No-Chill Snickerdoodles (Soft & Chewy)

No-Chill Snickerdoodles (Soft & Chewy)

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: -36

* Please note: all cup measurements are approximate and based on Australian standard cups (250ml). For best results, weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale.

Equipment

1-2 baking sheet(s)

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

390 g (3 cups) plain flour, spooned and levelled if using cups
1 ½ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt, reduce to ¼ tsp if using salted butter
250 g (1 cup) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
330 g (1 ½ cups) granulated sugar, or caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon, adjust to taste
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla, vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

For the cinnamon sugar

70 g (cup) granulated sugar, or caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190℃ (170℃/375℉) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
To a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and cooled melted butter. Whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture lightens in colour and thickens slightly.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and whisk until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, mixing between each addition. Switch to a rubber spatula when the dough becomes too thick to whisk. Do not over-mix!
In a small bowl or ramekin, whisk together the cinnamon sugar ingredients.
Scoop about 2 tbsp of dough, and roll between your palms to form a smooth ball. if you want to be precise, use a scale (mine are 35g each). Roll each dough ball twice in the cinnamon sugar, then place on a lined baking sheet, leaving at least 5 cm (2 inches) of space in between to allow for spreading.
Place the tray on the middle rack of the preheated oven. After 5 minutes, open the oven door and, using oven mitts, lift the tray a few inches and let it drop firmly back onto the rack (the cookies should deflate slightly). Close the door and bake for another 1–2 minutes until they puff up again. Repeat this lifting and dropping process once more. Bake for a total of 9–11 minutes until the edges are set but the centres remain slightly underbaked. Remove from the oven and give the tray one final drop on the countertop.
Let the snickerdoodles cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Sprinkle with any leftover cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Notes

1. Butter: Using melted butter in cookies is not only convenient (no mixer and no waiting for butter to soften) but also gives a superior texture that is denser, chewier and almost fudgy.

Make sure to use a good quality European-style butter, such as Lurpak, Président, or Kerrygold. If you're in Australia, Westgold (or just about any NZ butter) is also a good, and typically more economical, choice.

2. Chilling: Thanks to some extra flour, this recipe makes a thick dough that can be rolled and baked straight away without any fridge time.

You can chill the dough overnight, however you'll need to let it sit out at room temperature for a good 30 minutes until it's soft and pliable again. If the dough is cold, you'll have a very hard time scooping it, and your cookies won't spread properly in the oven!

3. Pan-banging: This extra step produces snickerdoodles with the best of both worlds: crispy, wrinkled edges and soft, buttery middles. It does require a bit of babysitting the cookies while they bake, but it's well worth it!

If you'd prefer more traditional snickerdoodles with puffy, pillowy centres, you can skip the pan-banging all together and simply bake for 9-11 minutes.

4. Bake time: Do not overbake these! They should still look a little underdone when they come out of the oven, as they will continue to cook and firm up as they cool on the tray. Every oven is different, but for me, 10 minutes seems to be the sweet spot.

5. Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Fresh from the oven, these are extra soft, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth. Once cooled, they should stay soft and bendy with chewy edges. Both are delicious!

Nutrition

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