How to Make Homemade Snickerdoodles

There is nothing better than a homemade cookie, warm out of the oven. I especially love one that tastes good with a cup of hot tea on a cool morning. This basic cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar is the perfect addition to your family’s cookie jar, and is one of my favorite fall cookie recipes. Follow along to learn how to make homemade snickerdoodles in just a few easy steps.

All of the ingredients are already in the pantry.

I hate spending money on things that I can easily make at home with just an hour or less of my time. This Homemade Snickerdoodle recipe is just one of those things. We have a local bakery that makes these, and I LOVE them. I could keep buying them, but why do that when mine are just as good and I have everything to make them?

If you love to be in your kitchen, with your apron on, a candle lit, some good music and flour on your countertops, then you are my kind of person, and this recipe is just what you need. It’s super easy and requires no special trip to the store, as long as you have cream of tartar on hand!

Why do you need cream of tartar to make homemade snickerdoodles?

There are several benefits to adding cream of tartar to this recipe. It gives these cookies a slightly acidic flavor. It also prevents the cookies from getting a crunchy texture due to crystalizing of the cinnamon sugar and gives them a soft consistency.

I seriously just put it in because the recipe says so (I’m a simple gal like that), but I also know there is a reason for everything. There is a reason wet and dry ingredients get mixed separately, for instance. Who knew this simple ingredient held such a big role in making these delicious cookies?

What if you don’t have cream of tartar?

No worries. Cream of tartar is known for its stabilizing properties in many recipes, and can be replaced with a few pantry staples.

Use lemon juice or white vinegar in place of cream of tartar when baking soda is also used in a recipe. Both of these staple ingredients have the acidic factor that will fill in for cream of tartar in most recipes. The acidity of the lemon juice or vinegar is needed to activate the baking soda. Use a ratio of 1:2, or 1 part lemon juice/vinegar to 2 parts baking soda.

You can also use baking powder as a substitute. Baking powder is actually a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar. When using this instead, a ratio of 2 parts powder to 1 part baking soda is appropriate.

These are ready to go in the oven in less than 10 minutes.

step 1:

Pull out 2 sticks of butter (1 cup) and measure out 2 cups of granulated sugar.

When mixing, the consistency will be chunky at first. Let it mix several minutes until well combined.

step 2:

Measure out 1 cup of vegetable oil and added it in the mixing bowl. Crack 2 eggs and pour in 1 tsp. of vanilla. Mix again.

step 3:

Mix a few dry ingredients in a separate medium sized mixing bowl. This includes:

• 5 cups of AP flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar

step 4:

The dry ingredients get slowly added to the wet ingredients to make the dough.

step 5:

This dough is the perfect consistentcy to roll into a ball shape. Roll into about 1 inch round balls.

step 6:

After rolling into balls, cover them with a mixture of 1 part cinnamon to 3 parts sugar. I usually mix 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 3/4 tsp sugar, which is a good amount to roll this amount of dough.

step 7:

These Homemade Snickerdoodles are ready to go in the oven at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes per sheet. I usually space the cookies 2 inches apart as they will spread a little. I line the baking sheet with parchment paper to avoid sticking.

Note: These will seem soft when they come out of the oven. I use a mini spatula to lift them up right as they come out of the oven and transfer them onto a cooling rack so they don’t get too hard. These are beautifully brown on the bottom and the perfect soft texture.

Again: They will harden when cooling, so don’t be worried about the soft texture of these cookies right out of the oven!

After just a few minutes on the cooling rack, they are ready to pick up and eat.

Looking for other fall recipes that are good with your morning coffee or tea?

What are your favorite desserts fresh out of the oven?

There’s nothing like a warm cookie. As most cookie recipes make a few dozen cookies, you can easily freeze these Homemade Snickerdoodles to pull out and enjoy whenever you want.

Want to save for later? Pin for safekeeping!

Here is a printable recipe!

From my home to yours,