Snickerdoodles (Without Cream Of Tartar)

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No cream of tartar? No problem! You can still make perfectly soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies without it. This no chill snickerdoodle cookie recipe will be your new favorite alternative to traditional snickerdoodle cookies.

Over my many years of baking all kinds of goodies for folks, I have come to find that snickerdoodles are a hot topic. Why? Because people either really love them or really dislike them, and more often than not, the folks who dislike them say they taste bitter or too acidic.

THE PROBLEM WITH CREAM OF TARTAR

While there isn’t necessarily a problem with cream of tartar itself, some folks who tend to have more sensitive tastebuds, or rather tastebuds that maybe don’t prefer the taste of tangy or bitter things, can detect that specific taste in traditional snickerdoodles.

But guess what? I have good news.

While cream of tartar is a staple ingredient in snickerdoodles, with the right adjustments of baking soda and baking powder, we can mimic the tang in a more subtle way while also keeping the integrity of a soft and chewy texture, which is something else we can thank cream of tartar for in snickerdoodle cookies.

I have recipes for classic snickerdoodles as well as salted caramel stuffed snickerdoodles that both include cream of tartar, but the alternative in these snickerdoodles without cream of tartar still make for a chewy and soft texture, without having to run out to buy an ingredient nor disappoint the cinnamon lovers who can really detect cream of tartar.

Cream of tartar is added to snickerdoodles to activate the baking soda and create a signature tangy flavor. Without this ingredient, we have a slightly less tangy cookie, but still all the chewy goodness and cinnamon sugar heaven of the original.

These snickerdoodle cookies are actually modeled after my vanilla bean sugar cookies, which went VIRAL on Instagram, so you know they’ve got a good base!

Although cream of tartar is imperative to classic snickerdoodle cookies, you can still technically make an amazing snickerdoodle cookie without it.

While these chewy, sweet, and cinnamon-sugary cookies are made with a sugar cookie base, it’s the rolling in cinnamon sugar that really starts to transform them into what we know and love as snickerdoodle cookies.

An absolute requirement for soft snickerdoodles is a lightly crisp exterior, a chewy interior, and a cinnamon sugar coating. And these definitely check all of the boxes!

So while the classic snickerdoodle will always be made with cream of tartar, we can make this alternative version that will still fulfill all of our cinnamon sugar cravings.

And if you have a cinnamon craving that just won’t quit, you just have to try my cinnamon pinwheel cookies, snickerdoodle cookie cake, or cinnamon streusel coffee cake recipes. If the craving is really strong, maybe all three!

I won’t judge, I promise.

Ingredients

Because of the absence of cream of tartar, these chewy snickerdoodle recipe requires no special ingredients whatsoever! If you have a well-stocked kitchen and pantry, you likely have all you need to bake up a batch of warm soft and chewy snickerdoodles.

For this snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar, you will need:
• all-purpose flour
• ground cinnamon
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• unsalted butter
• powdered sugar
• an egg
• vegetable oil
• vanilla extract

One of the functions of cream of tartar in snickerdoodle cookies is to act as an interfering agent, which prevents sugar from binding together and creating crystals.

Since we are making these easy snickerdoodles without cream of tartar, we need a way to keep the sugar crystals small, and a great way to do that is by using powdered sugar!

Powdered sugar is used in many cookie recipes where you want to create a soft and tender result.

Since the cornstarch in powdered sugar absorbs moisture, cookies that contain powdered sugar also tend to hold their shape very well with little spreading.

Powdered sugar is used in many rolled cookie recipes, like my easy cut-out sugar cookies, chocolate cut-out sugar cookies, and funfetti cut-out sugar cookies.

Who knew there would be so much science involved in baking cookies, eh?

I include a full 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in this easy snickerdoodle cookie recipe without cream of tartar (and even more for the cinnamon sugar mixture), making for an ultra fragrant cookie. If you love cinnamon, you’re going to love these cookies.

And (!!) if you are sensitive to the cream of tartar taste (I have met people who are!!), you’ll love that this easy recipe lets you leave it in the pantry. Hooray!

You’ll start with whisking all of the dry ingredients together (including that glorious cinnamon).

Then you’ll cream together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy and airy. Add in the remaining wet ingredients and beat until everything is combined and ultra smooth.

Finally, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing until just combined to avoid overworking the dough.

Very gently (I can’t stress this enough) roll your snickerdoodle cookie balls in the cinnamon sugar blend. This dough is soft, but it isn’t very sticky. So a gentle touch while rolling is imperative.

Once your cookies are completely coated in cinnamon sugar, transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Be sure not to place more than 8 cookies at a time on your baking sheets.

Spacing your cookies makes sure you don’t end up with any strange or mutant cookies. While they absolutely still taste amazing (obviously), they just wouldn’t be as pretty, and so we want to make sure we give each cookie the space they need to spread out.

Bake each sheet of 8 cookies for 8 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are set.

Let your cookies rest on the sheet for 2 to 3 minutes to give them some strength, then transfer your cookies to a wire cooling rack.

Allow your cookies to cool completely on the wire rack before storing. If you sneak a few warm ones, I absolutely would not blame you. It’s the bakers tax, after all!

If you love the classic tang that is signature to snickerdoodle cookies, this isn’t the cookie for you. Instead I recommend that you bake up a batch of my classic snickerdoodles, which are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

(And while you’re at it, shove some caramel inside those same cookies and you’ve got yourself my salted caramel stuffed snickerdoodles!)

If you just love cookies, plain and simple, be sure to check out my oatmeal chocolate chip walnut cookies, white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookies, or classic chocolate chip cookies.

And do yourself a serious favor and try out my sweet and salty compost cookies, you won’t regret it for a single second.

Ohhh, and don’t forget to check out my original base recipe for vanilla bean sugar cookies, which these snickerdoodles are modeled after. They are filled with flecks of vanilla bean, super soft, and dusted with a sweet sugar coating.

Ok, ok, I’m done shoving allthecookies at you, but seriously, you need this easy snickerdoodle recipe in your life. My (manyyyy) taste-testers would agree.

And they might even say (some did!) it’s the best snickerdoodle recipe they’ve tasted. Give it a shot!