Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies Without Cream of Tartar

These Snickerdoodle cookies are made without cream of tartar, but they are still the best you'll ever have! Soft and thick, with just the right cinnamon flavor!

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love This Recipe
• What is Cream of Tartar?
• Is it still a Snickerdoodle without Cream of Tartar?
• Key Ingredients
• Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• More Cookie Recipes
• Recipe

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Soft Texture - The baking powder makes soft snickerdoodle cookies. They aren't quite as thick as Half Moon cookies, but they still rise tall and are the absolute perfect texture!

Amazing Flavor - Without the overpowering tangy flavor of cream of tartar the delicious taste of butter and cinnamon really shines!

Pantry Ingredients - You probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already, so you don't even have to go to the grocery store!

I love to include snickerdoodles on a cookie tray with caramel brownie cookies and lemon butter cookies!

What is Cream of Tartar?

Cream of tartar is also known as potassium bitartrate. It is a white powdery acid that forms during the process of fermenting wine. When combined with eggs or cream it holds the protein molecules in place. This helps to stiffen egg whites for meringue and also stabilizes whipped cream.

Another common use for cream of tartar is as a leavening agent in baked goods. The acid activates the baking soda, releasing carbon dioxide, which causes baked goods to rise. This combination was used to make baking powder in the 1800s and is still used in some brands today.

Cream of tartar is an ingredient in classic snickerdoodles. It gives the cookies their tangy flavor which many say separates the cookie from regular sugar cookies.

Is it still a Snickerdoodle without Cream of Tartar?

There is an argument that cream of tartar is a required ingredient for traditional snickerdoodles. However, Stella Parks from Serious Eats reports that the original Snickerdoodles had baking powder.

As a matter of fact, one of the earliest known snickerdoodle recipes was from 1891, when Cleveland Baking Powder published the recipe in an advertisement for their brand of baking powder.

The problem was that baking powder was not a household product like today. It was expensive and hard to come by. So the recipe was adapted for the everyday baker to use baking soda and cream of tartar.

Today, of course, baking powder is a pantry staple, but not everyone keeps cream of tartar on hand. Isn't it funny how things change?

Key Ingredients

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients, including measurements.

All Purpose Flour - This standard baking flour helps create a chewy and delicious cookie.

Butter - My original recipe called for a ½ cup of butter and a half cup of shortening, but the flavor is so much better with all butter! And with a few other recipe adjustments, the cookies are just as thick! Use room temperature butter for the best cookies.

Baking Powder - I love what baking powder does to these cookies! It makes them nice and thick while still having a chewy texture like traditional snickerdoodle cookies.

Vanilla Extract - High-quality pure vanilla extract makes a big difference in the flavor.

Instructions

1. Cream the Butter and Sugar

• You can use a hand mixer or the paddle attachment with a stand mixer.
• Start your mixer on low speed, then as the sugar mixes into the butter, increase it to high speed.
• Beat together for at least 2 full minutes. This allows the sugar to completely dissolve into the butter, providing a more even flavor throughout the cookie.
• It also adds some air into the dough, producing a lighter and fluffier cookie.
• Add the eggs and vanilla and beat an additional minute or two.

2. Mix in Dry Ingredients

• Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients on low speed.
• Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula so that all of the ingredients are incorporated.
• Turn your mixer off as soon as the flour is completely mixed in. Over-mixing will result in a dry cookie.

3. Roll in Sugar

• Stir the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
• The ratio of cinnamon and sugar in this recipe gives a hint of sweetness and lots of cinnamon flavor.
• Make that each ball of dough is thoroughly coated in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

4. Bake

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Bake the cookies until they are just starting to brown on the outside.
• They will continue to bake while they sit at room temperature on the pan.
• Slightly under-baking gives you chewy cookies.
• After cooling for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.

The result of these steps is a soft, thick center, slightly crispy outside, buttery, sweet, cinnamon goodness! The perfect cookie!

Expert Tips

•  Cream the butter and sugar for several minutes. This allows the sugar to completely dissolve into the butter, providing a more even flavor throughout the cookie. It also adds some air into the dough, producing a lighter and fluffier cookie. If you find yourself with dense and flat cookies, this is a step you want to pay careful attention to!
• Refrigerate your dough. You have probably heard this tip for chocolate chip cookie dough, but it holds true for all cookie dough! It is best to chill your dough for 24 hours, though even 30 minutes makes a difference. This chills the fat in the cookie, which slows down the spread in the oven and results in a thicker cookie.
• Another benefit of chilling the dough is that the dough dries out a little. This sounds like it would be a bad thing, but it is actually precisely what you want! As the dough dries the flavor is concentrated, producing a more robust flavor.
• Bake at a high temperature to create a nice rise out of the cookie dough.
• Do not overbake. Remove from the oven when the edges are just starting to brown but the center is still a little bit gooey. The cookies will continue to bake as they cool on the baking sheet.
• Use parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Recipe FAQs

More Cookie Recipes

Recipe

This recipe was originally posted as The Actual Best Snickerdoodle Cookies in June 2020. It was updated in October 2022 changing the recipe to one that does not include cream of tartar or baking soda. See the recipe notes for the ingredient portions from the original recipe.