What’s the difference between a sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle?
Not too terribly much from what I can discern.
Sugar cookies are only rolled in sugar whereas snickerdoodles are rolled in both cinnamon and sugar.
There’s also some splitting hairs over the type of leavening agent used: baking powder or a combination of baking soda + cream of tartar.
Some recipes call for shortening and butter rather than solely butter when making snickerdoodles.
I did more research on the finer points of sugar cookies and snickerdoodle cookies than one should unless your name is Alton Brown.
But I’m all about field research when it has to do with cookies.
I wanted to add a little extra somethin’ somethin’ to these and decided to add white chocolate chips.
Then again, I love white chocolate as evidence by stockpiling the TJ’s chocolate chips before they became seasonally unavailable which happens after Christmas in my area.
I wish I could stockpile cookie butter but that’s currently a sad story. Sigh.
You can omit the white chocolate chips if you’re a snickerdoodle purist or you don’t like white chocolate. I don’t understand you people who don’t like white chocolate but to each her own.
These cookies are on the thin side but don’t let that deceive you into thinking they’re crunchy.
They’re not.
In fact they’re incredibly chewy. I only like very soft and chewy cookies and these are so chewy you can bend them.
The brown sugar helps with the chewy factor and keeps them soft and flexible.
The flavor is spot on to my memories of working at the mall in high school and devouring Mrs. Field’s snickerdoodle cookies on my breaks. Between Mrs. Field’s and Cinnabons I was in food court heaven.
The cinnamon and sugar granules on these cookies and the teeny bit of graininess that I could feel from the sugar crystals as I chewed reminded me of my fond Mrs. Fields’s days.
My cookies have a hint more vanilla flavoring, by design, too.
And of course, there’s white chocolate chips, by design.
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White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies (with Vegan and Gluten Free options)
Makes 21 small to medium-sized cookies using my 1 inch cookie scoop. Or, approximately 12 to 15 larger-sized cookies.
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups flour
optional: 1/2 c white chocolate chips (increase to 2/3 to 3/4 c if you like a lot of chips, or use a combo of white/dark, white/butterscotch, all dark, etc or if you want more traditional sugar cookies, omit chips)
Plus: 1 tbsp cinnamon & 1/4 c white sugar, mixed in a small bowl for dipping/rolling the dough (to retain a true “sugar cookie” rather than snickerdoodle, omit the cinnamon and just roll in sugar)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together (by hand or in a mixer) softened butter and sugars until very smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Stir in the cinnamon, baking soda, and flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Stir in the white chocolate chips and place the whole mixing bowl into the freezer for about 10 minutes so that it chills a bit. You can also chill the dough for an hour or longer in the refrigerator.
While the dough is chilling, prepare the cinnamon sugar mixture for rolling.
After approximately 10 minutes, remove the chilled dough from the freezer and form 1 inch balls. I highly recommend this cookie scoop. It has changed the results of my baking dramatically. Available at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $4 dollars.
Roll the balls through the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on Silpat-lined, parchment-lined or sprayed cookie sheets.
Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes or until just barely set. Remove cookies from the oven even if they look a bit underdone as they will firm up. Allow the cookies to cool, well, on the cookie sheets before attempting to remove them.
To make gluten free, use a gluten free flour blend.
To make vegan, use margarine or Earth Balance in place of the butter and use 1 chia/flax egg instead of the egg. Use vegan white chocolate chips, omit them, or use another chip of your choice.
Notes/Tips:
Cream your butter and sugar very well; make it fluffy which will ensure fluffier cookies.
Do not over-mix the flour once you’ve added it. This will result in tough cookies.
Chilled dough is key to these cookies retaining some height and not flattening out completely. If you prefer to chill your dough in the refrigerator for an hour or longer, feel free.
Some recipes call for shortening. I have read many that use half butter and half shortening, i.e. 1/4 cup of each in a recipe this size, and the shortening will make them puffier, but also crunchier.
