Chewy Snickerdoodles

Posted on by Hannah Hasson

After a weekend of Thanksgiving turkeys and chilly weather, making warm snickerdoodle cookies is the best way bring the holiday of gratitude to a close. You will be really thankful after you make these cookies 😉. 

So, what is a snickerdoodle? – I asked my trusty “followers” to help me out.

“Is it a type of dog?” -Clueless123 

“A cross between a Snickers chocolate bar and a poodle” -ILoveChocolate1

“I think it has something to do with cinnamon.” -CloseEnough.gol

Well… not as helpful as I hoped.

A snickerdoodle is basically a sugar cookie, but there are two ingredients that make it unique- cinnamon and cream of tartar. You are probably asking your screen right now, “what is cream of tartar?” But before you ask that, you should ask-

What is cinnamon?

Good question! Many people don’t know this, but cinnamon is a spice from the bark of a tree species called Genus Cinnamomum. Cinnamon is warm, soothing, and diverse. You can add cinnamon to a lot of your favorite things to make them taste even better. Try adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to your hot chocolate, trail mix, and even your morning toast. 

Now… What is cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar is a dry, powdery, and acidic byproduct of fermenting grapes into wine. You can find it in the spice aisle labeled as cream of tartar, but its scientific name is potassium bitartrate, aka potassium hydrogen tartrate or tartaric acid. It acts as a stabilizer in recipes with whipped egg whites like meringue, angel food cake, and soufflé. But don’t fret, it’s not as complicated as it sounds. It’s fairly easy to find and use.

Why is it in my snickerdoodle cookie? 

The cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their distinct chewiness because it prevents the sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing into crunchiness. The acid in cream of tartar also gives snickerdoodles their tangy flavor.

Where did the name “snickerdoodle” come from?

It may just be a made up name with no origin, but some believe that the word is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudel which means snail noodles (Yuck).

Alright- enough with the learning, let’s get to the baking!

The Recipe 

For my snickerdoodle recipe I took a plain sugar cookie recipe and substituted the baking powder for cream of tartar and added cinnamon. I also coated the dough balls in cinnamon sugar before baking them. 

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies-

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened to room temperature

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping-

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  2. Make the topping: toss 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Make the cookies: In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.
  4. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
  5. Take 1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the dough balls into the cinnamon-sugar topping. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes. At 9 minutes lightly press down on the cookies with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. When cookies are done baking, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pair them with a cold glass of milk for the ultimate treat.

Keep muffin around the kitchen! ♥️👩🏼‍🍳