Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodles

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Thick and chewy Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodles have a crisp cinnamon-sugar coating with a delightfully tangy melt-in-your-mouth center. With no chill time required, these quick and easy cookies can be ready in less than 45 minutes!

Snickerdoodle Cookies from Scratch

Now, when I say this recipe is old-fashioned, it’s old-fashioned. This recipe was written by Mrs. Ronald Anfinson from Benson, Minnesota, and came from my mom’s Better Crocker’s Cooky Book published in 1963.

Thank you, Mrs. Ronald Anfinson- these cookies have changed my life!

A couple of minor enhancements were made, but this cookie is nothing short of delicious! These Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodles will make a great addition to Christmas and holiday parties, potlucks, or just because you need a great cookie in your life. This is your new go-to snickerdoodle recipe!

This recipe makes roughly 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients Needed for Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodles

This is one of my favorite recipes because I can make them at any time. It doesn’t require any fancy ingredients and I already know I have all of the ingredients in my pantry! Here’s what you will need:

• Shortening
• Butter
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs
• Flour
• Cream of tartar
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon

The Original Recipe

To make the original recipe, use 1 full cup of shortening and leave out the butter and vanilla extract.

How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookies from Scratch

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the unsalted softened butter, shortening, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar ingredients.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place the sugared dough balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Pro Tip: Don’t overbake! They will look underdone and doughy at 8 minutes but please resist the urge to keep baking them.

How to “Dip and Sweep” Flour

Flour is one of the most important ingredients when it comes to baking. Too much flour can cause our baked goods to be dry and crumbly. Not enough flour and our baked goods will be too soft and won’t rise properly.

Stir the flour with your measuring cup a few times to make sure the flour isn’t compacted. Dip the measuring cup into the flour and then sweep the excess off the top using the back of a knife.

How to Soften Hard Cookies

Throw a slice of white bread into the container and your cookies will be perfectly soft by morning! It took me a really long time to not overmix (or overbake) cookies, but this fixed them every single time.

Once upon a time, I made about 5 dozen sugar cookies– frosted them all and they looked beautiful. I went to try one and they were rock hard. I was so sad I thought I had ruined them all. But then I remembered that my mom always put a slice of bread in with her cookies so I thought I’d give it a shot.

It worked and they turned out awesome! They were so soft, I couldn’t believe it was even the same cookie.

Long story short: always test the first batch of cookies and use bread to soften them!

How to Store Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodles

Store these cookies in an airtight container or Ziploc bag on your counter for up to five days.

*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients used and cooking methods.

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