Some recipes call for baking soda in addition to or instead of baking powder. I don’t think it could hurt to add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. I will trial this in future batches to see the impact and if that makes them puffier.
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This recipe is easy and I got what I wanted: soft and chewy cookies that remind me of the Mrs. Fields snickerdoodles I used to inhale.
I purposely kept the batch size small. If you make slightly bigger cookies than I did, we’re talking a dozen to 15 cookies, max.
Around the holidays or post-holidays for all you who are have those pesky New Year’s resolutions, the last thing any of us needs is 3 or 4 dozen of anything. So that’s your nudge to try these.
And if you’re a white-chocolate-in-your-cookies fan, one of my favorite recipes of 2011 was the
Peanut Butter Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies
New Years Resolutions are overrated anyway.
Now, it’s time for a cookie.
Do you like snickerdoodles? Or sugar cookies? Do you use the names interchangeably?
Do you have any cookies, or food or recipes in general, that you pine away for in your memory?
I have to say, Auntie Annie’s Pretzels dipped in butter and cream cheese, Cinnabons with extra frosting, and Mrs. Field’s Snickerdoodles rank right up there for me.
And who says you can’t get a balanced diet from the choices at the mall food court.
And from cookies to stevia, thanks for the NuNaturals Stevia Giveaway entries.
I love white chocolate and I love snickerdoodles so these are a no-brainer! I always use real White Chocolate chips though. The “white chocolate” chips you show are white baking chips, not white chocolate. There is a difference in taste and real white chocolate is much, much better. Real white chocolate will say white chocolate on the package, the others, like this one, just say white baking chips. I was surprised to see one of the more prestigious brands (Ghirardelli maybe?) is not real white chocolate but you can find REAL white chocolate chips and it’s worth it. Just beware, because of the high milk content in white chocolate chips they do not keep as long as regular chocolate chips.
Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
And yes there is lots of variations among white chocolate and white chocolate chips, as with any baking chips (semi sweet, milk, etc.) things vary a lot from brand to brand.
Just made these without the Chips and they were delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Glad they were a hit!
Hi Averie, I’ve been wanting to make snickerdoodles for the longest time but none of the stores where I live in Kenya carry cream of tartar. I know in this recipe you didn’t use cream of tartar, but did the cookies really taste like snickerdoodles? B/c I’ve been told by many food bloggers that authentic snickerdoodles NEED cream of tartar, but if I can make authentic-tasting snickerdoodles w/ just baking soda, then I’m all for it!
I think they tasted great and since you have no access to Cream of Tartar, trying these is a good (only) option, right? :) I think you’ll love them!
Can I use self rising flour, but omit the salt and baking soda ? Since self rising flour is all-purpose flour with salt, baking soda and baking powder in it, will it make any difference ?
In theory, all of that is true. However, in reality, I haven’t personally tried so…I cannot speak to if this little experiment will be successful but please let me know the results if you do!
Averie, can you freeze the prerolled cookie dough to bake at another time?
Yes definitely, for 4-6 months in the freezer, it will be just fine!
Just made these. They are delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks for trying them and funny, I have a new snickerdoodle recipe I’ve been working on. Should be ready in a couple weeks to go live :)
I made these tonight. They came out really delicious, but very flat. Next time I will add some baking powder. I also added a dash of salt. I will definitely make them again. The idea of chilling the dough is a great one. Last week I made the white chocolate cream cheese cookies and they were nice and fluffy.
Thanks for trying these (yes they are a fairly flat cookie and I think the baking powder would help with that) and glad you would make them again!
Thanks for trying the white chocolate cream cheese cookies, too!
I want to make these today and bake them tomorrow. Should i pre roll them before i put them in the fridge or can i just put the slab of dough there? (In a container of course)
Pre-roll now. Way too difficult to chisel rock hard dough out of a bowl from the fridge tomorrow. Enjoy!
Thank you!
These were wonderful! Love the addition of white chocolate!
