Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies (No Cream of Tartar!)

There is nothing quite like a warm, buttery snickerdoodle cookie fresh out of the oven, but adding sourdough takes them to a whole new level! These Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies combine the nostalgic cinnamon sugar flavor with the complex depth of tangy sourdough. This updated recipe requires no chill time, doesn’t use cream of tartar, and pairs beautifully with a glass of raw milk. Get ready to bake the softest and chewiest cookies of the season!

Essentials for the Perfect Sourdough Cookie

• Digital Kitchen Scale: In my kitchen, a digital scale is a non-negotiable! I have had this exact digital scale for years, and it has never failed me! Measuring by weight is the only guaranteed way to accurately measure difficult ingredients. This is especially true for flour or sourdough starter, both of which can make or break a sourdough cookie’s final texture if improperly measured.
• Stand Mixer: A quality stand mixer can be an amazing tool for making sourdough cookies. You need to make sure that you do not over-mix the dough, but it can help to combine difficult ingredients or thick dough with ease!
• Large Cookie Scoop: Almost all of my sourdough cookie recipes are designed for making jumbo cookies. Using a large cookie scoop will help ensure that you get the perfect size cookie every time, and will help them bake evenly too!

Ingredients

Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookie Ingredients

• ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed (145g): Make sure you pack it tight! The right amount of sugar gives the cookies the perfect amount of spread while keeping them chewy.
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar (132g): Including white sugar will help balance the moisture from the brown sugar, ensuring the cookies spread just the right amount.
• ½ cup salted butter, softened (113g): The perfect softness of the butter is “dent soft”, meaning it will indent somewhat easily when the corner is pressed with your finger, but still offers some resistance and is not completely room temperature yet. Depending on the temperature of your home, the perfect softness can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes when left at room temperature. If you want to use unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp. additional salt to the recipe.
• ½ cup sourdough starter, active or discard, stirred down (150g): The sourdough starter can be active or discard starter! Be sure to stir the starter down before measuring. Or for best accuracy, measure by weight.
• 2 large egg yolks (40g): Having room temperature yolks is ideal, but cold yolks are fine too!
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (5g): Pure vanilla extract is best! Imitation vanilla often contains unnecessary additives.
• ½ tsp salt (3g): I prefer to use sea salt, as iodized salt may add an unwanted flavor profile.
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon (4g): Cinnamon is vital for giving the snickerdoodle cookies their classic warm-spiced flavor.
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg (2g): This is the secret ingredient that makes these cookies taste like they came from a bakery. It adds a nutty depth that highlights the tang of the sourdough without overpowering the cinnamon.
• 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, scooped directly from bag (not spooned and leveled) (210g): It’s very difficult to accurately measure flour by volume. This is because it is all dependent on how you scoop it! For ease of measuring, I designed this volume measurement to be simply scooped directly out of the bag (not spooned and leveled). Pro Tip: For the best accuracy and most consistent cookie texture, you should measure flour by weight.
• 1 tsp baking soda (6g): Ensure you are using baking soda, NOT baking powder. They are not interchangeable and will affect the spread and texture of the cookie.

Sugar Topping

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar (25g): Using granulated white sugar in the topping gives that delicious crunch to the exterior of the cookie!
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon (5g): Don’t skip the cinnamon here! This is what gives the cookie the remaining cinnamon it needs to perfectly balance the butter, sugar, tang, and cinnamon flavors together!

How to Make Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies

Preheat Oven & Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream the Butter & Sugars: Start by beating the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and softened butter together. This works best with an electric mixer (either handheld or a stand mixer). You are looking for more than just a mix here, you want the texture to change into a creamy, uniform, and slightly aerated texture. If you see chunks of butter, keep mixing!

Add the Wet Ingredients: Add your sourdough starter, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until it becomes smooth and slightly frothy. Tip: Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure the starter is fully incorporated! You should not see any chunks floating around by this point.

