Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are like sugar cookies’ sexier, better-dressed cousin.

Yet somehow they don’t get nearly enough attention!

The perfect Snickerdoodle with it’s crisp, slightly sweetened exterior and soft, chewy interior is something worth talking about. And these Snickerdoodles are perfection!

I tweaked the sugar to cinnamon ratio and adjusted the baking time until the resulting cookies were deemed “perfect” by my Husband. We do not take his praise lightly around here, folks. No, no. It’s a BIG deal!

And the flavor actually improved on the second day!

Just look how chewy and soft they are!!

Why is it that you can roll something in cinnamon sugar and BOOM it’s exponentially more delicious?

I get a kick out of culinary history and random bits of information, which is why my vintage cookbook collection no longer fits on it’s designated shelf. Oops…

Snickerdoodles originated in New England and differentiate themselves from sugar cookies by the addition of baking soda and cream of tartar.

In my vintage cookbooks, the few that actually had Snickerdoodles, they were not rolled in cinnamon sugar and they had nuts. Rolling them in cinnamon sugar seems to be a fairly recent evolution. And a tasty one at that!

Some people think that the perfect Snickerdoodle has an almost cakey interior, but I disagree. I believe it should just be a slightly less dense cookie. Which is why I was pleased that the vintage cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cook Book, I used, only had ½ teaspoon of baking soda, so the resulting cookie wasn’t too airy. Perfectly chewy!

Print Recipe

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter softened
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 6 tablespoons sugar for rolling
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar in the base of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating until incorporated.
• Beat in milk and vanilla until well combined, being careful not to over mix.
• Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
• In a small bowl whisk together 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon and 6 tablespoons granulated sugar. Form dough into balls that are approximately the size of ping pong or golf balls. Roll in the cinnamon sugar to generously coat. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet and flatten slightly with a glass.
• Bake 9 minutes and let cool completely on a wire rack. Do not overbake!!

Notes

Modified from Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cook Book, 1975 Edition.

Makes 3 dozen