These look fab and I’m keen to make them, but could you please clarify something for me – when you say “white sugar” in your recipes do you mean granulated sugar or caster sugar/superfine?
granulated sugar
Just made 2 batches of these, one with white chocolate and mini choc chips and one without chips and these are so much better than the last snickerdoodle recipe I tried! Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh I love hearing things like this and so glad you had success – and both mini choc chips and then white chips. Nice idea to mix it up!
Also this dough base is great, too! https://www.averiecooks.com/soft-and-chewy-cinnamon-chip-snickerdoodle-cookies/
these are hands down the best cookies i have ever made
Thanks for trying them and coming back to LMK! I appreciate it and am so happy!
These look delicious! I’m going to make them tonight, is it plain flour or self raising?
Plain, all-purpose flour. Enjoy! Please LMK how they go for you!
I really love these cookies too – you can add white chocolate if you like
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/11/sugar-doodle-vanilla-cookies.html
Just wanted to let you know that I made these (but with semi-sweet chocolate and cinnamon chips instead of the white chocolate – so good!) and a batch of your Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar Coconut Oil Cookies with Jeanne’s Gluten-free flour blend (http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2009/11/the-story-behind-my-gluten-free-flour-mix/), and they came out fabulous! My gf hubby was so happy, and all the non-gluten-free people at dinner devoured them as well! I’m sure we’ll be going through the rest of your cookie recipes soon enough! Thank you for sharing them!
Thanks for trying these and glad you liked them AND thanks for trying the Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar Coconut Oil Cookies! So glad they were a hit, too! Glad to know they worked with a GF mix and everyone was happy! Feel free to leave a comment on that post as well (sometimes other people read the comments and since you used a GF mix, that may be helpful to someone..if you have time). And if you make more things, I’d love to hear about it! Thanks for taking time to come back and LMK!
These were awesome! I added the 1/2 tsp of baking soda for some thickness and it worked great, thanks for sharing!
Oh that’s awesome that you added it and it worked out for you – thanks for coming back to tell me you tried the recipe and loved them!
I had to add a l little more flour
I added about 1/4 to 1/4 because it flattened to much for me.
Either way great recipe, everyone loved it!
Glad they were a hit and that you tweaked the flour a bit. It’s really dry here (San Diego) so I generally probably need a touch less flour than someone who lives in other places. Thanks for making them and LMK about it! :)
I made these today, they were good but i had to bake them for about 12 minutes. I’m not a really good baker, so i prolly didn’t do the recipe right, but they are really good.
Oven temps vary widely, and you could have a colder running oven OR your dough balls may have been bigger…plus I like super under-done cookies. Glad you enjoyed them!
These are absolutely delicious! I made a batch as a test run for Teacher Apprciation Week since Snickerdoodle is her favorite cookie ~ I think sh will be most appreciative! I rolled min in Cajun Power Sweet Treat instead of just the cinnamon sugar mix. If you can get your hands on a can of it I highly recommend it ~ this stuff is heaven on earth! http://Www.cajunpowersauce.com
Ooo I love the vegan version! I need to try these! Your pictures are gorgeous! I never think to make snicker doodles past the holidays, but Mother’s day totally counts too right ? :) So happy I bumped into your blog! I’m your newest follower!
they’re so light and spring-like to me…Easter, Mother’s Day, baby/bridal showers, I think they are more of a spring cookie, really, than a winter cookie. But that’s how my mind works!
Your photos are so beautiful. Very clean and appetizing. I would love to try out this recipe sometime.
Thanks, Monica, and I hope you DO try it out!
These look so perfect! I haven’t made snickerdoodles in several years, but I usually sneak a little cinnamon in to most of my baked goods – chocolate chip cookies, brownies, you name it. It adds such a nice depth of flavor.
thanks and yes I put cinnamon, liberally, in most anything!
My favorite snickerdoodle, which you must try, is with a pumpkin spice hershey kiss on top. You can only find the pumpkin spice kisses around halloween/thanksgiving time at Target. I stock up to last through out the year. :)
These look absolutely fantastic!!! Gorgeous pictures and fabulous recipe, new favorite! :)
Kelly, that’s high praise coming from you because your photography is always stunning!
