Snickerdoodles Recipe (2024)

By Samantha Seneviratne

Updated Feb. 29, 2024

Snickerdoodles Recipe (1)

Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(3,616)
Notes
Read community notes

These classic, tender cookies taste of sweet butter, cinnamon — and not much else. Since ground cinnamon plays such an important role, be sure to check that it's still fresh and spicy before making these treats. The cookies' secret ingredient, cream of tartar, is an acidic salt and a byproduct of wine making. Often used to help stabilize egg whites for meringues or as the acidic component of baking powder, it helps these cookies stay soft and chewy.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 1½ dozen cookies

  • cups/180 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • 10tablespoons/140 grams unsalted butter (1¼ sticks), at room temperature
  • ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
  • 1large egg
  • ½teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1tablespoon ground cinnamon

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)

136 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 73 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Snickerdoodles Recipe (2)

Preparation

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  1. Step

    1

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and ¾ cup sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in the egg until creamy, and then add the vanilla, again scraping down the sides. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined.

  3. Step

    3

    In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll the dough into golf-ball-size balls, then roll each one in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

  4. Step

    4

    Transfer the dough to parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, at least 3 inches apart. Bake the cookies until just set and dry in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Transfer each sheet to a rack to cool for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely.

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3,616

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Allura

These cookies are delish! I swapped out a 1/4 cup of white sugar for 1/4 cup of brown sugar to increase the chewiness of the cookies! I took them out of the oven a little early to keep them soft and buttery! So simple and so delicious!

Bubikon

This is a nice simple recipe. I recommend putting the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes to make the rolling into balls easier. Also, at "golf ball size" you will be lucky to get 12 cookies. I recommend slightly smaller, maybe a heaping tablespoon size if you want to get 1 1/2 dozen.

Harry B.

You can substitute 2 teaspoons baking power for the soda and the cream of tartar.

Elizabeth

Fascinating how different people have different takes on the techniques. I tried several variations here, and nothing came out as well as the straight recipe as written. My biggest enemy was any crumbliness in the dough, so I suggest making sure your butter is fully room temperature and that you use the full 2 minutes to create a whipped quality with the butter and sugar before anything else. Once you do that, you are home free. Simple ingredients, easy to bake, and a big hit with the family.

Brooke

Excellent recipe. I made smaller cookies, utilizing a small Oxo cookie scoop, which yielded over two dozen bite-sized cookies and baked for a total of 8 minutes. I'll definitely make them again.

Rebecca

I've made a lot of snickerdoodle recipes and these are the best. I used the suggestions of freezing for 10 minutes for perfectly puffy cookies, and for using a mix of white and brown sugars. Cinnamony bliss!

EvaW

After the first batch, I tried adding some nutmeg into the sugar-cinnamon mixture for the next batch. It brought out the cinnamon flavor more.

Tessa

That's a lot of butter for that amount of flour, so these cookies will flatten when baking. Tweak if you like your cookies less flat. Also, snickerdoodles are a great project if you have bored kids around: they have fun rolling dough into balls and then rolling it in cinnamon sugar and they get to eat the results.

Leslie

Since these cookies are not very pretty, after I rolled them in cinnamon and sugar, I made a shallow slices --- in the shape of a star/ asterisk ---on the top of each one. The baked cookies looked like pretty sand dollars. Just like when I was a kid!

Starr

A snickerdoodle should be soft and chewy and must be made with half sold shortening /half butter. A common error is overbaking them. They need to come off the pan and onto newspaper to cool, while they still appear slightly underbaked in the center. What!? Crisco!? Newspaper instead of racks? Yes , as Betty Crocker's original 1950's recipe directs, locate an older BC cookbook, the recipe for 'real', addictive snickerdoodles is there. Anything else may be tasty, but not a snickerdoodle!

norma

Gooooooood coooookies! I put the sugar/cinnamon mix in a small zip-lock bag. Toss a dough ball in the bag to get a really even coating and preserve its nice round shape.

Carol

I like my snickerdoodles crispy, so I leave out the secret ingredient!

Me

I made this recipe today and the cookies were delicious. But, strangely, only two cookies in the whole batch flattened completely like the picture. The rest stayed round and puffy. Anybody know why?

Su

Substantially more butter than usual for this amount of flour, so cookies will be flat and a bit greasy (not my preference) IF you measure your flour correctly. For those with round cookies, you may be adding more flour than the recipe specifies by scooping with the measuring cup. Try weighing it, or fill the cup gently with a spoon (don't pack!). The cream of tartar isn't just for texture; it dramatically alters flavor and is part of what makes these snickerdoodles instead of sugar cookies.

Jeanette

I didn't have cream of tartar, so used lemon juice instead (2:1 ratio of lemon juice to cream of tartar). They turned out perfectly!

CBFVA

Easy, quick and delicious, with just the right amount of chewiness. So good!

k

I just made these cookies for the second time and can’t say enough about how delicious they are. The first time I followed the recipe exactly. The second time I made a change. I took out 3 TBSP of flour and added 3 TBSP of BLACK COCOA. If you never had it find it and make a switch. It’s a great surprise to your taste buds.

KathyinStL

My grandma made these during the Depression and through rationing in WWII. She used Crisco instead of butter and they are great! If you want to use colored sugar/sprinkles for rolling, add the cinnamon to the batter.

SOPHIAGIRL

Never had a Snickerdoodle, made exactly, they are OK.

cheeseluvr3

Actually do 12 mins at 300!

tips

Baked 11 minns at 180 degrees

Sheila Pulver

My 8-year-old granddaughter and I made a double batch of these buttery, spicy cookies. It was an easy recipe for a child and fun for her to roll the balls of dough and coat them in cinnamon sugar. They stayed puffy and tender and were delicious, though I'd probably reduce butter a tad and add a bit of nutmeg and cardamom next time.

