Small-Batch Snickerdoodles (makes 14)

These small-batch snickerdoodles are thick and soft in the middle, with a cinnamon forward sugar coating. The dough is made in one bowl, no chill time and makes 14 cookies.

Key ingredients and why

• Butter, room temperature. Unsalted butter lets you can control the salt content better, but personally I love salted butter in my baking. Room temperature butter is essential here. Too cold and it won’t cream properly, too warm and the cookies will spread too much. You want it soft enough to dent with your finger but not greasy.
• Granulated sugar. Used in both the dough and the rolling coating. The sugar in the dough creates a soft, slightly chewy texture, and the sugar in the coating gives those signature crinkly tops.
• A whole egg. A whole egg here brings extra moisture and gives the cookie that softer, more cake-like middle that snickerdoodles are known for.
• Cream of tartar. This is really the non-negotiable snickerdoodle ingredient. It brings the slight tang and helps leaven the cookies along with baking soda. It’s also acidic, which keeps the sugar from crystallizing and helps the cookies stay soft. I say non-negotiable but if you really don’t have it, I do have a sub below that’s still pretty good.
• Baking soda. Works with the cream of tartar to give the cookies their puff and that lovely crackly top.
• Ground cinnamon. A little goes into the dough, and a bigger amount goes into the rolling coating.
• Vanilla. I use vanilla bean paste, but a good-quality extract works perfectly.

No cream of tartar? If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can use baking powder instead, since baking powder already contains both cream of tartar and baking soda. Replace the 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar AND the 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder. The flavor will be a touch milder because there’s less cream of tartar overall, but it’s a good substitute.

Method

1. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

1. In a large bowl, cream the room temperature butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about a minute and a half until lighter in color and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

1. Tip in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until you have a thick, slightly sticky cookie dough. Scoop and roll into 14 balls.

1. In a separate small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon for the rolling coating. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar until completely coated.

1. Place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for around 10 minutes, until they’re puffy with just slightly crispy edges. The tops should still feel soft.

Tips

• Don’t overbake. Pull the cookies when the tops still look soft. They’ll continue cooking on the hot tray.
• For extra round cookies, use a round cookie cutter or glass that’s bigger than your cookie. Right after the cookies come out of the oven, place the cutter over a hot cookie and gently swirl it in a circular motion. This nudges the edges into a perfect round. The cookies need to be hot and not over-baked for this to work, and it’s a bit trickier with soft cake-like cookies than with chewy ones.
• Watch your butter temperature. Room temperature butter, not soft and melty, not cold from the fridge.

Storing

Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these snickerdoodles stay soft for up to 6 days.

Make-ahead: The dough can be made, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. Let it sit at room temperature for around 15 minutes before rolling so it’s not too firm.

Freezing: Roll the dough into balls and freeze them on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let the frozen balls thaw at room temperature for around 20 minutes until the surface is just sticky, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar coating and bake as usual.

More small-batch recipes to try

• Small-batch cookie bars with chocolate chunks
• Small-batch sugar cookies
• Fudgy small-batch brownies
• Small-batch peanut butter cookies
• Small-batch sticky buns
• Mini vanilla cake with brown butter frosting
• Small-batch vanilla cupcakes

Small-Batch Snickerdoodles (Thick and Soft)

Elien Lewis

Soft, thick, generously cinnamon-coated snickerdoodles, made in one bowl with no chill time. This small-batch recipe makes 14 cookies.

5 from 28 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Servings 14

Calories 163 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 190 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 113 g butter room temperature
• 150 g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
• 1 large egg

Coating

• 25 g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer for about 1 1/2 minutes, until lighter in color and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until you have a thick, slightly sticky dough.
• In a separate small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the coating.
• Scoop the dough into 14 balls, around 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar to coat all over.
• Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, spaced at least 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart.
• Bake for around 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and thick with slightly crispy edges. The tops should still feel soft. The exact bake time will vary by oven.
• If you want a flatter cookie, tap the tray on the counter once or twice as soon as it comes out of the oven.
• Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

• Both US customary and metric measurements are provided. Use the toggle to switch between the two.
• Cream of tartar substitute: Replace the 1 tsp cream of tartar AND 1/2 tsp baking soda with 3/4 tsp baking powder.
• Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 days.
• Make-ahead: The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. Bring back to a workable temperature before rolling.
• Freezing: Freeze unbaked, uncoated dough balls for up to 3 months. Thaw for 20 minutes at room temperature, then roll in the cinnamon sugar coating before baking.
• For extra round cookies: Right out of the oven, place a round cookie cutter or glass (slightly bigger than the cookie) over a hot cookie and swirl gently to round the edges.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 138mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 222IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg

Keyword baking, Cookies, Desserts

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