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These Snickerdoodles (without cream of tartar) are soft, puffy, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. They melt in your mouth. These are perfect if you are craving some snickerdoodles but find yourself fresh out of cream of tartar. This recipe uses white vinegar to give the dough a slight tang.
I am a cinnamon lover. Currently sitting here drinking an afternoon iced coffee with one of my favorite syrups, brown sugar cinnamon. Just a hint of cinnamon makes everything a little better.
So naturally, snickerdoodles really hit the spot for me, especially when they are warm and fresh out of the oven. And the way they smell? Unreal.
But to be honest, I never have cream of tartar in my spice cabinet. Probably because literally nothing I make ever requires it. I am sure there are many of you out there who can relate.
So I wanted to create this recipe for all of my fellow snickerdoodle lovers who don’t have or want to buy cream of tartar. Spoiler: I think they are just as good without it.
Jump to:
Highlights
- Puffy, soft, and little chewy
- Tastes just like a traditional snickerdoodle
- White vinegar used as a substitute for cream of tartar
- No chilling required
- Rolled in cinnamon sugar plus cinnamon in the dough
Ingredients
- White Vinegar: You can swap this for lemon juice.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Instructions
before you start
- Soften the butter. If you have time, simply leave the butter on the counter at room temperature before making the dough. If you are short on time. Place the butter on a microwave safe plate in its wrapper. Microwave on 50% power for 8-10 seconds. Flip and repeat.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high for 2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the egg, vanilla, and vinegar. Mix on medium until combined.
TIP - Set a timer so you cream the butter and sugar for long enough!
Step 3: In this order, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Mix on low or fold with a spatula until just combined.
Step 4: On a small plate or shallow bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
TIP - Don't over mix the dry ingredients into the cookie dough.
Step 5: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the cookies into balls about 1.7 Tablespoons each. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar and place on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper (12 cookies per sheet).
Step 6: Bake for 10-11 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet or until set.
Expert Tips
- Use softened butter. Cold or melted butter will not work. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. See tip above regarding softening butter in the microwave.
- Beat your butter and sugar. This recipe instructs you to beat these for 2 minutes. Set a timer. It is longer than you think. This adds air into the dough making the cookies light.
- Do not over mix the dough. After you add the dry ingredients, gently mix the batter just until the flour is combined. Overmixing results in a tough cookie.
- Use parchment paper or a silicone mat. This helps the cookies from sticking and keeps the bottoms nice and soft.
- Do not over bake the dough. The cookies will look slightly underdone when you take them out of the oven, but will continue cooking and firm up resting on the baking sheet.
FAQs
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Yes. You can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Whenever you are ready to bake the cookies, let the dough come to room temperature so that is workable.
Snickerdoodles are like a sugar cookie but with cinnamon. They also have a slight tang.
White vinegar or lemon juice.
Cream of tartar adds a bit of tartness to the cookies. This is one of the things that differentiates snickerdoodles from sugar cookies.
Yes. This recipe calls for white vinegar instead of cream of tartar. Lemon juice will also work. These both will add some tartness to cookie dough.
Related Recipes
Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar
Ingredients:
Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar*
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions:
- Review all recipe notes and instructions before beginning.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium high for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and vinegar. Mix on medium until combined.
- In this order, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Mix on low or fold with a spatula until just combined.
- On a small plate or shallow bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the cookies into balls about 1.7 Tablespoons each. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar and place on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper (12 cookies per sheet)
- Bake for 10-11 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet or until set.
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