My Best Snickerdoodle Recipe

My Best Snickerdoodle Recipe

My best snickerdoodle recipe makes classic, buttery snickerdoodles that are coated in a generous amount of cinnamon sugar. The recipe was originally published in my cookbook, Weeknight Baking!

What makes these the best snickerdoodles ever?

These snickerdoodles are soft and chewy in the center (to the point of being almost a little too doughy, even!), with crispy and puffed edges.

And thanks to cream of tartar, the recipe makes tangy snickerdoodles with distinctive cracks on their surface. Learn more in the Ingredients and Substitutions section below!

And be sure to check out my collection of unique snickerdoodle recipes on Hummingbird High!

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to make this snickerdoodle recipe, here’s the recipe’s shopping list:

Shopping List For My Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

• granulated sugar
• ground cinnamon
• all-purpose flour
• cream of tartar
• baking soda
• kosher salt
• unsalted butter
• large eggs
• pure vanilla extract

And let’s talk about some of the key ingredients you need to make the snickerdoodle cookies themselves:

Ground Cinnamon

My best snickerdoodle cookie recipe needs 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon to make the cookies.

Some snickerdoodle recipe I’d tried before developing my own were too bland and only 1 or 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. They were fine, but they were definitely more “cinnamon-flavored sugar cookie” than “snickerdoodle” (if you know what I mean). I wanted mine to be unapologetically cinnamony—there would be no confusion or doubt that my cookies were anything BUT snickerdoodles. As a result, I use a whopping 2 TABLESPOONS of ground cinnamon in my recipe.

When measuring out the cinnamon for the snickerdoodle topping, you might be shocked by how much it is and be tempted to the scale the quantity back before even trying it. But I beg you—please don’t! The generous amount of cinnamon is part of the secret to these cookies’ signature “lewk” and will be balanced out by the cookies’ intense butter flavor.

Cream of Tartar

My best snickerdoodle cookie recipe needs 2 teaspoons cream of tartar to make the cookies.

I’ve already talked about how snickerdoodles are basically just sugar cookies that use cream of tartar instead of traditional baking powder. Here’s a further breakdown as to why: 

Why is cream of tartar used in snickerdoodles?

So according to Stella, the earliest recipes for snickerdoodles actually called for baking powder! Snickerdoodle recipes were used in national advertisements for Cleveland Baking Powder as early as 1891. But baking powder wasn’t readily available back then. As a result, enterprising home cooks substituted the baking powder with a mix of cream of tartar and baking soda. This substitution gave us the more “traditional” snickerdoodle recipe I’m referencing for my own recipe today. 

What is cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar is an acidic by-product of fermenting grapes into wine; bakers primarily use it to stabilize meringues and whipped creams. Although not many modern recipes call for cream of tartar, it’s worth keeping around because it lasts forever and when you need it, you really need it. Store cream of tartar in a cool, dry place and always give it a quick look and a sniff before using it. It should be white in color with no major clumps, and it will smell mildly acidic.

Do snickerdoodles need cream of tartar?

Yes. I am of the opinion that yes, my best snickerdoodle recipe needs cream of tartar. Although I’m planning on developing a recipe for snickerdoodles without cream of tartar soon, I like the tangy flavor that the cream of tartar gives this pretty classic recipe. In addition to flavor, using cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their signature appearance with pronounced cracks and crags on the surface of each cookie. 

How much would it change the taste of these snickerdoodles if I left out the cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar is more acidic than baking powder and baking soda, which gives the cookies an added tanginess it wouldn’t otherwise have if I’d used baking powder. It’s worth sourcing the stuff (it’s available at most supermarkets in the herbs section), especially since it pretty much keeps indefinitely in the pantry.

In addition to having an effect on flavor, skipping the cream of tartar would also result in different textured cookies. The cream of tartar is what causes the cookies to puff and rise—without it, your cookies might spread too much and/or be completely flat.

I don’t have cream of tartar, can I substitute it with something else?

Yes, but with reservations. In theory, you can substitute the cream of tartar with other ingredients like baking powder, lemon, and vinegar. This article has a good list of common cream of tartar substitutions. However, I can’t personally vouch for any of them since I haven’t tried them myself.

That being said, I did have a handful of Instagram followers who substituted the cream of tartar with its equivalent in lemon juice and/or vinegar. Both reported back that they needed to up the flour in the recipe since the dough became very wet after doing so. Unfortunately, I don’t have exact amounts—both readers eyeballed the amount. One approximates that she used an amount that was between 2 to 4 tablespoons.

And finally, if you insist on making snickerdoodles without cream of tartar, check out my recipe for black halva snickerdoodles. The cookie dough uses baking powder in place of both cream of tartar and baking soda. You can swap out the black sesame sugar and halva and instead use the cinnamon sugar topping from this recipe for classic snickerdoodles without cream of tartar. 

Butter

My best snickerdoodle cookie recipe needs 1 cup unsalted butter to make the cookies.

When making snickerdoodles, I like to use on high-quality butter to stand up to the strong cinnamon sugar flavor. Not to mention that this cookie recipe uses a fair amount of butter too—as a result, you can really taste it! This is the time to splurge on high-quality butter…think: something cultured, and something European (European butter has more butterfat than American butter, giving it a creamier taste and mouthfeel). Using good butter is really the secret weapon to taking your cookies to the next level. 

