Snickerdoodles Recipe (2024)

By Samantha Seneviratne

Updated Feb. 29, 2024

Snickerdoodles Recipe (1)

Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(3,632)
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

Make the recipe with us

  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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3,632

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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!

65th Street

Excellent. These are the lightest snickerdoodles I've ever eaten. I put the dough in the fridge overnight since I didn't have time to bake them. I did add about 15 gratings of nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar mixture. Then as another baker did, I made smaller cookies (about 15 grams/each), which took about 8 minutes to bake, a bit longer when the dough was still cold.

NJ baker

Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, 1956, 2nd ed.: "1 cup soft shortening (part butter)," 1 1/2 c sugar, 2 eggs, 2 3/4 c sifted flour, 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp soda, 1/4 tsp salt. "Roll into balls the size of small walnuts." Roll balls in 2 T sugar + 2 t cinnamon. Bake 8-10 min. at 400F. Makes 5 doz. 2-inch cookies. Newspapers not mentioned.

NJ baker

Video shows two equal pieces of butter being dropped into the bowl. Beware--do not follow blindly and use two sticks! According to the recipe, each piece would represent 5 T, not 8 T.

Livi

This was so good…and simple!!

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?

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Snickerdoodles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do they call it a 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.

What is the difference between a snickerdoodle and a cookie? ›

Snickerdoodles are often referred to as "sugar cookies". However, traditional sugar cookies are often rolled in white sugar whereas snickerdoodles are rolled in a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon. Cream of tartar is added for its signature texture as another main difference.

What is snickerdoodle made of? ›

Snickerdoodles are known for their soft and chewy texture, along with a sweet, cinnamon-sugar coating. The primary ingredients in Snickerdoodle cookies include butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, all rolled into a cinnamon sugar mixture.

What are snickerdoodles called in England? ›

Snickerdoodles are often referred to as "sugar cookies". The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln ("snail noodles"), a kind of pastry.

Why are snickerdoodles so good? ›

Purists believe the cream of tartar is key to the snickerdoodle's chewy texture and its delightful, slightly tangy taste. Cream of tartar activates the baking soda and keeps sugar crystals from forming, so the cookies end up pillowy rather than crisp.

What country are snickerdoodles from? ›

A few cookbooks explain that snickerdoodles are German in origin. They state that the cookie's name comes from the German word shneckennudel (which is a kind of cinnamon bun). Others trace its origin to New England's tradition of whimsical cookie names.

What is the nickname for a snickerdoodle? ›

“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. Unfortunately there is no clue as to how they got such a peculiar name.”

Why do my snickerdoodle cookies 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 snickerdoodles go flat? ›

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.

Why don t my snickerdoodles crack? ›

If yours aren't cracking, your oven may not be hot enough or your ingredients may not be fresh enough! Are snickerdoodles supposed to be undercooked? I always recommend slightly underbaking your cookies and then letting them finish baking through cooling on the pan.

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 are my snickerdoodles raw? ›

If the cookie tastes raw or doughy, it needs more time in the oven. Flavour development: Cookies often develop more flavour as they cool down. If the taste is slightly lacking, allow them to cool entirely before finalising.

Why didn't my snickerdoodles flatten out? ›

If your oven is too hot or too cold, it may influence whether or not your cookies spread properly. If you didn't preheat your oven to the correct temperature before placing your tray of cookies in the oven, it will be too cold and your cookies won't have enough time to spread.

Why do my snickerdoodles taste bitter? ›

Many people identify snickerdoodles as having a tangy aftertaste. Cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodles that tanginess. I've found that a lot of people are very sensitive to the tangy flavor of cream of tartar and the bitter, metallic flavor baking soda can have.

What is the flavor of snickerdoodle? ›

The snickerdoodle flavor is best described as a mix of vanilla and cinnamon with a singular tanginess thanks to the cream of tartar.

What is a fun fact about snickerdoodles? ›

The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word , a Palatine variety of schnecken. It is also possible that the name is simply a nonsense word with no particular meaning, originating from a New England tradition of whimsical cookie names.

What is a snickerdoodle classified as? ›

Snickerdoodles may be considered a type of sugar cookie but the truth is that they are not prepared in the same way. A proper Snickerdoodle cookie recipe calls for cream of tartar, an ingredient not commonly added to cookie doughs.

What were cookies originally called? ›

"Early English and Dutch immigrants first introduced the cookie to America in the 1600s. While the English primarily referred to cookies as small cakes, seed biscuits, or tea cakes, or by specific names, such as jumbal or macaroon, the Dutch called the koekjes, a diminutive of koek (cake)...

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