Snickerdoodle Cookies

Soft, chewy, classic Snickerdoodle Cookies that all but melt in your mouth.  This recipe is simple to make, includes a special ingredient for extra soft cookies, and requires absolutely no chilling.

Be sure to catch me on my Facebook page tomorrow, Thursday 11/16 at 1:00 EST where I’ll be making these Snickerdoodles LIVE.

It wasn’t until recently that I fell in love with Snickerdoodle Cookies. My mom would make them (and still makes them) every year for Christmas, mass-producing them in gigantic batches alongside oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and well-sugared cutout cookies.  While I was happy to eat my weight in the other cookies, the Snickerdoodle cookies never really impressed me, and they would sit in their tin, largely untouched (by me, anyway), until they turned rock hard and crumbly.

The problem (I believe now) was that the recipe that she followed used shortening as part of its base, which didn’t do much for the cookies in terms of flavor. I like to use butter whenever possible (I used butter instead of shortening to make my all-time favorite peanut butter chocolate chip cookies), so an obvious substitution was in order.

While the most important flavors that you should look for in a good Snickerdoodle cookie are 1) the subtle tang of cream of tartar and 2) cinnamon sugar, the use of real butter accentuates and gives depth to these flavors and does nothing to diminish them (whereas shortening adds essentially nothing in terms of flavor).  A teaspoon of cornstarch helps keep them especially soft and chewy, so don’t leave that out!

I also added a scant dash of vanilla extract for a richer flavor, as well.

These changes resulted in cookies that I had to get out of my house almost immediately in order to stop myself from eating the entire batch.  They’re addictively chewy, sparkling with a crinkled cinnamon sugar coating over a buttery-soft interior.  The fact that they’re so incredibly easy to make and require absolutely no chilling doesn’t make it easy for me to stop making them, either.

If you’re a fan of crunchy cookies (is anyone?) or puffy, cakey cookies, I’m afraid these might not be for you. I like my Snickerdoodle cookies soft, crinkly and chewy and these are just that, nearly melting in your mouth with each bite.

Enjoy!

Printable recipe is just below the video.  I just started my YouTube channel so if you enjoy my recipes and use YouTube, I’d definitely appreciate it if you would consider subscribing.  

4.86 from 7 votes

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Snickerdoodle Cookies

Soft and chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies from SugarSpunRun.com

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 2 dozen large cookies

Calories 130 kcal

Author Samantha Merritt || SugarSpunRun.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (226g) softened to room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (300g)
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (370g)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For rolling

• 1/2 cup sugar (50g)
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper

2. In stand mixer or with hand mixer cream butter.

3. Add sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 1 minute)

4. Add egg and egg yolk, beating until well-combined. Pause to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and stir again until combined, about 30 seconds.  Mixture should be pale yellow and of uniform texture.

5. Stir in vanilla extract.

6. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

7. With mixer on low speed gradually stir flour mixture into your butter mixture until completely combined (the dough becomes fairly thick, and you will need to scrape the sides/bottom of the bowl several times to ensure it is well combined).

8. In a separate small bowl, stir together cinnamon and sugar for rolling. 

9. Roll dough into 1 1/2 Tablespoon-sized balls and roll in your cinnamon/sugar mixture. 

10. Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake on 375F (190C) for 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

Do NOT put cookie dough on hot cookie sheet, it will melt and you will have extremely thin cookies

Nutrition Facts

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 130

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Original Photo:

This recipe was originally published 04/18/2016, photos and recipe updated 11/15/2017