Incorporate the Dry Ingredients: Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg, and give it a quick mix to distribute. Next, add your flour and sprinkle in the baking soda. Turn your mixer to low speed, and stir until just combined. Critical Step: Stop mixing when you still see a few tiny streaks of flour and cinnamon left. If you over-mix at this stage, you will accidentally over-develop the gluten and your cookies will be tough rather than soft and chewy.

Make the Sugar Topping: In a separate bowl, stir together the cinnamon sugar topping ingredients. Set aside.

Scoop & Bake: Use a large cookie scoop to place 6 generous portions of dough onto your parchment-lined baking sheet. Ensure even spacing between each to allow for spreading. Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar topping onto each scoop of dough.

Bake for 12–16 minutes. You’ll know they are done when the edges look slightly crisp, but the center looks mostly set but still soft. They will continue to set as they cool! This recipe makes about 14 cookies total.

Cool On Baking Sheet: Let the cookies sit on the hot baking sheet for right around 7 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This is a crucial step for ensuring that the cookies set up completely. If you try to move them too soon, they may fall apart or crunch up.

Storage: Once completely cool, you can store cookies in an airtight container or bag for up to 5 days at room temperature. Note that the cookies may dry out as the days go on. Pro Tip: To ensure they stay fresh the longest, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. The cookies will absorb moisture from the bread (the bread will become rock hard!), keeping your cookies soft for longer.

Why is there no cream of tartar?

Traditional snickerdoodle cookies rely on cream of tartar to provide acidity, which activates the baking soda and gives the cookies their signature tang. In this recipe, the sourdough discard acts as the acid! It provides a more complex flavor, better tang, and a softer texture than cream of tartar. And if you do the optional long-fermentation process, it will be the best sourdough snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar that you’ve ever tried!

Substitutions & Variations

• Substitute dark brown sugar for light brown sugar if necessary.
• If using unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ tsp salt.
• Active sourdough starter can be used! Just stir down before measuring.
• If you’re looking for a cookie that has the warmth of cinnamon but with frosting added, then try my Sourdough Carrot Cake Cookie recipe.

Can I freeze sourdough snickerdoodle cookie dough?

Absolutely! These cookies freeze beautifully, which makes them perfect for prepping ahead! However, because of the cinnamon-sugar coating, there is a specific trick to getting the perfect texture:

1. Scoop the dough into balls, but do not top them with the cinnamon sugar just yet.
2. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet, and freeze them for about an hour until solid.
3. Transfer to a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months! See below for tips on baking frozen dough.

Pro Tip: Double the recipe to intentionally freeze an extra batch! This provides you with a ready-to-bake dough for when that sweet tooth hits. You can even bake just a few at a time for a no-prep, cinnamon-filled dessert.

Tips to Bake Sourdough Cookie Dough From Frozen:

• Let dough balls thaw on the counter while your oven preheats.
• Top each ball with a generous amount of cinnamon sugar. Doing this just before baking prevents soggy sugar topping from the freezer!
• Add 1-2 minutes of baking time if the dough is still cold.

How to Make Long-Fermented Snickerdoodle Sourdough Cookies

To long-ferment the dough for a tangier snickerdoodle flavor and improved gut health benefits, follow these simple directions:

1. Prepare: Follow the recipe directions to make the dough.
2. Ferment: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 1-3 days. Note: After the first day, longer fermentation increases the health benefits, but it also intensifies the tangy flavor.
3. Bake: Top with the cinnamon sugar mixture just before baking. The dough temperature will significantly affect the final texture of your cookies.

• For Chewier Cookies: About 1 hour before baking, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. This will yield a texture result that is similar to freshly-made dough.
• For Cake-Like Cookies: If you prefer cakier, more dome-like cookies, you may bake the dough straight from the fridge. The cookies will not spread as much as freshly made dough, and will result in a thicker, more cakey consistency.
  

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