If I had to sum up snickerdoodle cookies in an expression, I immediately think of “sugar and spice and everything nice.” They are a simple cookie to make but the flavor and texture is spectacular!
As far as cookies go, I normally gravitate towards chocolate chip or monster cookies. However, homemade snickerdoodle cookies deserve their chance in the spotlight too! These light and tender cookies just melt in your mouth with their cinnamon sugar goodness. They are the perfect balance of sweet and buttery in one beautiful cookie. They are best still warm from the oven, but they pair beautifully with a cup of coffee in the days that follow. That is, assuming you have any left. They seem to disappear quickly at our family gatherings!
They are a simple cookie to make with standard ingredients, with the addition of cream of tartar. This is the acidic ingredient needed to activate the baking soda to get the perfect rise and texture. The final step before baking is to roll the cookie dough balls in a cinnamon sugar mixture. This is a great task for young bakers, even toddlers. My son Mitchy was great help with this until he realized that cookie dough is yummy! Then he just wanted to eat it. Just look at that smile! We love our sweet boy so much!
He also couldn't resist the baked cookies! Though blogging and food photography is super challenging with a curious toddler underfoot, I love letting Mitchy "help" as much as possible. He really is the star of the show at times.
Like all of my cookies, I baked these on parchment lined cookie sheets. This ensures zero sticking and easy clean up. I really like the Baker’s Signature brand because the sheets are pre-cut. You can find these products on Amazon, but any brand of parchment paper will do. You may also use a silicone mat if you prefer. Either option works well.
Enjoy these cinnamon spiced and crackly cookies! They are as tasty as they are beautiful!
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Cinnamon Sugar Ingredients
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy for a couple minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined, scraping sides as needed.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low until incorporated. By hand, stir in the remaining flour mixture until combined. The cookie dough will be very thick. Refrigerate if desired. Prepare the cinnamon sugar mixture by whisking the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Scoop the cookie dough into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture to completely coat. Repeat with all dough.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for approximately 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden. Do not overbake. If cookies are spreading too much, increase oven temperature to 375° F for subsequent batches and bake 8-10 minutes. All ovens vary, so watch carefully to prevent overbaking the cookies.
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I made these and they baked up perfectly! Normally my snickerdoodles spread too much, but these had no issues! I will be making these from now on.
Great news! I am glad you enjoyed my recipe!