The PERFECT Christmas Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my snickerdoodles so fluffy? ›

Why are my snickerdoodles puffy? Too much flour - spoon and level the flour correctly how I show it in my chocolate chip cookie post. Inaccurate oven temperature (too hot) - I advise using an oven thermometer for accurate baking results.

Sugar cookies are usually rolled and cut out with cookie cutters (but not always). Snickerdoodles have cream of tartar in the dough and are rolled into balls then rolled in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before baking. They puff up and then flatten out to make circle shaped cookies. Both are delicious!

The most common culprit behind non-spreading cookies is too much flour. This may seem counterintuitive—after all, isn't flour a key ingredient in baking? Yes, but if you add too much flour, your cookies won't spread as they bake.

Refrigerating snickerdoodle dough lets the butter resolidify and prevents the cookies from flattening out in the oven. I recommend giving the dough at least 45-60 minutes of chilling time in the fridge before baking.

How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft? The secret's in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don't use shortening here; you'll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie.

Improper flour measurement is the #1 cause of your cookie dough being too dry or the cookies tasting like flour.

Snickerdoodles are often referred to as "sugar cookies". The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln ("snail noodles"), a kind of pastry.

You might be baking them at too low of a temperature.

If you are using a home oven that is non-convection, try baking at 375 degrees instead of 350 degrees. Too low of a temperature can also dry out your cookies.

How do you know when the cookies are baked? The snickerdoodle cookies will only take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep your eye on them! It's best to rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes so that the cook evenly. The cookies are done when the edges are just set and the centres are soft and cracked.

Here are some signs to look out for: Colour: Raw or undercooked cookies tend to have a pale appearance, lacking that golden or slightly browned hue that indicates they're fully baked. Watch for cookies that still have a doughy or unbaked look. Texture: Touch the surface of the cookies gently.

Why did my snickerdoodles come out cakey? ›

Generally when baking, cakey texture is from more flour and less sugar. The ratio of fat, sugar and flour is what achieves the texture of the cookie. Also, when you are whipping the eggs in the recipe as well.

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

“Snickerdoodles, also called snipdoodles or cinnamon sugar cookies, have been around since the late 1800s. They probably originated in New England and are either of German or Dutch descent.

It's always best to follow the recipe exactly, which means including cream of tartar if the recipe has been tested with it. If you omit it, you may get different results than expected. WHY DO MY SNICKERDOODLES TASTE BITTER? Your snickerdoodles may taste bitter if you are sensitive to the taste of cream of tartar.

Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

A spread with less fat, diet "margarines" or spreads in tubs contain have too much water. The water creates steam, causing the cookies to puff. Low protein flours, such as cake flour, absorb less water, leaving excess water to create steam, which causes the cookies to puff.

Cookies are always more puffy when just baked. If you want a thinner cookie, leave a tablespoon or two of flour out. If you want thicker cookies add a tablespoon or so of extra flour.