Have you ever surprised yourself by making the perfect recipe? That's what happened to me when I made these Snickerdoodle cookies. I expected good. I mean, I love a Snickerdoodle cookie! But these cookies? They are ridiculously good! I took some to my mom and sister and both texted me shortly after taking their first bite to tell me how perfect they were! Here are a few secrets that make them extra delicious:
Cream the Butter and Sugar Extra Well
I mean, really beat it well! In my Kitchen Aid mixer, I beat the butter and shortening together on high speed until they are fully incorporated together. Next, add the sugar in and gradually move the speed up to high. 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. If you find yourself with dense and flat cookies, this is a step you want to pay careful attention to!
Barely Mix in the Flour
Once the wet ingredients are beaten well and all fluffy, add your dry ingredients. But this time, longer beating doesn't produce good results. Mix the dry ingredients on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape the sides down once or twice in between mixing, so that all of the ingredients get mixed in. I stop my mixer when I see just a little bit of flour left outside the dough, then I mix it in by hand. Over-mixing will result in a dry cookie that isn't worth eating.
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 taller 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 exactly what you want! As the dough dries the flavor is concentrated, producing a more robust flavor.
A Perfect Cinnamon-Sugar Ratio
I tried these cookies with several different ratios of cinnamon and sugar, from equal parts cinnamon-sugar to just a touch of cinnamon. This 8:1.5 ratio gives plenty of cinnamon flavor without either the sugar or the cinnamon becoming overwhelming.
The results of these steps is a soft, thick center, slightly crispy outside, buttery, sweet, cinnamony-goodness! The best Snickerdoodle cookie!
These cookies were the dessert for our Connecticut state dinner. Read about the rest of our dinner here!
The Actual Best Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Cinnamon Sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream together butter and shortening until well incorporated together. Add sugar and beat on high speed for at least 2 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla, and beat an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix together on low until flour is incorporated. Do not overbeat at this step. Refrigerate dough for 24 hours, if possible, or at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Shape dough into rounded spoonfuls (I use a 2 tbsp. stainless scoop). Roll cookie dough balls into cinnamon sugar mixture, making sure dough is completely covered.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should just begin to have a small amount of brown on the edges, but will still look mostly light. You don't want to overcook or you will end up with crispy cookies. Cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
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