The holidays are here, and with them, the inevitable baking urge. But let’s be honest: Sometimes you want all the joys of a classic snickerdoodle without the mess, the hassle, and the forgotten ingredients that lurk in the back of your pantry. You know – that mystery jar of spice you bought in a burst of optimism and have never touched again. Cream of tartar, I’m looking at you. What’s even better? These are so easy that my kid can make them herself-anytime, any day, without a trip to the grocery store.

They’re soft, chewy, and have the perfect balance of buttery cookie and crunchy cinnamon-sugar coating. Sturdy enough to survive the rigors of shipping or a cookie exchange—no crumbling in the box, no crumbs in the mail.

The best part? I’ve ditched the cream of tartar. Why? Because honestly, when was the last time I actually needed it? We’re all tired of staring at that dusty jar in the back of the spice cabinet (is it expired? should I just throw it out?). And then there’s the great baking conundrum: when the cookies spread a bit too much because a teaspoon of baking powder wasn’t really a teaspoon when my kid measured it. So, one day, we made a genius swap—self-rising flour. No cream of tartar, no baking soda, no baking powder—and best of all, no more wondering if you’ve forgotten an ingredient. With this recipe, there’s simply less room for error. It’s practically revolutionary in my kitchen. So now, like us, you can bake these in a sugar-cinnamon haze with zero stress.

If you can’t find self-rising flour, don’t fret—I’ve got you covered with the baking powder measurements right in the recipe. And if you’re aiming to make these eggless or vegan, there’s a little tip for that in the notes as well. Simple adjustments, no fuss.

Want to make them even better? Swap out the vanilla extract for a teaspoon of ground ginger to give these cookies a festive, cozy twist that will make your house smell like a gingerbread dream. Trust me, that tiny bit of spice is the kind of touch that takes a good cookie to great.

So, the next time you’re craving something sweet—or you’ve agreed to make cookies for a last-minute holiday gathering—pull up this recipe. With just five ingredients, a little chill time, and 10 minutes in the oven, you’ll have a batch of snickerdoodles that are soft, chewy, and the perfect balance of festive charm and effortless elegance.

Ingredients:

Snickerdoodle with Self-Rising flour:

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
2 ¾ cups Self-Rising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Snickerdoodle with All -Purpose flour:

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
2 large eggs- room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups ALL-PURPOSE flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt

Topping

3 tablespoons granulated sugar white sugar or colored sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line baking sheets with parchment or Silpat.
  
• In a mixing bowl add butter and sugar- with the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  
• add the eggs and vanilla- start by Adding one egg one at time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next, then, lastly add the vanilla extract.
  
• Add the self-rising flour to the wet mixture.
  
• *(if you are using all-purpose flour then in another mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt.)
  
• Gradually mix the dry mixture into wet mixture until combined.
  
• Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. This is a very soft dough, so it’s important to chill the dough before baking. If you bake the cookies while the dough is soft, they’ll spread. 
  
• In a bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar to make the coating.
  
• Using a cookie scoop ( I use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop), roll dough into walnut size balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar and place on the lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, flattening each dough ball slightly with the bottom of a glass.
  
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. The cookies may look a little soft in the center but will firm up as they cool. (Ovens vary in temperatures so if the cookies look raw let them cook to 12 minutes until the edges look brown or firm).
  
• Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes in the tray before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. they will firm up as they cool.
  
  
  

Notes:

To make these egg-free or Vegan replace the eggs with 1/4 cup milk (or a dairy-free alternative)

replace the butter with a vegan alternative.

Snickerdoodles typically bake for 8–14 minutes, but you can take them out when they’re puffed and pale, which is usually before they’re fully set in the middle. If you want softer cookies, you can take them out a little earlier.

Bake one sheet at a time on a middle rack for more consistent results.

Pro Tip!

How to Get Perfectly Round Cookies!

This is mostly about aesthetics than anything else, because sometimes a plateful of perfectly shaped cookies can elevate any teatime setting and can make the perfect gift!

Just make sure the rim /mouth of the glass,  mug or cookie cutter is bigger than your cookies.

As soon as you pull the sheet pan of baked cookies out of the oven, invert the glass or cutter over one of the cookies. Move the glass in a circular motion on the pan around the hot cookie for a few seconds to reshape the edges wayward edges of the cookie into a perfect circle.

Repeat for each cookie while they are still hot, once they start cooling this will not work.

How to correctly measure flour with a measuring cup

Whenever someone tells me something didn’t turn out right, the first question I ask is, “How do you measure out the flour?”

The old method where we saw our Mum’s dip into the flour container does not work with a lot of recipes or techniques.  This is a lesson I learned by trial and error and watching bakers on TV!

Use a spoon or fork fluff up the flour within the container or bag to aerate, remember that flour is fine and it settles.

Using a spoon scoop the flour into the measuring cup until it forms a heap above the rim of the measuring cup.

Scrape a knife or leveler across the top of the measuring cup to level the excess flour back into the container.

The Flours I Use: 

I use King Arthur Baking All-Purpose Flour or Unbleached Self-Rising Flour for cookies and some cakes (and King Arthur Bread Flour and White Whole-Wheat Flour for rolls and breads or the King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-free Flour and King Arthur ’00’ Pizza Flour for Pizza and calzones).

For cakes, I prefer Swan’s Down Cake Flour.