Definitely going to have to make these!
LMK if you do!
I love white chocolate chips, so these are right up my alley!!
I need to run out to Traders and stock up on white chocolate chips, I can’t remember if they carry it year round or not. Now that you’ve said yours doesn’t I don’t want to take any chances.
Mouth = Drooooooling.
Ahhh. I want some!
Snickerdoodles? Yum. White chocolate? Also yum. So this recipe? SCORE!
But what if you want to keep your weight down, anything else you can substitute for the sugar. I love cookies so much. I have a six month year old baby now so lots family are coming over so i want to make cookie but trying to get my figure back, praying. Chocolate chip and walnuts are my favorite.
I would most definitely take some of these cookies off your hands. They look SO good…and you’re right – who doesn’t love white chocolate?! Having said that though, I haven’t had white chocolate in a long time. I think that’s about to change!
These are the PERFECT thickness, so chewy-looking and of course WHITE CHOCOLATE! They look incredible! And egg-free too, woot :) Pinning this!
Not sure how I managed to not write 1 egg in the ingredients list; I wrote it in the body of the recipe, after creaming the sugars and butter, add the egg…but I edited the ingredients list. And I wrote to keep vegan, use a flax/chia egg…
And I re-read over it like 10 times…sometimes I can’t see the forest from the trees. Thanks for noticing for me!
But yes, they turned out to be a great thickness!
Oh! That’s what I get for reading too quickly :P Still, they look amazing!
These snickerdoodles look so great!! I have never tried throwing in white chocolate chips…I bet they taste amazing! :)
Thanks, Christina!
My Mom’s snickerdoodle recipe included cream of tarter — and she said that’s what gave it that “special something” — I have never met a cookie I didn’t like. . . but I definitely prefer regular sugar cookies to snickerdoodles (sorry, Mom).
They are totally different to me, because I don’t like sugar cookies, but snickerdoodles are awesome! My grandma always made snickerdoodles and they were the best ever. But, adding white chocolate and making them so chewy you can bend them? That sounds awesome! I just gotta experiment with some gluten-free flours.
These look and sound wonderful, great recipe! Sugar cookies need tone soft and moist to work for me and I guess the names could be interchanged.
these are gorgeous! I love that you love white chocolate…I think a lot of people gravitate toward milk or dark chocolate, but I love white chocolate just as much :)
Oh my goodness these look amazing!! I am concerned if I make these and I don’t give a lot of them away I would eat WAY to many!!
I love that you added white chocolate chips to the cookies – I think that sugar cookies and snickerdoodles get a little dry after a couple days on the counter but I bet the white chocolate eliminates that.
And these are NOT dry, not at all. With or without the choc chips, not dry at all. Between the recipe and slight underbaking, they’re not dry :)
These look amazing! They look so chewy and soft. I refer to snickerdoodles if they have a cinnamon sugar outside but if they don’t, I call them a sugar cookie. I didn’t know that people interchanged them so often.
Me neither until I started reading so many holiday cookie recipes and what some people call a sugar cookie, others were calling a snickerdoodle. To me, these are snickerdoodles, a close relative of a sugar cookie, but not the same.
I’m not a sugar cookie fanatic, but with white chocolate chips they could be a top contender in my “top 10 cookies” list. I’m definitely a classic chocolate chip girl all the way! They remind me of when I was a little girl and when my mom used to make them at Christmastime. Also, I made a clone of cinnabon recipe that I posted a few days ago. My brother is a tough critic and he said that they definitely conquered that food court favorite :)
Oh that’s awesome that you made Cinnabon clones! I made some in donut form, rather than roll form, here
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/11/baked-cinnamon-bun-donuts-with-vanilla-cream-cheese-glaze.html
oh wow… These are not on my New Year Resolution list but they look fabulous!
