Brown Butter Snickerdoodles (Without Cream of Tartar)

Though these snickerdoodles are made without cream of tartar, they are just as soft & fluffy as any other snickerdoodle! The secret is baking powder, which I guarantee you already have in your pantry. Cream of tartar is not a commonly used leavener in baking, so I created this recipe so you can make soft snickerdoodles without going to the store to get a special ingredient. 

I would also argue that these cookies are actually even better than most traditional snickerdoodles, thanks to the brown butter. It adds such an intense caramelized butter flavor that you won't be able to stop at just one!

For more cookie recipes, try Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies, Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Soft Brown Butter Molasses Cookies. 

Ingredient Notes

Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you'll find notes on why I chose certain ingredients, as well as ingredient substitutions. 

• Butter: You'll need 170g of brown butter, so start with a couple extra tablespoons to account for the water evaporation. Keep in mind that European-style butter has less water content, so if you're using American-style butter you might want to start with even more butter. 
• Sugar: You'll need 1 cup of sugar for the cookie dough and ¼ cup for the coating.
• Egg: Bring your egg to room temperature quickly by placing it a bowl of warm water.
• Vanilla: Use vanilla bean paste or extract to round out the flavor of these cookies.
• Flour: Use high-quality, unbleached all-purpose flour.
• Leaveners: This recipe uses baking powder instead of cream of tartar, as well as baking soda.
• Cinnamon: You'll need about 1 tablespoon of cinnamon for the coating.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

This snickerdoodle recipe is arguably easier than other cookie recipes. It does require the extra step of browning the butter, but that just means that you don't need an electric mixer! Just pour the cooled melted brown butter, take a few whiffs because that liquid gold smells good, and proceed with the recipe. For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Brown the butter. Start by browning the butter, then placing it in the fridge to cool down to room temperature. 

STEP 2: Make the dough. Make the cookie dough by whisking together the melted, cool brown butter & sugar, then mixing in the eggs & vanilla, and lastly folding in the dry ingredients. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes. 

STEP 3: Scoop. Portion the cookie dough with a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop.

STEP 4: Make cinnamon sugar. Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl for the coating. 

STEP 5: Roll and freeze. Roll the cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar and place back on the baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes.

STEP 6: Bake. Bake the cookie for about 12-14 minutes.

Expert Baking Tips

• If you'd rather go with the tradition of adding cream of tartar to your snickerdoodles, you can sub an equal amount in for the baking powder. 
• Start with an extra couple tablespoons of butter, since water evaporates as it browns. Also, keep in mind that European-style butter has less water content, so if you're using American-style butter you might want to start with even more butter. 
• Don't add ingredients to the hot brown butter. Chill it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to bring it to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. 
• Do not skip the chill time of the cookie dough! 

Storage Tips

Store these cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies or raw portioned cookie dough for up to 3 months. 

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x