Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are simple butter cookies made special by cream of tartar, which brings a faint tang and that soft, chewy middle. The dough balls are rolled in cinnamon sugar and crack like gingerbread in the oven. We pull them out while the centres still look underbaked — that way they stay soft the next day too.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 h 35 min
- Servings
- 30
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 125 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
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What to use instead
Without cream of tartar, replace it and the baking soda with 2 tsp baking powder. The cookies will still be good, just puffier and without the tang.
For the coating
Makes: 30 cookies
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Method
Oven
190 °C · top and bottom heat, no fan
With a fan: 170 °C
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Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar
Beat the soft butter and sugar for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each, then the vanilla.
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Step 2: Add the flour
Mix the flour with the cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and tip into the butter mixture. Mix on low speed or with a spatula until a soft, even dough forms.
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Step 3: Chill the dough
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes — chilled dough is easier to roll and the cookies spread less.
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Step 4: Make the coating
Heat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F) and line a baking tray with paper. Mix the coating sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
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Step 5: Shape the balls
Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls of about 27 g and coat them generously in the cinnamon sugar. Place 12 on the tray, 6 cm apart — they will spread.
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Step 6: Bake
Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops have cracked. The centres should still look pale, puffy and slightly underdone; they sink and turn chewy as they cool. Bake the rest in batches.
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Step 7: Cool
Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Cream of tartar is sold in the baking aisle. It’s what separates a snickerdoodle from an ordinary sugar cookie.
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Swap
Without cream of tartar, replace it and the baking soda with 2 tsp baking powder. The cookies will still be good, just puffier and without the tang.
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Tip
Don’t overbake: a cookie that already looks done in the oven will be hard once it cools.
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Storage
Keep in an airtight tin for up to 5 days. Coated dough balls freeze for up to 2 months; bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 30 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 125 kcal | 3,750 kcal |
| Protein | 2 g | 45 g |
| Fat | 6 g | 165 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g | 510 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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