This classic snickerdoodle recipe comes straight from the kitchen of my mom, Cheryl. Growing up, the best days were marked by coming home from school to the smell of cinnamon sugar wafting from the oven. These snickerdoodle cookies are firm and slightly crisp on the edges while also chewy and soft in the center.
As someone who loves leafing through old photos and handwritten recipes, I’m so glad that I have a photo of the recipe in my mom’s handwriting (see photo below). This is fitting, as these classic snickerdoodle cookies are very nostalgic for me and my family.
Something I’ve found about this classic snickerdoodle recipe is that it’s extremely forgiving. My mom makes it barely glancing at the recipe – I’m sure we’ve gotten some of the measurements wrong more than once. And yet, they come out perfectly gooey and sweet with a slight tang from the cream of tartar.
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Can I Substitute Any of the Ingredients in this Classic Snickerdoodle Recipe?
I honestly haven’t experimented with any substitutes in this recipe. I think that’s simply because my family loves to bake, so we typically always have these items on hand. However, I’ve used vegan butter in enough baking recipes to feel confident in saying that these can be made dairy free by swapping it in in place of the regular butter!
If anyone wants to try to veganize these cookies, I’d love to hear how they are with flax eggs and vegan butter. Here’s a quick guide from The Minimalist Baker to making flax eggs.
I hope you take the time to try out this family recipe. (Can we call it that? I have no idea where the recipe originally came from, and neither does my mom). Enjoy!!
Classic Snickerdoodle Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix in eggs and milk, stir until just combined.
- Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Shape into small balls (a little smaller than the size of a golf ball) using a scant scoopful, and set aside while you prepare the cinnamon sugar coating.
- For cinnamon sugar coating, combine 3 tbsp sugar and 3 tsp ground cinnamon in a shallow dish. Roll balls in mixture, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until you see the edges turning a slight golden brown hue.
- Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes, and then quickly transfer onto a cooling rack to allow them to cool completely.
- Serve with milk and enjoy! These cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week.
In need of some more dessert recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth? Take a look at all of my dessert recipes here.
