Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies

These cookies are absolutely PERFECT! They're soft and chewy with crinkly and crispy edges. They use melted butter which makes them EXTRA chewy and makes them much quicker and easier to whip up. No chill time needed and ready in under 30 minutes, they're the BEST snickerdoodle cookies around!

what are snickerdoodle cookies?

Snickerdoodle cookies are very similar to sugar cookies in texture and in the main ingredients involved. The two cookies have 2 main differences that set them apart: snickerdoodles traditionally feature cinnamon and cream of tartar while sugar cookies do not. These 2 ingredients give the snickerdoodles their uniquely different taste and texture!

what is cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar is an acid, and when coupled with baking soda, it helps snickerdoodles rise - giving them their signature crisp exterior and chewy texture. Cream of tartar is also found in baking powder (which is a mix of baking soda + cream of tartar!)

how to make snickerdoodle cookies

1. Whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.
2. Whisk together wet ingredients. Start by creaming together butter and the sugars. Once mixed, then add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. And you officially have your snickerdoodle dough!

4. Mix together cinnamon and sugar to make the coating.
5. Scoop cookie dough. Roll each scoop of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar then arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet.

6. Bake & cool. You can serve the cookies as is or top with a little sprinkle of sea salt or sparkle sugar for that bakery feel!

snickerdoodle cookies under / over spreading

If you have trouble with getting the right spread with cookies, here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind:

1. Flour: Flour is very easy to overmeasure, and too much flour will led to dry, crumbly, and under spread cookies. It's best to use a scale and weigh the flour, but if you're using cups, lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup then use a flat utensil to level it off. Don't shake or tap the cup to level out the flour and DEFINITELY don't scoop the measuring cup straight into the bag, or this will compress more weight worth of flour.
2. Butter: For this recipe, it's important to allow the butter to cool completely before mixing the sugar into it. It should still be liquid, but it shouldn't be warm at all. If it's even slightly warm, it can melt and liquidize the sugar, which will ultimately cause the cookies to overspread.
3. Mixing: Undermixing the butter and sugars will lead to flatter cookies, so make sure to mix until the whisk starts leaving behind a trail of ripples. Once the flour is added into the cookie dough, watch out for overmixing. Overmixing will overwork the gluten and can make the cookies tougher - perfectly mixed cookie dough will yield tender and soft cookies!
4. Eggs: Aside from the butter, it's important to ensure the egg and egg yolk are at room temperature. Cold eggs will cause the butter to solidify and clump. Having clumps of butter in your cookie dough will lead to uneven baking and will not allow the cookies to spread properly. A quick and easy trick to bring eggs up to room temperature is to simply submerge them (shell on) in a bowl of warm water for about 5-10 minutes. That should bring them up to room temperature quickly.
5. Baking sheet: If you plan on baking multiple batches on the same baking sheet, it's important to let the baking sheet cool completely to room temperature before adding the next batch on. Placing cookie dough on a warm baking sheet will cause the bottoms to heat rapidly and melt / spread - ultimately leading to overspread cookies.
6. Temperature of the cookie dough: If you stored the cookie dough in the fridge for any amount of time, the cookies will bake up thicker. If that's what you're going for, then great! If you want thinner and less cakey cookies, let the chilled dough come up to room temperature before baking. But do keep in mind that the flour will absorb the wet ingredients as the cookie dough sits, so any cookie dough that isn't baked right away will come out slightly thicker.

check out these other recipes!

• Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
• Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
• Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Enjoy!

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