Melissa

These are delicious, and they turned out like the picture. Just a personal preference, but I prefer the eggnog snickerdoodles (also on NYT Cooking) which have a puffier texture with a rum and nutmeg flavor. My brother who loves snickerdoodles prefers these.

Anne N

I live at 7,000 feet so to adapt this recipe for altitude:Cut cream of tartar to 3/4 tspCut baking soda to a scant 1/2 tspAdd 1 T waterAdd 4 T flour

babs

I love this recipe! Thank you. I preferred using chilled batter and a small cookie scoop

Lisa S.

I followed the directions carefully, only making the cookies a bit smaller so I got 24-26 cookies. They turned out flat but tasty. I'm wondering if making them larger would have made them fluffier or if I refrigerated them, as some suggested, would have improved them?

Laurel

I've tried a couple different snickerdoodle recipes and this yielded the best results in both taste and texture.

Carol P

I followed the recipe except for one little change. Because we don't care for extra sweet things (but love cookies!), I added the cinnamon into the batter (mixing in with the other dry ingredients). Then I skipped the "rolling in the sugar" step. They came out fantastic. This is a keeper of a recipe for sure!

eat better

This recipe has too much butter for the amount of flour. The cookies just flattened out and were greasy. Total failure. The dough wasn’t dough, it was just a wad of creamed sugar and butter.

lauren

I followed the directions. The cookies I made weren’t flat at all but tasted delicious. I got 17 cookies golf-ball sized. I’m not sure what to do to make them flat like the image save flattening them myself. The second batch I did press a little flat and they looked more like I wanted. I will flatten more with my next batch.

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Snickerdoodles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between sugar cookies and snickerdoodles? ›

Snickerdoodles are sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar gives the cookies their distinct flavor, texture, and appearance. Some food historians argue that sugar cookies recipes use baking powder to leaven the cookies, while snickerdoodles recipes use cream of tartar.

Why are they called snickerdoodle? ›

The Joy of Cooking claims that “snickerdoodle” comes from “Schneckennudel,” a German word that literally means “snail noodles.” Schneckennudels don't have anything to do with snails or noodles, though—they're actually delicious-looking German cinnamon rolls.

Why do snickerdoodles get hard? ›

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they bake – when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and puffy, they are done. Also, make sure you're not adding too much flour.

Why do my snickerdoodle cookies go flat? ›

The Problem: Your Oven Is Too Hot

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot.

What can I substitute for cream of tartar in snickerdoodles? ›

You can either replace cream of tartar with baking powder at a 1:1.5 ratio (1 teaspoon cream of tartar : 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder), or you can replace cream of tartar with the combination of baking soda and either lemon juice or vinegar (as with this recipe).

Why do my snickerdoodle cookies taste like flour? ›

Improper flour measurement is the #1 cause of your cookie dough being too dry or the cookies tasting like flour.

Why did my snickerdoodles come out cakey? ›

Cream of tartar is an integral ingredient. It gives the cookies its tangy taste and signature texture. I do not recommend any substitutions on this. If you replaced it with baking powder, you would end up with a puffy, more cake-like sugar cookie.

Are snickerdoodles German? ›

“Snickerdoodles, also called snipdoodles or cinnamon sugar cookies, have been around since the late 1800s. They probably originated in New England and are either of German or Dutch descent.

Why are my snickerdoodles raw? ›

If your cookies are consistently turning out raw or undercooked, you may need to adjust the baking time and temperature. Here are some tips to ensure your cookies are perfectly baked: Baking time: Increase the baking time in small increments, keeping a close eye on the cookies to prevent over-baking.

What is a fun fact about snickerdoodle cookies? ›

The cookie is common to Mennonite and Amish communities and was a favorite treat of the Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley. In more recent times, the snickerdoodle cookie has transformed into a popular flavor of desserts, sugary sweets, drinks, candies, etc.

Why did my snickerdoodles crack? ›

Almost all recipes call for a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda (an acid and a base); the idea is that when they bake the reaction of these two ingredients will cause the cookies to puff up and then collapse, creating those cinnamon-y cracks on top.

Why do snickerdoodles call for cream of tartar? ›

Mom would tell you the cream of tartar stabilizes the snickerdoodles, providing the light, soft, pillowy texture. It also adds the tangy note associated with snickerdoodles.

How to tell if a snickerdoodle is done? ›

How do you know when the cookies are baked? The snickerdoodle cookies will only take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep your eye on them! It's best to rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes so that the cook evenly. The cookies are done when the edges are just set and the centres are soft and cracked.

Why does snickerdoodle dough need to be refrigerated? ›

1) Chilling cookie dough controls spread.

Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat.

What is the purpose of cream of tartar in cookies? ›

What Does Cream of Tartar Do in Cookies? Cream of tartar makes cookies chewy, as it precludes the sugar in the dough from crystalizing, which would lead to crispiness (ie: the opposite of chewiness).

What will happen if we don t use cream of tartar in the play dough? ›

While cream of tartar is not an ingredient you probably keep on hand in your kitchen, it is worth the investment if you are trying to become a playdough making pro. Cream of tartar really helps to get your playdough to the fun gel form and prevent it from staying too wet.

Can I skip cream of tartar in a recipe? ›

In some recipes, you can leave out cream of tartar if there is no suitable replacement. You can simply omit cream of tartar from the recipe if you're making whipped egg whites, syrups, frostings, or icings.

What does cream of tartar do to taste? ›

In baked goods, cream of tartar is used as a leavener, to give cakes, muffins and cookies their rise. It has a tinny, metallic taste that's most noticeable in Snickerdoodle cookies. A tiny pinch added to water also helps vegetables maintain their color when they're blanched.

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