t beat a classic.

Like the snickerdoodle. Chewy, slightly tangy, and the cinnamon sugar coating. 

Wait, let’s back up a moment. You have a cookbook coming out?!

Yup. I’m trying to act all chill right now. Like, yea no big deal. I have a cookbook coming out. But I am so not chill. I’m all cartwheels and squeals on the inside. I have a cookbook dropping on December 24th (2019), but it’s available for pre-order right now!

Read all about the cookbook right here. And this cookie recipe is a sneak peek from the book. I figured with the holidays coming up, this was the perfect recipe to share with you all from the book.

See Also:

• Pucker up and enjoy one of these homemade lemon cookies with easy lemon glaze drizzled over them!
• Coconut macaroons are an easy gluten free chewy coconut cookie. Dip in chocolate for an easy chocolate treat!
• Grab a jar of peanut butter and make these wonderfully easy old fashioned peanut butter cookies with criss cross pattern on top!
• Make these brown sugar chocolate chips cookies made with 100% brown sugar making them wonderfully chewy!

Why is it called a snickerdoodle?

A snickerdoodle, is a New England cookie favorite. I love baking these around Christmas time, but honestly they can be enjoyed all year round.

The name snickerdoodle, comes from their German origin, Schneckennudel, meaning “crinkly cookie”.

What do snickerdoodles taste like?

Snickerdoodles are really a simple sugar cookie that gets rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. But the signature flavor is from using baking soda and cream of tartar, which gives these cookies a bit of tanginess that can’t be beat!

It’s the cream of tartar that gives them the signature taste. Cream of tartar, or tartaric acid, is a dry powdery acidic ingredient that reacts with the baking soda in the recipe to help the cookies rise and give them flavor.

Why You Will Love These Snickerdoodles

• One bowl recipe – You can make the snickerdoodle cookie dough in just one mixing bowl. Hooray for less dishes!
• Easy make ahead Christmas cookie – You can make these cookies ahead of time and either freeze them or store for up to a week.
• Soft, chewy perfection – These snickerdoodles are soft and chewy with lots of cinnamon flavor!

My Recommended Tools

Baking Sheets

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Stand Mixer

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Ingredients Needed

These cookies use all the classic ingredients you probably have in your pantry already.

• All purpose flour
• Baking soda – Used to help the cookies rise and reacts with the cream of tartar. Do not confuse this with baking powder as they are not the same ingredient.
• Cream of tartar – Don’t skip this ingredient. It reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise and gives them their signature rise.
• Salt – I prefer sea salt for its fine texture and pure salt flavor, but kosher salt or table salt will also work.
• Unsalted butter – I prefer unsalted butter because it’s fresher and I can control the amount of salt. But you can swap and use salted butter, but you may want to reduce the salt.
• Granulated white sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract- I prefer pure vanilla extract but imitation vanilla extract can also be used.
• Cinnamon

How to make these snickerdoodle cookies

Step One: Combine Wet Ingredients

In your stand mixer with your paddle attachment, you want to cream your softened butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla extract together properly. I cream on medium-high speed. It may curdle a bit, but don’t worry it will all come together once you add the dry ingredients.

For these cookies go ahead and add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.

Then add in your flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until just combined.

Step Three: Chill the dough and scoop cookies.

Listen. I know. Chilling your dough isn’t a lot of fun if you want a cookie like NOW. But chilling the dough will help to firm up the dough so they don’t spread in the oven.

Step Four: Roll in cinnamon sugar. 

Now that the dough is chilled. you want to go ahead and scoop your cookies. I then roll each in my hand to get a perfect round shape. And then you want to roll each coating in the cinnamon sugar. 

I use either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on my cookie sheet. And you want to bake for about 8-10 minutes. They may appear puffy and not quite done. But don’t be fooled, take them out. They will set up into perfect cookies.

More Baking Tips

• Use softened butter. You need to use room temperature butter so your dough is properly creamed and aerated. To soften your butter quickly, here are 3 quick ways. 
• Room temperature eggs are key. Make sure to use room temperature eggs so they are easily incorporated into the cookie dough. I place mine into a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using them.

Snickerdoodle Cookie FAQ’s

More Cookie Recipes

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies
• Russian Tea Cake Cookies
• Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
• Gingerbread Cookies
• Lemon Cookie Recipe
• Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

And don’t forget to pre-order my cookbook now for the holidays! If you’re still having trouble, be sure to sign up for my Bake Your Best Cookies Ever -Free Email Series

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles might just seem like a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. But a snickerdoodle is so much more than that. Unlike a sugar cookie, a snickerdoodle uses a unique ingredient- cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodle their slight tangy flavor and soft chewy texture, so don’t skip it!

4.80 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 cookies

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Equipment

• ▢
  Baking Sheet
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  Cookie Scoop
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  Stand MIxer
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  Mixing bowls

Ingredients

Cookies

• ▢ 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 3/4 cups (330 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• ▢ 1 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon table salt

Coating

• ▢ 4 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• ▢ 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Combine wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. You can use a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
• Add dry ingredients. With mixer on low, blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt until evenly combined.
• Chill the cookie dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This dough is sticky so it’s best to chill the dough for at least 1 hour or you can leave to refrigerate up to overnight.
• Preheat and prepare cookie sheets. Near the end of the chilling time, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400^oF (205°C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
• Make cinnamon sugar topping. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Shape and roll cookies. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop or a tablespoon scoop the cookies into 1 ½ inch balls and immediately drop the cookie balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake and cool cookies. Bake in the preheated 400oF (205°C) oven 8-10 minutes, or until edges are browned, and tops are slightly puffy and set but not too hard. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

• Storage: You can store, covered in an air tight container, at room temperature for up to 7 days. 
• Freezing:
  • To freeze unbaked: Scoop the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and freeze solid, about 1 hour. Then place into a sealable plastic bag. You can bake frozen, without thawing, but add on a few extra minutes of baking time.
  • To freeze baked: Allow the cookies to cool completely. Then when ready to eat, allow to thaw. I like to pop them into the microwave for about 15- 20 seconds to warm them back up slightly. 
• Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodles their classic flavor. Sort of tangy and it reacts with the baking soda. But don’t fret. If you don’t have it you can omit the cream of tartar and baking soda and use 2 teaspoons baking powder instead.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

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