How To Make My Best Snickerdoodle Recipe

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Here are the basic steps needed to make snickerdoodles from scratch:

1. Make the Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough (Work Time: <10 minutes)
   Snickerdoodle cookie dough isn’t complicated to make; in fact, it follows a format similar to most chocolate chip cookie recipes. First, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, vanilla, and finally, the dry ingredients. 
   
   
2. Form the Cookie Dough into Balls (Work Time: <5 minutes)
   Each cookie will need to be rolled in the cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle topping before baking. To make things more efficient, I create a “snickerdoodle cookie assembly line” that starts with using a cookie dough scoop to portion the dough into even cookie dough balls.
   
   
3. Roll the Cookie Dough Balls in the Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Sugar Topping (Work Time: <5 minutes)
   Once the cookie dough balls have been formed, roll each one in a shallow bowl with the cinnamon sugar topping. Toss and coat every single dough ball completely.
   
   
4. Bake at a High Temperature (Bake Time: 10 minutes per batch)
   Snickerdoodle cookies are baked at a higher temperature than most other drop cookie recipes (most cookie recipes are baked at 350℉; snickerdoodles are baked at 400℉. This is to encourage the leaveners to activate really quickly, puffing the centers of the cookies as they bake. When pulled out of the oven, the centers then fall, giving each snickerdoodle cookie its signature crispy edges. 

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: How To Store Snickerdoodles

Can you freeze snickerdoodle cookie dough?

Yes! You can freeze snickerdoodle cookie dough just like you can freeze your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. After portioning the dough into balls, place the balls on a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze for 30 minutes, or until the dough is hard enough to handle without being sticky. Transfer to a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Note that the dough will be frozen WITHOUT the snickerdoodle topping. When ready to bake, you’ll need to roll the cookie dough balls in the snickerdoodle topping. There’s no need to thaw the cookie dough balls before baking. Follow the instructions for baking in the recipe, but increase the Bake Time to 12 to 14 minutes. 

Can you freeze the baked snickerdoodle cookies?

Yes! I love freezing baked snickerdoodle cookies and snacking on them (while still cold from the freezer!) in the summertime. For softer cookies, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then for a few hours at room temperature before serving. 

FAQ: Troubleshooting Unexpected Results

Why are my snickerdoodles flat?

Snickerdoodles can come out flat if 1) the leaveners you used (for this recipe, it’s both the baking soda and the cream of tartar) are on the old side and no longer work, and 2) if you baked them at a lower temperature. 

First, figure out if it’s your leavener. First, test the cream of tartar by adding a pinch to a bowl of hot water. If the water slightly fizzes, that’s a good thing! It’s still fresh and good to go. Then add the baking soda. If it really fizzes, you’re all set. But if the water stays flat, then you’ve got a problem. Figure out if it’s your baking soda by pinching a small amount into a bowl and adding a splash of vinegar. If it doesn’t fizz, your baking soda has gone bad.

Next, double check your oven. In Weeknight Baking, I always insist that people get an external oven thermometer. Hang the thermometer on one of the center oven racks to monitor the temperature inside. Although most modern ovens come with their own thermometers, these internal thermometers degrade over time, giving you inaccurate readings. To wit—many years ago, when I still lived in San Francisco, I rented an apartment with a faulty oven. Although its internal thermometer always read 350℉, I burned almost everything I made. When I finally shelled out for an external thermometer, I discovered that the inside of the oven was actually a full 100 degrees hotter, despite the oven telling me that it was at the perfect temperature! No wonder I burned everything.

This can go the other way too. If your cookies are coming out flat, it’s likely that your oven is too cool, baking the cookies at a lower temperature, and causing them to come out flat. 

How to bake snickerdoodles that stay soft

For soft snickerdoodles, it’s better to pull them out when they’re underdone. Specifically, bake only until the edges are set, but the centers are still gooey. Immediately transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes. The residual heat from the pan will continue to bake the cookies to the perfect texture. Do not pull your cookies out only when they’re set and crispy. The pan will continue to bake them even after you pull them out of the oven, leading to hard and overdone cookies. 

How to Make My Best Snickerdoodle Recipe Small Batch

There are two ways to make this snickerdoodle cookie recipe small batch. The first is freezing the dough, and only baking as many cookies as you want at a time. See the section above for more instructions on how to freeze this cookie dough for baking later.

The second way is to halve the recipe. Halving the recipe will result in 10 cookies as opposed to 20. The new ingredient quantities are:

For the Snickerdoodle Topping:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough:

• 1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons (6.15 ounces or 175 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup (5.25 ounces or 149 grams) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (4 ounces or 114 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Note that you won’t need to change any of the recipe’s steps or Bake Time when halving the recipe. Everything stays the same aside from the recipe’s final yield. You can also follow the instructions above for freezing the cookie dough accordingly. 

More Snickerdoodle-Like Cookie Recipes

• Black Halva Snickerdoodles
• Chocolate Sugar Cookies
• Snickerdoodle Recipe Without Cream of Tartar
• Raspberry Lemon Snickerdoodles
• Tangy Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies