Snickerdoodles are the American cookie that looks modest but is always the first to disappear from the cookie jar at my house. Balls of a simple butter dough are rolled in cinnamon sugar and bake into cookies with a thin, crunchy crust, small cracks and a middle that stays soft and chewy. Think cinnamon roll, just in cookie form.
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In the air fryer I bake them in small batches at 160 °C, and it suits them perfectly. Each batch takes only 8 minutes, so it is easy to catch the moment when the edges are golden and the middle still looks a little underbaked. Here you get my recipe, my best tips for the chewy middle and the solution for when you cannot find cream of tartar.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love snickerdoodles in the air fryer
I love snickerdoodles because they are so simple. There is no chocolate, no nuts and no filling to hide behind – just butter, sugar, cinnamon and exactly the right texture. Do not confuse them with chocolate crinkle cookies, which are rolled in icing sugar. Here it is the cinnamon sugar that gives the thin, crunchy crust with the characteristic cracks.
And texture is exactly what the air fryer is good at. The circulating hot air sets the edges quickly, so they turn crisp while the middle stays soft. At the same time, I do not have to heat up the big oven for a single tray of cookies. I bake four or five at a time while the rest of the dough balls wait in the fridge, so the first ones are warm and ready for coffee long before the last batch is done.
Cream of tartar or baking powder?
Original snickerdoodles are made with cream of tartar, which is called vinsten in Danish. It is the cream of tartar that gives them their slightly tangy flavour and chewy middle. Cream of tartar can be hard to find in Danish shops, so in my recipe I use baking powder. If you can, choose a tartrate baking powder, which is made with cream of tartar and comes closest to the original. If you have cream of tartar, you can use 1 tsp in place of the baking powder.
Testing snickerdoodles in my kitchen
I have baked snickerdoodles in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 160 °C, and 8 minutes per batch is the sweet spot. It has one basket with heating elements both above and below, so the underside gets an even, golden colour without the top getting too dark. I do not shake the basket during baking, because the cookies need to be left in peace to spread and set. With 15 minutes of preparation and about 4 batches of 8 minutes each, the whole recipe takes 47 minutes.
In my Philips XXL there is room for five dough balls with plenty of space between them, while a small basket holds fewer. The most important lesson from the test was to trust the edges rather than the middle: if they are golden and firm, the cookies should come out, even if the middle looks too soft.
Let the dough balls wait in the fridge between batches. Cold dough spreads more slowly, so the cookies hold their shape and get a thicker, chewier middle.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is baking the cookies until they look done. By then it is too late, because they keep baking on the baking paper and end up hard, without the chewy middle. Take them out when the edges are golden instead, and let them set for 3 minutes before you move them. The second mistake is overfilling the basket. Snickerdoodles spread, so too many dough balls bake together into one big cookie. Leave about 5 cm between them, and put the balls on the baking paper straight away, so the paper does not blow up against the heating element. The third mistake is mixing the dough for too long once the flour is in, because then the cookies turn dense instead of soft. Mix with the electric whisk on the lowest speed only until no visible flour remains.
How to serve snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles taste just as good warm as they do cooled. Here are my favourite ways to serve them:
- Warm with a cup of coffee or tea
- With a glass of cold milk
- As an ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream between two cookies
- With a pinch of ground cardamom in the cinnamon sugar for a Nordic touch
- In the cookie jar at Christmas next to the Danish Christmas cookies
Storage and reheating
Store snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you want the soft middle back, you can warm them in the air fryer at 150 °C for 1-2 minutes. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed at room temperature, so you always have a portion ready.
Snickerdoodles prove that a good cookie does not have to be complicated. With cinnamon sugar, cold dough and the courage to take them out a little early, you get crisp edges and a soft, chewy middle every single time.
FAQ
Snickerdoodles are American cookies made from butter, sugar, egg and flour that are rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. They have crisp edges, a soft and chewy middle and a crunchy crust with small cracks.
Yes, the recipe uses baking powder, preferably a tartrate baking powder, which comes closest to the original. If you have cream of tartar, you can use 1 tsp in place of the baking powder.
Bake them at 160 °C for 8 minutes. They are ready when the edges are golden and firm, while the middle still looks a little underbaked. The residual heat finishes baking them while they set.
Recipe
Snickerdoodles in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Electric mixer
- 1 Sifter
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Parchment paper (for air fryer)
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 Cooling rack
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Beat 125 g butter and 150 g sugar together in a mixing bowl with an electric whisk for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
- Add 1 pcs egg and 1 tsp vanilla sugar, and keep beating until the mixture is smooth and even.
- Mix 3 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl to make the cinnamon sugar.
- Shape the dough into about 16 equally sized balls of 30-35 g each, and roll them in the cinnamon sugar until they are coated all over. Put the balls that have to wait in the fridge while the first ones bake.
Baking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan.
- Place a piece of baking paper in the basket and immediately put 4-5 balls on it, so the paper does not blow up (fewer in a small basket). Leave about 5 cm between them, as the cookies spread, and press the balls slightly flat with the palm of your hand.
- Bake the cookies at 160 °C for 8 minutes without shaking the basket. They are ready when the edges are golden and firm, while the middle still looks a little soft and underbaked.
- Carefully lift the baking paper with the cookies out of the basket and let them set for 3 minutes. Then move them to a wire rack with a palette knife. The edges turn crisp and the middle stays soft and chewy as they cool.
- Repeat with the rest of the balls. Allow for about 4 batches of 8 minutes each, depending on how many fit in your basket.
Our notes for the recipe
Take the cookies out while the middle still looks a little underbaked. The residual heat finishes baking them, so the edges turn crisp while the middle stays soft and chewy. Air fryers vary, so check the first batch after 7 minutes and adjust the time for the rest. Keep the waiting dough balls chilled between batches so they do not spread too much. If the dough is too soft to shape, chill it for 15 minutes first. Baking powder instead of cream of tartar:
Original American snickerdoodles are made with cream of tartar, which gives the slightly tangy flavour and the chewy middle. Cream of tartar can be hard to find, so baking powder is used here. If you can, choose a tartrate baking powder, which is made with cream of tartar and comes closest to the original. If you have cream of tartar, you can use 1 tsp in place of the baking powder. Cinnamon sugar, not icing sugar:
Snickerdoodles are rolled in cinnamon sugar – not in icing sugar like chocolate crinkle cookies. The cinnamon sugar gives the thin, crunchy crust with the characteristic cracks. Variation:
Add a pinch of ground cardamom to the cinnamon sugar, or replace 50 g of the sugar in the dough with brown sugar for a more caramel-like flavour. Serving suggestion:
Serve snickerdoodles warm or cooled with coffee, tea or a glass of cold milk. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies for a quick ice cream sandwich. Portion size:
The recipe makes about 16 cookies, which works out at 4 per serving. If you have a small air fryer, bake fewer at a time and allow for an extra batch.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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