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Market Snickerdoodles

Crinkled tops, chewy centers, and a generous cinnamon sugar coat

Real snickerdoodles with cream of tartar tang, crinkled tops, and soft centers. Home scale from the Recipe Pantry Pro market formula.

By Henry Hunter Jr., founder of Crust & Crumb Academy and Baking Great Bread at Home.

Prep
20 minutes
Bake
10-12 minutes per tray
Total
About 1 hour 5 minutes, including a 30 minute chill
Yield
18 chewy snickerdoodles
Difficulty
beginner

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 300g (2⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
  • 180g (¾ cup + 1 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
  • 210g (1 cup + 1 Tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 66g (1 large plus 1 Tbsp beaten egg) large egg — A little extra egg keeps the centers soft
  • 6g (2 tsp) cream of tartar — Not optional, this is the snickerdoodle tang
  • 3g (¾ tsp) baking soda
  • 3g (½ tsp) fine sea salt
  • 6g (1¼ tsp) pure vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  • 34g (2½ Tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 6g (2½ tsp) ground cinnamon

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
  • Digital Scale
  • Half Sheet Pans
  • Parchment Paper
  • Wire Cooling Rack

Method

Mix the Dough

Cream well, then stop mixing the moment the flour disappears. Overmixed snickerdoodle dough bakes tough.

  1. Cream the Butter and Sugar. Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light, 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Add the Egg and Vanilla. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
  3. Add the Dry Ingredients. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together, add to the bowl, and mix just until combined.

Tip: Cream of tartar does two jobs here, the tang and the chew. Leave it out and you baked a sugar cookie.

Chill, Portion, and Coat

Cold dough crinkles. Warm dough spreads flat.

  1. Chill the Dough. Cover and chill for 30 minutes, or overnight.
  2. Portion. Scoop into balls of about 43g each.
  3. Roll in Cinnamon Sugar. Stir the coating sugar and cinnamon together, then roll each ball until fully coated. Coat generously, this is the flavor and the look.

Wait: Dough Chill

Bake and Cool

Pull them early. They finish on the tray and stay chewy.

  1. Bake. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are crinkled and set but the centers still look soft.
  2. Rest on the Tray. Rest 5 minutes on the hot tray, then move to a wire rack.
  3. Cool Fully. Cool completely before bagging so they don't steam.

Tip: If the tops aren't crinkling, the dough was too warm going into the oven.

Bake the Snickerdoodles

Moderate heat sets the crinkle without drying the center.

Oven: 175°C / 350°F.

Bake time: PT11M

Equipment: Half sheet pans lined with parchment

  1. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes and pull while the centers still look underdone.

Storage

  • Room temperature: Sealed container for 5 to 7 days, still soft.
  • Refrigerated: Not recommended, it dries them out.
  • Frozen: Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months, or freeze coated dough balls and bake from frozen adding 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Refresh: Ten seconds in the microwave softens them right back up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip the cream of tartar?

Not if you want a snickerdoodle. Cream of tartar gives the tang and the chew. Without it you get a cinnamon sugar cookie, which is fine but it's a different cookie.

Why didn't my cookies crinkle?

Warm dough. Chill it a full 30 minutes and bake from cold. Crinkles come from a cold ball setting on the outside while the middle is still rising.

How much coating is enough?

Roll until the ball is completely white with cinnamon sugar. A thin coat bakes away and leaves a plain-looking cookie.

Can I make the dough ahead?

Yes. The dough keeps 3 days covered in the fridge, and coated dough balls freeze for 2 months. Bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 cookie (about 43g)): 195 calories, 27g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 9g fat, 1g fiber, 140mg sodium.