This Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar recipe is exactly as amazing and easy as it sounds. It’s a snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar that makes the same soft, chewy and buttery, cinnamon sugar coated cookies you know and love. This quick and easy cookie recipe is also no chill. Meaning you can have fresh snickerdoodle cookies in under 30 minutes.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
Take a look around my blog and you’ll find several no chill cookie recipes. My Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar and Biscoff Butter Cookies are just a couple of my recent favorites. This easy snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar is a fantastic addition to my growing collection of cookie recipes. I know you’ll love it because:
- They are quick, easy and no chill. All you need to do is bring the butter and eggs to room temperature, make the snickerdoodle cookie dough, roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar and bake!
- You love a simple cookie recipe using pantry basics. This recipe for snickerdoodles without cream of tartar uses only flour, baking powder, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Thats all you need to make the best snickerdoodle cookie that just so happens to not need that ingredient no one has in their pantry!
- You love soft, chewy, buttery cinnamon sugar cookies and you don’t have cream of tartar to make snickerdoodles. If you're like me and only buy cream of tartar when it’s needed for a recipe, you know the feeling of not having it when a snickerdoodle craving strikes. This snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar is full of the same flavors and textures of the classic snickerdoodle cookie.
Ingredients
This simple snickerdoodle recipe requires only a handful of pantry basics to make. Here's what you need to make this super simple and incredibly delicious snickerdoodle recipe.
- Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt
- Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and semi sweet chocolate chips.
- Cinnamon Sugar Ingredients: Gather ground cinnamon and granulated sugar.
Ingredient Substitutions
These snickerdoodle cookies without cream of tartar are quick and easy to make. Here are my recommended substitutions to make these soft, buttery and cinnamon filled cookies:
- Baking Powder: This ingredient is the substitute for cream of tartar in snickerdoodles. It can't be replaced unless you want to make snickerdoodles with cream of tartar.
- Cornstarch: This helps to create a softer, chewier texture without the need to chill the cookies. It also helps to retain some of the moisture which prevents spreading and still gives the cookies a tender, chewy texture without the chill time. Arrowroot can be used in place of the cornstarch at a ratio of 2:1.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt.
- Granulated Sugar: This is the only sweetener and sugar in this recipe and is important to get that classic texture and taste to make these the best snickerdoodles. This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars such as maple or coconut.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Ground Cinnamon: This is a classic ingredient in snickerdoodle cookies. A fun flavor twist on this simple snickerdoodle recipe is to use the same amount of pumpkin or apple pie spice in place of the ground cinnamon.
How To Make
Can you make snickerdoodles without cream of tartar? Yes, yes you can! Let me show you how to make this quick, easy and wonderfully delicious snickerdoodle recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon together until well combined.
- In mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, ground cinnamon and salt together until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Slowly beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- With the mixer on low or by hand, mix in the dry ingredients until JUST combined.
- Using a medium cookie scooper, scoop about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough. Roll into a ball and roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the cinnamon sugar coated balls of snickerdoodle cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets about 3 inches apart.
- Bake the no cream of tartar snickerdoodles for about 8-10 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly puffed.
- Cool the best snickerdoodle cookies on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
How To Make Ahead, Freeze, Thaw and Store
Make Ahead:
Although this simple snickerdoodle recipe is easy to make and comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions through step 5 and decide which storage method meets your needs. (Save the cinnamon sugar mixing and rolling for right before baking).
Freeze And Thaw:
To freeze the cookies: Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet, place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until the cookie dough is frozen. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place the frozen chocolate chip cookie dough balls into a ziplock bag. These no cream of tartar snickerdoodle cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To thaw the cookie dough: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookie dough balls onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring the cookie dough balls to room temperature before rolling in the cinnamon sugar and baking.
Store:
To store leftover cookie dough: Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. For the best cookie eating experience, heat the cookies in the microwave for 20 seconds for that “fresh from the oven taste.”
M's Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the cookies to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in a soft, chewy and delicious cookie.
- Measure the flour properly: I highly recommend using a food scale for many reasons (like less dishes to clean), but the main reason is to get perfectly measured dry ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Slightly under-bake the cookies: For cookies that are soft and chewy for days, the secret is to bake them until the edges are set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly underbaked, but the cookies will continue to “bake” while on the hot cookie sheet.
- For the best tasting cookies the next day: Give your cookies that “fresh from the oven” taste the next day is to microwave them for about 15-20 seconds and enjoy immediately.
FAQ's
Although you may have searched for this cookie using terms like, "snicker doodle," "snikerdoodle" or even "snickerdoole," a snickerdoodle cookie is basically a buttery sugar cookie thats been rolled in cinnamon sugar. Cream of tartar is also traditionally used, which gives these cookies their iconic and signature tangy taste.
The most noticeable thing cream of tartar does in a snickerdoodle cookie is give them their signature tangy taste. You can also thank cream of tartar for giving snickerdoodles their chewy and puffy texture.
Baking powder makes an excellent substitute for the cream of tartar and baking soda that’s normally found in a classic snickerdoodle cookie recipe.
This snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar cookie taste like a deliciously buttery sugar cookie coated with lots of cinnamon sugar.
The cornstarch is added to make these snickerdoodles chewy and no chill. If you would like to omit the cornstarch, just make sure to chill the cookie dough for at least an hour so the dough can hydrate. This is important in creating chewy cookies that don’t spread too much while baking.
Other Spiced Cookies To Try
- Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies
- Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies
If you try this Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Snickerdoodle Recipe without Cream of Tartar
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- parchment paper
- 1 medium (2 tbsp) cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Topping
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (6 g) ground cinnamon
Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough
- 2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
- 2 tsp (12 g) baking powder
- 2 tsp (5 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
- 1¼ cup (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (US), room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk (US), room temperature
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon together until well combined.
- In mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, ground cinnamon and salt together until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bowl as needed. With the mixer on low, beat in the egg, yolk and vanilla extract one at a time until fully combined. Scrape the sides and bowl.
- With the mixer on low or by hand, mix in the dry ingredients until JUST combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. If needed, mix the dough together briefly to incorporate any stray dough or wet ingredients.
- Using a medium cookie scooper or spoon, scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cookie dough. Roll into a ball and roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the cinnamon sugar coated balls of snickerdoodle cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets about 3 inches apart.
- Bake the snickerdoodles for about 8-10 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly puffed with little cracks across the top. Cool the snickerdoodle cookies on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
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