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Ingredients
- 2.75 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for rolling)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (for rolling)
Before you start
Equipment You'll Need
- Two large baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Cookie scoop or tablespoon
- Wire cooling rack
Safety Tips & Important Notes
Follow these for best results and safety.
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature before starting. It should be soft enough to leave an indent when pressed but not greasy or melted. This ensures proper creaming.
- Do not skip the cream of tartar. It is what gives snickerdoodles their classic tangy flavor and chewy texture. It cannot be replaced with more baking soda.
- Pull the cookies out when the centers still look slightly underbaked. They will continue to cook on the hot pan and will set up perfectly as they cool.
- For uniform cookies, use a cookie scoop to portion the dough. This helps all cookies bake evenly in the same amount of time.
- Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking is optional but will result in thicker, puffier cookies with less spreading.
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until combined. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1.5 cups of granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
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Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
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Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
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In a small bowl, stir together the 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon to make the rolling mixture.
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Scoop the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter (roughly 1 tablespoon of dough each). Roll each ball between your palms to make it round, then roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated.
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Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
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Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly underdone. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
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Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chef's notes
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place a slice of bread in the container to help keep the cookies soft.
Baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Unbaked dough balls can be frozen on a baking sheet, then transferred to a zip-top bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.
This recipe yields approximately 36 cookies depending on how large you portion the dough.
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