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A pile of Snickerdoodle Cookies on a black and white speckled plate.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: North American
Keyword: cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
chilling time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 27 1-ounce cookies
Calories: 232kcal
Author: Marta Rivera
The blends of sugars, flours, and fats ensure you bake the most flavorful, chewy snickerdoodle you've ever tasted.
Prep time includes a 30-minute hydration period for the dough.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • sheetpan
  • electric hand mixer or stand mixer
  • 1-ounce portion scoop

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/3 cups (175 grams) bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons (8 grams) cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon (7 grams) baking soda
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) butter shortening
  • 1 cup (220 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup, packed (120 grams) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (6 grams) ground cinnamon

Instructions

Mix the Snickerdoodle Dough

  • Use a whisk to stir together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, cream of tartar and baking soda together in a mixing bowl.
    Set this aside while you combine the fats and sugars.
  • Using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), mix the butter, shortening, brown and granulated sugars, and the salt together on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes.
  • Once the mixture resembles a thick paste, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters.  
    With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs to the bowl, one at a time. Make sure the egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
  • Once the eggs are added, pour in the vanilla extract. Blend until combined, or for 30 seconds. 
    Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture in three stages. Mix on low speed just until each addition of flour has been incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters after each addition of flour.

Hydrate the Dough

  • Cover the bowl of cookie dough and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Make the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • Add the cinnamon and sugar to a bowl and use a whisk to combine them.
  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
    Line two sheetpans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. You will need to use one sheetpan twice as this makes more than 2 dozen cookies.

Top, then Bake the Snickerdoodle Cookies

  • Use a 1-ounce portion scoop to scoop up the hydrated cookie dough.
    Roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form it into a round ball.
  • Lay the ball into the cinnamon-sugar topping and roll it around to coat it well in the sugar. 
    Transfer the cinnamon-sugar cookie ball to the prepared sheetpan.
  • Continue scooping, rolling, and coating the snickerdoodle cookie dough until you have 12 balls on one sheetpan. Leave a 2-inch space around each ball of dough to allow for spread.  
  • Bake the snickerdoodle cookies in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
    After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. The cookies will still be glossy in the center when you remove them from the oven.
  • Leave the cookies on the sheetpan for 2-3 more minutes or until firm enough to lift from the sheetpan with a spatula.
    Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool further before enjoying.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

  • You can omit the butter shortening and replace it with more butter. Just know that your snickerdoodle cookies will be firmer and may spread more during baking. 
  • Replace the brown sugar with granulated sugar if you want to use just one sugar. 
  • Eliminate the bread flour and replace it with all-purpose if you only want to use one flour.
  • If you don't have cream of tartar, you can replace it with 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
  • Try adding different spices if you want to make a more unique cinnamon-sugar topping: replace the ground cinnamon with pumpkin spice blend, or decrease the cinnamon to 2 teaspoons and add 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, cloves, or ginger to the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Tips and Techniques:

  • You can make the cinnamon-sugar topping 6 months to a year ahead and store it in a jar in the pantry. 
  • If you don't separate the cinnamon sugar and roll the dough in the entire batch, discard any leftover topping as the butter and raw eggs in the dough will cause the cinnamon sugar to go rancid. 
  • Wait until just before baking to roll your snickerdoodle cookies in the cinnamon-sugar topping. Doing it too far ahead may result in the sugar dissolving from the moisture in the cookie dough. 
  • If you want to store snickerdoodle cookies, wait until they're completely cool, or the steam they produce may make them soggy. 
  • To make puffy snickerdoodle cookies:
    1. Replace the butter shortening with unsalted butter, and the brown sugar with 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
    2. Replace the bread flour with all-purpose flour and the baking soda with baking powder. 
    3. Bake the cookies on a silicone baking mat on your sheetpan in the middle rack for 12 minutes at 350°F (177°C)

Storage Instructions:

  1. Store the snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Don't store cookies in the fridge. Refrigeration makes the cookies hard and also makes them go stale faster.
  2. Warm the snickerdoodles in the microwave for 5 seconds to give them a just-baked taste.

Freezer Instructions:

  • To freeze snickerdoodle cookie dough:
    1. Chill the dough for 30 minutes, then scoop the dough onto a silicone-lined sheetpan as if you're going to bake the snickerdoodles right away.
    2. Freeze the dough uncovered until solid. Once the balls of dough are frozen, transfer them to a freezer storage bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. 
  • To freeze baked snickerdoodle cookies:
    1. Cool the cookies completely.
    2. Wrap the well to prevent freezer burn or store them in a freezer storage bag.
    3. Freeze the cookies for 2 months.
    4. Thaw the cookies at room temp before heating as needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 131IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg