Snickerdoodle Cookies - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

What are snickerdoodles called in England? ›

“Snickerdoodles, also called snipdoodles or cinnamon sugar cookies, have been around since the late 1800s. They probably originated in New England and are either of German or Dutch descent. Unfortunately there is no clue as to how they got such a peculiar name.”

This can go the other way too. If your cookies are coming out flat, it's likely that your oven is too cool, baking the cookies at a lower temperature, and causing them to come out flat.

A snickerdoodle is a type of cookie made with flour, fat, sugar, and salt, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. Eggs may also sometimes be used as an ingredient, with cream of tartar and baking soda added to leaven the dough.

Snickerdoodle cookies have a unique flavor profile due to the addition of cream of tartar and cinnamon, which gives them a slightly tangy and spicy taste. In contrast, sugar cookies have a more neutral, buttery flavor with a hint of vanilla.

In many English-speaking countries outside North America, including the United Kingdom, the most common word for a crisp cookie is "biscuit".

Hard or crisp cookies are called biscuits in the U.K. while the chewier dessert can be identified as a cookie.

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they bake – when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and puffy, they are done. Also, make sure you're not adding too much flour.

A: Yes they do have an expiration date printed on the box. I buy a dozen boxes each December to last the year which is when the expiration date is on mine.

Snickerdoodles are often referred to as "sugar cookies". The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln ("snail noodles"), a kind of pastry.

If yours aren't cracking, your oven may not be hot enough or your ingredients may not be fresh enough! Are snickerdoodles supposed to be undercooked? I always recommend slightly underbaking your cookies and then letting them finish baking through cooling on the pan.

Why did my snickerdoodles crack? ›

Cracking occurs from several chemical reactions during the baking process. If some of your cookies aren't cracking, it could be because those dough balls were less round than others, the dough became too warm, your oven isn't heating evenly, or (most likely) the cinnamon sugar coating wasn't applied as thoroughly.

A few cookbooks explain that snickerdoodles are German in origin. They state that the cookie's name comes from the German word shneckennudel (which is a kind of cinnamon bun). Others trace its origin to New England's tradition of whimsical cookie names.

Purists believe the cream of tartar is key to the snickerdoodle's chewy texture and its delightful, slightly tangy taste. Cream of tartar activates the baking soda and keeps sugar crystals from forming, so the cookies end up pillowy rather than crisp.

Over-measuring flour: If you use too much flour in your cookie dough, it can result in a dry, floury taste. Make sure you measure your flour correctly by using a kitchen scale or by spooning the flour into a measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife.

In England they were called sugar biscuits as well as jumbles.

Cookies. In the U.K., a cookie specifically refers to a chocolate chip cookie. Anything else would be called a “biscuit.” Biscuits aren't the chewy cookies you'd find in American bakeries, but have a crisper texture, like shortbread, or a snap. It's a fact that British bacon tastes better—and here's why.

In many English speaking countries the word biscuit stems from the Latin meaning 'twice baked' and describes a light, sweet flour-based food product.