I used to LOVE snicker doodles-favorite cookie. Never was a fan of sugar cookies for some reason….maybe because I never had a good one (they were always not moist and too sugarryy-ha!)
And these are moist AND full of cinn sugar flavor…no worries of dryness with these!
Snickerdoodles and sugar cookies are two TOTALLY different things, and I love them both. The sugar ones are best served with that thick layer of grocery store frosting (in high school we called them “fluffy cookies”), and the snickerdoodles are best when they’re really, really, really soft and covered in cinnamon sugar. Ahh, now I want a cookie!
The sugar ones are best served with that thick layer of grocery store frosting = omg those are so good. I have learned some people call those Lofthouse cookies.
Lots of blog reading and holiday cookie post reading :)
I love snickerdoodle cookies! My mom used to make them when I was little, and they were always my favorite. Love that you added in white chocolate! :)
Despite it being only 7:30am, I now want some cookies!
These look SO good! I wish we had some vegan white chips in my area… can’t wait ’till I move to Milwaukee soon!
At the end of your post, there was no mention of drenching the cookies in a cinnamon-sugar mix. Is that because there’s enough in the cookie itself that you don’t need to? Either way, looks mouth-watering (literally.) :)
In the recipe body I wrote this:
Roll the balls through the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on Silpat-lined, parchment-lined or sprayed cookie sheets…
So that’s the only time I rolled them thru the cinn/sugar mix. I’m sure you could roll or sprinkle again at the end but I did not feel it was needed.
Love the white chocolate chips and love how thin and delicious these look!
Great Snickerdoodle photos, so pretty! And I love that you included white chocolate chips!
I was never in to food court cookies because I love homemade so much more, but Cinnabon was pretty major when I was allowed to indulge on special occasions as a kid!
Hey these look so delicious! The first snickerdoodle recipe I’ve seen that has thin, soft, CHEWY cookies! I want to go and make them right now! And I love that they remind you of Mrs Fields :-)
ps. love your photos
Thanks for the compliments :)
I like both snicker-doodles and sugar cookies, but don’t use the name interchangeably. The ones we make taste very different from each other … but I don’t know without looking at the recipes what the differences would be.
mmm those look amazing, I definitely will try to make those! I made your “peanut-butter cup”s a while back and they by far have been a staple dessert in our house :)
Awww, thanks for telling me they’re a staple!
Ok girl! I thought I was over sweets till I opened my pantry tonight and noticed I had nothing sugary to much on besides my kids Halloween candy (yuck)! I made my husband stop at the grocery store on his way home to get me something cakey. I am a totally cake and cookie fan! I will take those two items over ice cream or candy anyday. Sorry to hear about your cookie butter situation :( if I see any cookie butter at my local Traders I will send it down to to you :)
I wish I could send you some of my treats…my freezer is exploding right now with things :)
My husband’s favorite cookie, what a great version you created with the white chocolate too! I wonder if they’d be alright with Coconut Palm sugar? I just got 6 bags of it from iHerb but I’m new to it so I don’t know if the taste would alter that “Snickerdoodle” memory for me……I’ll try it out and let you know.
A few weeks ago I made Snickerdoodle Pancakes for breakfast that were very heavy but also pretty nutritious, check them out if you get a minute. Thanks Averie
http://cannedtime.blogspot.com/2011/12/vegan-snickerdoodle-pancakes.html
lovely looking!
Genius. I love snickerdoodles, and you know that I just discovered my love of white chocolate. My mom’s cousin (who I am staying with) has a HUGE stash of dark chocolate and white chocolate covered peanuts. I am kind of wishing they weren’t covering peanuts, but…..
We got Biscoff cookies on the flight today. I gave mine to my mom, who was all “meh….these are okay” and then we went to a fancy-pants grocery store (The Fresh Market?) and they had the Biscoff spread. I just giggled.
the cookies grow on you…one is okay, two gets better and all of a sudden a half dozen later…you want more.
and the spread, just buy it. BEST spread…ever. Nutella and SFSButter and PB are all good but I know you have the gluten issue but really, it’s worth it.
