The BEST Snickerdoodles
If your ideal snickerdoodle is soft, buttery, dense, and chewy, you’re in the right place. These snickerdoodles are absolute perfection! They’re made with rich European butter to add extra fat and flavor. On top of that, we’re browning half of it to enhance that flavor even more!
Before You Start
These snickerdoodles are so easy to make, but here area few things to keep in mind before you break out your mixing bowl:
- European-Style Butter – I HIGHLY recommend using European-style butter here (I use Kerrygold). It makes all the difference in these cookies. Since part of the butter is browned, European-style will give you the richest color and flavor due to its higher fat content. It’s truly what MAKES these cookies.
- Browning Butter – When browning half of the butter for this recipe, really take it all the way. Most people stop before it’s fully browned, so keep mixing until it turns a rich dark brown sugar color.
- Flour – We want these cookies to spread nice and even, so it’s important to measure the flour properly. Of course, weighing with a scale is always the best option, but if measuring with cups is your thing, you must spoon the flour into your cup and level it off. Do not scoop directly into the flour otherwise you’ll back it down into your cup and add way to much excess flour to the dough.
- Before Baking – Once the dough has been rolled in cinnamon sugar and placed on the baking pan, flatten them slightly with your palm. This ensures the cookies spread evenly.
- Doneness – These cookies won’t look like much when they’re fresh from the oven. They’ll be domed and puffed and appear cakey, but I promise they’ll flatten as they cool to reveal delicious and wrinkly snickerdoodles.
What makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle?
AKA what’s the difference between a snickerdoodle and a cinnamon sugar cookie? Besides the classic cinnamon sugar coating, it all comes down to one ingredient – cream of tartar.
What is cream of tartar?
Taken from Google itself – cream of tartar is a fine, acidic powder that’s a natural byproduct of winemaking, formed from tartaric acid crystals left in wine barrels.
So what is it doing in cookie dough? Specific to snickerdoodles, cream of tartar adds a signature tang. Although the balance has to be just right as too much can create a soapy flavor but too little and you lose that snickerdoodle flavor completely.
I found 3/4 teaspoon to be the sweet spot here!
Most importantly, it makes snickerdoodles chewy. In simple terms, it prevents the sugar from hardening to create a soft and chewy consistency.
What makes this snickerdoodle recipe different?
So why are these labeled “the BEST”? It comes down to two elements: melted and browning butter.
You’ll notice most of my cookie recipes using melted butter instead of room temperature butter. This is because it yields a much richer and chewier cookie. Most snickerdoodle cookies use room temperature butter, but not these!
Besides melting, half of the butter is browned. This adds just a hint of rich toffee flavor without overpowering the cookie. It just kind of hangs out in the background while allowing all the classic flavors of a snickerdoodle to shine.
Snickerdoodle FAQs:
Yes! Just swap the all-purpose flour with gluten-free cup-for-cup baking flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill (the blue bag) or King Arthur measure for measure. Also make sure your cream of tartar is certified gluten free! McCormick is the best option.
Since we’re using warm brown butter in the dough, the cold egg helps further cool everything down. And a cooled dough means slower spreading in the oven.
This is rich butter that’s either imported or made from grass-fed cows (I use Kerrygold). It’s churned with added cultures to create a really rich color and flavor. The end result is a creamy butter with a higher fat content. It makes all the difference in these snickerdoodles!
Yes! Shape and roll the dough balls then flatten slightly more than the recipe calls for (this will help them spread since they’ll be very cold when baked later on). To bake, thaw the cookie dough for about an hour and bake as instructed.
Store these at room temperature and they’ll keep for about a week! They hold up really well as the days go on.
For more of the BEST cookie recipes, check out my:
- BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- Brown Butter & Maple Pumpkin Cookies
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
- Salted Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make these snickerdoodle cookies. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
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The Best Snickerdoodles
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 14 cookies
Description
So what makes these the BEST snickerdoodles? We’re talking rich European-style butter that’s half browned, adding a light toffee flavor without overpowering the signature snickerdoodle flavor. They also have just the right amount of flour to where they spread nice and even but remain SUPER rich and buttery with every bite. It’s bound to be your new favorite snickerdoodle recipe!
Ingredients
Snickerdoodles
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 224g) salted European style butter* (I use Kerrygold)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp cream of tartar (certified gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt (1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
- 2 1/4 cups (290g) all-purpose flour (or 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour)
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Snickerdoodles
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the butter and add one stick to a large mixing bowl and the other to a medium saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir to brown. First it will melt, then bubble loudly, then go quiet and foamy. This is when the browning stage happens so don’t walk away. Keep stirring until it turns the color of dark brown sugar.Â
- Immediately pour the browned butter into the bowl of sliced butter and stir to melt.
- Once melted, whisk in the sugars, followed by the egg and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until it turns smooth and thick, about 1 minute.
- Then whisk in the cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Switch to a rubber spatula and mix in the flour, ensuring it’s fully worked into the dough without over mixing.Â
- In a small dish, mix together the coating ingredients.
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons worth), scoop the dough into the cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Place 4 to 5 cookies on the baking sheet spaced a couple inches apart and use your palm to flatten the tops just slightly.Â
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (11 is the sweet spot for me) or until the edges are barely golden and the center is pale, puffed, and slightly underdone.
- Allow to cool on the pan for about a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Make the rest of the batch as directed.Â
- Once cooled, they’re ready to enjoy!
Notes
EUROPEAN-STYLE BUTTER – This butter makes all the difference here! Look for butter that has this term on the label or states that it’s from a European country. It’s much richer and creamier than standard butter, so it’s a must in these cookies. If you go for basic butter, your cookies won’t spread as much.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
