Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are my dad's favorite cookie. He even named his dog after the cookie. Growing up, my mom would make snickerdoodles for my dad fairly frequently - and she would always let me roll the dough in the cinnamon sugar. Now as an adult, I still find it soothing to roll dough balls in sugar - it's almost a way of de-stressing.
Although it's a simple cookie - not too far off from its cousin, the sugar cookie - there are some challenges in making the perfect snickerdoodle cookie. The biggest of which is creating that tangy flavor - a unique flavor profile that you cannot find in a regular sugar cookie. This flavor usually comes from cream of tartar, but as you learned with my S'mores Inspired Meringue Cookies, I never keep cream of tartar around in the house. It's been years of having the same issue, and yet it's an issue I forget exists until I'm in the middle of a recipe. Luckily, there's a solution. When making a snickerdoodle cookie, you can use 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar plus 1 teaspoon of baking soda. This is because baking powder is, essentially, cream of tartar mixed with baking soda already. While baking soda is a base (think fourth grade volcano-making experiments using baking soda and vinegar), cream of tartar is acidic. Combining these two in the form of baking powder reduces the reaction between your acid and your base (which is why there's such a huge texture difference between a snickerdoodle and a sugar cookie). More importantly, the tangy taste comes from the acid in the cream of tartar - something we can replicate by simply using baking powder. So these cookies are really just a science experiment!
I have three different types of ground cinnamon in my kitchen (yes, I know, it's excessive). While, yes, you can use any type of cinnamon to create this type of cookie, some types are better than others. Penzeys Spices sells a variety of cinnamons, which is where I got most of mine. If you're looking for the traditional cinnamon flavor, you can pick up a jar of Korintje Indonesian cinnamon. This is the kind you typically find on store shelves when they're labeled "cinnamon" with not further detail. If you're looking for something sweeter, a China Ting Hing cinnamon works well - especially for the cinnamon sugar coating on the outside of your snickerdoodle cookies. If you're looking for something with more tang, Ceylon cinnamon is your best bet. This type works well in the dough, as it compliments the tang of the cream of tartar or baking powder well. I do not recommend using Vietnamese cinnamon, as this is more of a svaory flavor that goes well in dishes like pho (delicious, but not exactly what we're looking for here). Of course, if you're like me and have a plethora of cinnamon jars at the ready, feel free to mix them together to create a more complex flavor profile.
Although it's a simple cookie - not too far off from its cousin, the sugar cookie - there are some challenges in making the perfect snickerdoodle cookie. The biggest of which is creating that tangy flavor - a unique flavor profile that you cannot find in a regular sugar cookie. This flavor usually comes from cream of tartar, but as you learned with my S'mores Inspired Meringue Cookies, I never keep cream of tartar around in the house. It's been years of having the same issue, and yet it's an issue I forget exists until I'm in the middle of a recipe. Luckily, there's a solution. When making a snickerdoodle cookie, you can use 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar plus 1 teaspoon of baking soda. This is because baking powder is, essentially, cream of tartar mixed with baking soda already. While baking soda is a base (think fourth grade volcano-making experiments using baking soda and vinegar), cream of tartar is acidic. Combining these two in the form of baking powder reduces the reaction between your acid and your base (which is why there's such a huge texture difference between a snickerdoodle and a sugar cookie). More importantly, the tangy taste comes from the acid in the cream of tartar - something we can replicate by simply using baking powder. So these cookies are really just a science experiment!
I have three different types of ground cinnamon in my kitchen (yes, I know, it's excessive). While, yes, you can use any type of cinnamon to create this type of cookie, some types are better than others. Penzeys Spices sells a variety of cinnamons, which is where I got most of mine. If you're looking for the traditional cinnamon flavor, you can pick up a jar of Korintje Indonesian cinnamon. This is the kind you typically find on store shelves when they're labeled "cinnamon" with not further detail. If you're looking for something sweeter, a China Ting Hing cinnamon works well - especially for the cinnamon sugar coating on the outside of your snickerdoodle cookies. If you're looking for something with more tang, Ceylon cinnamon is your best bet. This type works well in the dough, as it compliments the tang of the cream of tartar or baking powder well. I do not recommend using Vietnamese cinnamon, as this is more of a svaory flavor that goes well in dishes like pho (delicious, but not exactly what we're looking for here). Of course, if you're like me and have a plethora of cinnamon jars at the ready, feel free to mix them together to create a more complex flavor profile.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar plus 1/4 cup for topping
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1 tablespoon for topping
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar for topping (optional)
Directions
- Cream together softened butter, granulated white sugar, and dark brown sugar using a stand mixer and a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Add in egg and egg yolk. Continue to mix.
- Add in vanilla, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Continue to mix.
- Slowly add in 3 cups of flour. Continue to mix until combined.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Remove from stand mixer and place in the fridge. The dough will remain there just until the oven has preheated.
- In a small bowl, mix together the 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar (if using).
- Form 2 inch balls of dough and roll individually in the cinnamon sugar mixture before placing on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for between 10 and 13 minutes, depending on your oven and desired consistency. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
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