And your new love of white choc…thank god you got on board that train. Now go enjoy your vacay!!!
I love soft and chewy cookies too and these look like a great variation on the classic snicker doodle!
I love Snickerdoodles! There one of my top three cookies, being number one and number two are tied which is chocolate chip and peanut butter. All these cookies look so good. I haven’t had a cookie since before Christmas. I’m trying to be good, at least for a week. lol I am sure I’ll be making cookies soon!!
I agree, New Years resolutions are overrated. If you want to change something do it today. ;) Anyhow, I LOVE cookies…they are my weakness. I’m cutting down/out my intake of sugar but they look scrumptious. My all time favorite cookies are no bake cookies that my mom makes perfectly every time.
daily changes rather than saving them up for January is much smarter :)
and I’d love to hear about your mom’s nobake cookies!
They are the standard no bakes – ½ cup butter; 2 cups sugar; ½ cup milk; 4 tablespoons cocoa powder – bring to roaring boil for two minutes then add ½ cup peanut butter; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; and 3 cups quick-cooking oats
They always have issues when I make them – too crumbly from not cooking enough or too sweet because they were cooked too long. Who knew there is a science to making them? Not me! Apparently she can look at them and know when they are done. Even if they don’t turn out perfectly for me I still make them and eat them. ;) One day I will figure out the look.
They sound really similar to these…that I just made!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/12/no-bake-chocolate-peanut-butter-oat-squares.html
I made mine in bar form not cookie form but the recipe sounds really close
1/2 c butter (1 stick; or margarine, Earth Balance)
2 c white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
6 tbsp cocoa powder (I used TJ’s)
1/2 c milk (cow, vegan, soy, nut, etc. You could probably use water, too, and if so, I’d use about 2/3 c water)
1/2 heaping cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3.5 c oats (I used whole rolled Old-Fashioned Quaker Oats)
1/4 c chocolate chips, 1/4 c peanut butter chips (or butterscotch/white chocolate chips, toffee bits, chopped candy bits, Reese’s Pieces, etc.), optional
–Use some brown sugar in yours…it keeps things moist, chewy, and “holding together”. That would be my tip!
yum!!! i LOVE white chocolate, glad you stockpiled! and while I love snickerdoodles, I prefer cookies with chunks…. sooooooo this is a perfect recipe in my book. thanks Averie!
Yeah but chunks are more expensive than chips so chips won :) But I love chunks too!
Ok so much for my “getting a beach body” resolution…these are making my mouth water. I would eat pretty anything with white chocolate chips. Any idea if the Trader Joe’s version is vegan?
Your photography is looking great!
No they’re not.
Mmm, I’ve always loved sugar cookies w/ white chocolate chips, and snickerdoodles, I love the thought of combining the two!
No time like the present to start combining!
Definitely time for cookies. These look amazing, Averie! I love snickerdoodles…brilliant to add white chocolate too!
Thanks, Cassie :)
Either way, we just need to make sure I can get my nibble on.
I’d love to bake cookies and you bake something savory and we can get our nibbles on!
I have told my daughter the story about me winning a blue ribbon at the state fair for my snickerdoodles (I was in 6th grade, with a VERY developed palate *wink) and she is now OBSESSED with snickerdoodles. So these will easily make it into our cookie rotation, right at the top! And I’m totally getting your cookie scoop. XO in the NYear!
GET that cookie scoop. It has highhandedly changed the results of my baking…so much. That, and enough Silpats to go around (rather than 1 silpat and parchment paper on the other cookie sheets) has done wonders for my baking.
But now that you say you won a blue ribbon for snickerdoodles, I hope mine pass the Heidi Blue Ribbon test. Keep me posted if you make these :)
I was never a huge snickerdoodle or even sugar cookie fan actually. But snickerdoodles always remind me of my mom, because she baked them often. I thought they seemed so fancy compared to just plain old chocolate chip cookies ;-)