Snickerdoodles without cream of tartar are an old-fashioned classic, without the tangy, metallic taste. This recipe is simple to make with basic pantry ingredients and no chilling is required. Perfect for satisfying any sweet tooth!
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a hand or stand mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until the butter is pale and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla to the butter. Mix on high speed until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through mixing.
Add the flour, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon. Gently fold the cookie dough together until the flour is just mixed in. The dough should be quite soft.
Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of sugar in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
Scoop the dough into 12 equally-sized pieces (about 39 grams each). The dough will be quite sticky! Roll each portion of dough between your hands to make a smooth ball. Place the balls on the plate of cinnamon sugar. Roll and swirl them around to coat the outsides completely—add more cinnamon and/or sugar to the bowl as needed. I like to roll my dough balls twice for extra cinnamon sugar goodness!
Place the 12 dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced apart. Bake the snickerdoodles in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms and edges are pale gold. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack. For maximum chewiness, cool the cookies on the baking sheet.
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Notes
Make sure your butter is soft before you begin. Room temperature is usually ok, but may take longer to cream if your house is cool.
Cream the butter and sugar together for at least five minutes. The more air you whip into the butter, the lighter and fluffier your cookies will be.
Be careful not to overmix the dough. Overmixing can lead to tough and dry cookies. Mix the ingredients until the flour is just combined, and then stop.
This recipe yields approximately 12 x 39-gram cookie dough balls. If you want more cookies the recipe doubles well.
Rolling the dough balls in cinnamon sugar twice is completely optional. Traditional snickerdoodles are generally only rolled once in cinnamon sugar.
Allowing the snickerdoodles to cool on the baking sheet will retain moisture inside the cookies.
To keep the cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. If you want to store them for longer, you can freeze them in an airtight container, or a freezer-safe zipper-top bag for up to two months.