Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies

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Suddenly it hits you; you want cookies! Not just any store-bought cookie, you want homemade Snickerdoodles – the cookies that light and billowy with a slightly tangy taste and a cinnamon & sugar crust. (Is your tummy growling yet?) Perusing recipes, the realization sets in that you need several ingredients, including Cream of Tartar. Cream of WHAT? Is that a dairy product, an herb, a spice, or what??? It is an “or what.” Cream of Tartar is a kitchen staple used in baking as a stabilizer for egg whites (meringues), preventing sugar crystals (candy making), fluffier whipped cream (the real stuff), retaining color in steamed veggies, and adding tang in SNICKERDOODLES.  

If you enjoy cooking and baking, it is an ingredient that is worth having in your pantry. However, if you’re just an occasional baker or newbie baker– then you may just want to pull out the shortcuts. This is where cake mix cookies rock! This easy Snickerdoodle recipe only requires a white cake mix, one egg, and a stick of butter, plus a little sugar and cinnamon for the topping. No need to worry about flour, extracts, or cream of tartar. You may be asking yourself if they taste the same as snickerdoodles made from scratch. The answer is no. If you did a side-by-side test, my easy version is not going to taste exactly the same. However, and this is a big however, they taste pretty darn close! The white cake mix gives the cookies a similar tangy flavor, not the same – but very close. The real difference is the time it takes to mix up the batter. The easy version takes 3 -5 minutes (including prep) with minimal clean-up. In my book, that makes these cookies a WINNER!!!

The only prep needed is to melt the butter and mix the cinnamon and sugar. The easiest way to melt the butter is by cutting it into pieces and place in a microwave-safe measuring cup. Nuke for 30-45 seconds. Stir to mix before pouring it into a large bowl with the cake mix and egg.

It takes only a minute or so with an electric hand mixer to make the dough. It will be soft but not too sticky. It doesn’t require chilling (another plus!). Using a cookie scoop or rounded spoon, make one-inch balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place the coated dough balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet/pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. (If you don’t have either – no worries, just place on an ungreased pan).

Bake for 11-13 minutes in a preheated oven at 350°. In my oven, it takes 12 minutes – but oven temps vary, so check at 11 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. This recipe is a great baking project for young cooks.  

 These cookies are absolutely yummy! Next time you see a cake mix BOGO deal (at my grocery store, cake mix is on sale at least once a month), stock up so you’re always just minutes away from fresh baked cookies! Enjoy.

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