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 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
https://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!
https://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 ;-)