Snickerdoodles Without Cream of Tartar

snickerdoodles stacked on top of each other and split in half with more cookies in the background

Snickerdoodles Without Cream of Tartar

These snickerdoodles are made without cream of tartar but are soft, chewy, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and ready in under 30 minutes!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Bake 8

Total Time 23

Servings cookies

Calories 152kcal

Author Gabby

Equipment

Ingredients

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough

1 cup butter, softened (regular or dairy free)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon lemon juice SEE NOTES
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

⅓ cup granulated sugar
2½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or a using a handheld mixer, combine butter and sugar, mixing until light and fluffy, around 1-2 minutes.
Beat in the vanilla extract, lemon juice, whole egg, and egg yolk until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
In a separate shallow bowl, stir together the ⅓ cup of sugar with the 2½ teaspoons of cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar. Scoop the cookie dough into balls (dough should be around 1.5 tablespoon sized) and roll it into balls. Roll the dough generously in the cinnamon sugar until each dough ball is well coated.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes. The edges will look set but should not be golden brown. The middles will look soft. It is crucial not to over-bake these cookies, as leaving them in for even one or two minutes too long will make them cakey and not as soft as they should be. The KEY to soft snickerdoodles is to take them out when they look under-done. They'll continue cooking on the baking sheet once you take them out of the oven.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above under the "Metric" tab.

MEASURING THE FLOUR: It's important to properly measure the flour. Either measure your flour using a kitchen scale or use the proper scooping method: fluff the flour in the bag/container with a fork then use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, then run the back of a knife along the top of the cup to even it out. Over-measuring your flour will affect the soft and chewy texture of the cookies.

LEMON JUICE: Lemon juice gives the snickerdoodles their signature tang, since this recipe doesn't use cream of tartar. You can also use an equal amount of white vinegar.

BAKING TIME: Do NOT over-bake the cookies! It is crucial to take the cookies out of the oven when they look under-baked still. The edges will look set, but the middles will continue cooking on the baking sheet after you've removed them from the oven. If you leave them in too long, they'll still taste good but they will not be as soft.

Storage and Freezing: Store the snickerdoodles for up to 4 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

You can also freeze the baked cookies in a ziploc bag for 2-3 months and thaw at room temperature.

To freeze the cookie dough for later, place the dough (formed into balls and rolled in the cinnamon sugar) on the baking sheet and place in the freezer until they are solid (they don’t have to be frozen completely). Put the dough balls into a ziploc bag and freeze. When you’re ready to bake them, remove them from the bags and let thaw on a baking sheet at room temperature and bake.

Nutrition