Snickerdoodle Cookies
Easily over a month ago I began writing a list of treat type possibilities for at the very least November and December. When considering my possibilties for December gingerbread was an obvious one and we’ve already covered gingerbread in both cookie and cupcake forms. Of course there are still plenty of other gingerbread options should I want to try one or two more this year. That’s right… I’ll stop making gingerbread items when January gets here. I reserve it for November and December. Just as lemon and blueberries are traditionally spring and early summer ingredients.
What other items come to mind for December? Chocolate, yes lots of chocolate and how about peppermint? Peppermint is a definite and has a wide range of possibilities. One of my favorite holiday cookie is actually a peppermint variety. I promise that’s coming soon. I’ve talked about it a lot in various venues. Trust me when I say it’s amazing. But still… what else comes to mind for December? I thought: eggnog, fudge, specialty cheesecakes, brownies even. Typically cookies are a huge hit in December. They’re often very easy to make and serves a crowd with one batch, or even half of a batch! The varieties are endless but we all have our favorites.
I had been debating over a few possibilities for this week, wavering back and forth between what to try first. I finally decided on an old classic and seasonal favorite that is sometimes forgotten about, or at least in my case. I’ve had snickerdoodles before but they obviously haven’t been memorable. Maybe it’s that they’re so basic and eaten only once or twice a year. Or maybe it’s that other cookies have outshined the snickerdoodles with their fanciness or extra flavors. I vow to never forget the snickerdoodle again. They may not be my go to cookie but after mixing up a batch yesterday I was wowed. Truly utterly amazed by how delicious they were. I’ve decided I absolutely have a love hate relationship with snickerdoodles. Why you ask? Because I love them for they’re simple deliciousness and hate them for it at the same time. I eat one and want to go back for more. They’re small enough you think it’s not a big deal but can’t help yourself. I promise you’ll have the same issue.
When I set out to make these I honestly don’t know what I was thinking but pulled up the recipe both online and in my Martha Stewart cookie book. I’m not sure why I did both but I did. I had reviewed the online version early in the day and decided to for whatever reason use the actual book to follow along with while baking. I added the butter to my stand mixer bowl, followed by the sugar and then began questioning what was going on. I looked at the online version, then back at the book version… they have the exact same picture and the exact same name BUT they’re completely different recipes! I don’t understand how such a big name and company could allow something like this to happen. At least have two names, maybe Snickerdoodle I and II and use different pictures that would accurately depict the cookie, don’t lie to average household bakers. Most would not even catch something like this but me with my quirkiness did. Though this may not always be the case, keep this instance in mind if you bake something and the end result is drastically different from the one pictured.
I ended up continuing to follow the book recipe adjusting it slightly. The final result was seriously amazing. The cookies had a slight crunchy exterior with a soft almost cake like interior. Heaven I tell you! I proclaimed on twitter that the cookies would be gone by the end of the day and they absolutely were. Keep in mind I didn’t actually bake a full batch but the ones I did make were still devoured. They’re extremely hard to resist.
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 C unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 3/4 C all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cream butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer. Scrape bowl as needed and prior to each new addition. Add eggs, mixing until creamy. Slowly add flour mixture while beating on low speed. Increase speed, mixing until all ingredients are incorporated well and no streaks remain.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tsp cinnamon and 3 tbsp sugar. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough and transfer to your hand to roll into fairly smooth ball. Each ball should be roughly 1 1/2 inches. Work with one dough ball at a time. Drop ball into cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat.
- Transfer coated dough balls to prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cookies rest for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cover and store for up to several days.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart cookie book
I’ve noticed the online/book recipe differences with Martha a lot.. And a whole lot of picture recycling too.. I’ve even come across cheesecake recipes for raspberry swirl and one for cranberry swirl that had the EXACT same picture.
Shame on them I say but at least the finished product was super tasty. I think I’ll need to pay attention more when using her recipes – compare online and book versions.
I can never turn down a Snickerdoodle cookie and this version (even after all the conufsion) looks fantastic. Puffy and chewy – perfect!
Hey, I’m relatively new to baking, so I was wondering the outcome of the cookies if cream of tartar was not added? Unfortunately, I am unable to obtain it at my current location, but this recipe looks so scrumptious – augh, I don’t want to ruin it by missing something vital(?), but I sure want to make it for the holidays!
I apologize for my complete and utter ignorance on this matter.
I’m not sure that it’s a vital ingredient but it is pretty common to find it in most snickerdoodle recipes. The version I was following in the book didn’t call for it but I opted to add it in, so I’d imagine it would taste okay without. It’s worth a shot anyway especially if you can’t get cream of tartar where you are. Supposedly an ingredient substitution for cream of tartar is white vinegar or lemon juice so you could try 1-2 tsp of either and see how that turns out.
tis the season for comfort food. It doesn’t get better than snickerdoodles. beautiful!
Thank you!
I will try both, then, and see the outcome.
Good luck! Let me know how the substitutions work out for you.
Rachel, your photos are gorgeous! Yes, Marsielle will need to add some acid (lemon juice or vinegar) in order to come close to the taste of the cookie with cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is not just a leavener, it’s what gives Snickerdoodles their tangy flavor.
I impressed how puffy your snickerdoodles got. I love snickerdoodles though whenever I make them, most of the dough is left unbaked. Snickerdoodle dough is my boyfriend’s favorite kind of cookie dough
I made these…except I’m a bit slow it seems and I grabbed the Pumpkin Pie Spice out of the cupboard instead of the cinnamon. Considering the pie spice is primarily cinnamon, I figured it couldn’t be too bad after I rolled about half of the cookies already and finally noticed what the bottle said. They actually came out pretty darn tasty! I just have to get myself a cookie scooper so I can measure these correctly because mine came out teeny tiny! Thanks for another awesome recipe!
I love Snickerdoodles, they were my absolute fave to make in Home Ec. It’s been way too long!
Just a quick tip I learned years ago. If you don’t have a sifter and a recipe calls for sifting your dry ingredients, just place your ingredients needing to be sifted into a bowl and use a large balloon style whisk and whisk for a minute or two, this will achieve the same effect as sifting.
I just made these cookies and they. are. addictive. I finished about an hour ago and I have already eaten four. They are super light and pillowy but the outside is really crisp and delicious! LOVE THEM THANKYOU
I completely agree – super addictive! Glad to hear you enjoyed them so much. :)
How many cookies does the full recipe make?
I’m going to guess at least 2-3 dozen, maybe more. It’s been several years since posting this recipe, but they’re very good and definitely worth making. :)
I was wondering if you have the exact amounts to make aroun 12-16 normal sized snickerdoodles? I want to make some but not that much :)
I do not have amounts for a halved recipe, but it could be easily cut in half given that it requires 2 eggs. Alternately you could make the full batch and freeze what you don’t want to cook. Just be sure to label it well so you know what dough it is and any other important info needed for cooking. :)
I just made these cookies and although I love the height and texture of them vs past ones that I have made I have found that they taste a little metalicy. Is it possible it could be the baking powder? I am starting to question my self to see if I used more than I should? Also, how long to they keep fresh?
I’ve honestly never found that when making them myself. Perhaps you added too much or you’re sensitive to baking powder or cream of tartar, just a thought. As for freshness, they’re typically eaten pretty quickly here but I’d guess easily a week stored in an airtight container.
Why is there a see note by the butter?
It’s been removed. It may have just been a glitch when I switched recipe formats a while back. Sorry for any confusion! Enjoy the cookies. :)