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- These easy snickerdoodle sugar cookies rely on familiar pantry ingredients and a simple cream-together method, making them accessible for bakers of all levels while delivering classic cinnamon-sugar flavor.
- Rolling the dough twice in cinnamon sugar ensures a crackly, fragrant crust that contrasts with the cookies’ soft, chewy centers.
- A short chill time helps the dough firm up for even baking, producing cookies that spread predictably and maintain their tender texture.
Snickerdoodle sugar cookies are the cozy, cinnamon-dusted treat that never goes out of style. Soft and chewy at the center with lightly crisp edges, they’re rolled in a warming blend of cinnamon and sugar that creates their signature crackled top and nostalgic aroma.
When it comes to ease and convenience, slice-and-bake cookies like these are the way to go. Simply roll the dough into two logs, chill, then use a thin, sharp knife to cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Best of all, the logs can be made in advance and frozen, ensuring a fresh pan of cookies is always close at hand.
Perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk, these cookies strike the ideal balance of sweetness and spice, and they’re endlessly bakeable for any season.
Are snickerdoodles just sugar cookies with cinnamon?
While similar, true snickerdoodles are not the same as these spiced sugar cookies. Snickerdoodles almost always contain cream of tartar, which gives the cookies their signature tang and crisp-chewy texture. This recipe, which includes ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in addition to just cinnamon, fits squarely in the crisp category.
Demerara versus brown sugar
Minimally refined demerara sugar is beloved for its large, crunchy crystals that retain some of the sugar cane’s natural molasses, yielding a slight toffee-like flavor. Swap it in for the portion of granulated sugar that’s combined with the spices to give these cookies an extra-crisp perimeter.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
- Freshly grated nutmeg offers a far more complex, robust flavor than ground nutmeg. Use your Microplane to grate just the 1/4 teaspoon needed for the recipe.
- Fresh cinnamon is also important in this recipe. If you can’t remember when you bought your jar of ground cinnamon, it’s time for a new one.
- Beating butter with a rolling pin is the fastest way to soften butter.
