Enjoy this delicious nut butter snickerdoodle recipe that is soft and chewy, with crisp edges, and with no cream of tartar! To top it all off, this cookie recipe is completely gluten-free and only takes a few simple ingredients!
Oh, cream of tartar. The one ingredient I often see in recipes and sigh because I do not stock my kitchen with it and substitutions are far and few. But worry not! This snickerdoodle recipe does not require any cream of tartar!
This recipe is seriously the best snickerdoodle recipe! It literally only requires you to dump a few ingredients in a bowl and mix. Then you roll in cinnamon and sugar and bake. Like how simple is that??
The other great part about this easy snickerdoodle recipe is that it is completely grain free. This is because of the magic of baking soda and cashews.
We use cashew butter as the fat to ensure they are just as buttery as the classic cookie but with the help of baking soda, they inflate and then deflate once removed from the oven. This creates that perfectly crisp outside and chewy inside! So let’s get baking!
Looking for other desserts to try? - try these: White Chocolate Christmas Crack, Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, or Honey Mug Cake.
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What is a Snickerdoodle?
First things first, what is a snickerdoodle cookie? A traditional snickerdoodle is a sugar cookie that is rolled in cinnamon sugar. As it bakes, the sugar exterior caramelizes while the cookies spread creating the distinct sweet and cinnamon-packed flavor of a snickerdoodle. And considering we are here because of the cream of tartar, it is worth mentioning that it is commonly accepted that sugar cookies use baking powder to leaven, while snickerdoodles use cream of tartar.
What is Cream of Tartar?
Now onto the good stuff. Cream of tartar is the acid discard created when grapes are fermented into wine. It is traditionally used to help recipes rise or to leaven them so if you are wondering why snickerdoodles need cream of tartar, it is to help them rise. It is more acidic than baking soda, thus giving snickerdoodles a distinct tang.
When you think about fermentation, there is some type of chemical reaction that generates gas or bubbles. These bubbles are essential to what cream of tartar is. So when it reacts with a base, the bubbles are reactivated and it helps whatever it is in rising.
Another fun fact, baking powder is made up of baking soda and cream of tartar. The more ya know! So, now that you know all about the cream of tartar, let’s get to learning how to avoid using it.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.
Cashew Butter: This provides the fat and the structure for this recipe. When baked, cashew butter acts as a flour mixture would in cookies, providing structure for these snickerdoodle nut butter style cookies.
Substitutions: Any type of nut butter like creamy peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower butter, can be used to create these chewy cookies.
Coconut Sugar: Coconut sugar resembles brown sugar in that it has a caramel-like flavor. Snickerdoodles benefit, in my opinion, from this caramelization.
Substitutions: Brown sugar or monk fruit sugar can be used.
Egg: Eggs are the binders in baked goods and that applies here as well.
Substitutions: An egg substitute like an egg replacer from Bob’s Red Mill or Just Egg can be used for a vegan version. A flax egg may be able to be used but it has not been tested.
Baking Soda: This is the rise! Baking soda is different from baking powder in that baking powder is made up of baking soda and cornstarch. We just want baking soda.
Substitutions: Sorry, no substitute for this.
Vanilla Extract: We use 100% pure vanilla extract to enhance the buttery flavor.
Substitutions: Imitation vanilla can be used or it can be omitted.
Cinnamon: No snickerdoodle is complete without cinnamon!
Substitutions: I love to use Vietnamese cinnamon because it is slightly sweeter but use whatever cinnamon you have!
Cane Sugar: We only need a little bit of cane sugar to roll the cookies in with the cinnamon sugar mixture. This gives them that signature crackle and crispy top that snickerdoodles are known for.
Substitutions: Any white sugar will work. Brown sugar may work but it has not been tested.
How to Make this - Step by Step
Step one: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix the cane sugar and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon until evenly mixed. Set aside.
Step two: Add all other ingredients, wet ingredients, and dry ingredients, to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to blend until creamed together and well combined.
Step three: Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop out the dough from the large bowl. Drop cookie dough balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture one at a time. Roll them until completely covered in cinnamon sugar. Then transfer to the baking sheet, keeping the cookies 2-3 inches apart. These cookies spread quite a bit because unlike traditional snickerdoodles that are taller with a fluffy texture, these are wide and chewy!
Step four: Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are just set and golden brown. The centers will still be gooey and look underbaked, but this is perfect!
Step five: Once removed from the oven, let them cool on the cookie sheet until they can be handled without breaking - about 10 minutes. The cookies will continue to cook as they rest. After that time, carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature for best results.
Watch How to Make This - Step by Step
Joy Tip!
Sometimes when working with nut butter, it can be a wetter dough than expected depending on how well the oil is incorporated into the nut butter. If the dough seems a little wet or hard to handle, add a little more coconut sugar to stiffen the dough and roll gently to create a ball.
Facts and Common Questions
What are snickerdoodles made of?
Traditionally they are made of flour, butter, and sugar, like most cookies but these are made of nut butter, sugar, and cinnamon!
What is the difference between a snickerdoodle and a cookie?
Snickerdoodles are typically known for their tangy flavor that comes from cream of tartar. Since these do not have it but have more baking soda (another acid) than a traditional cookie, they still have that classic tangy flavor!
Want to Save it for Later? Here’s how!
These cookies are great to have on hand but due to the high fat content you’ll need some tips to store them.
Fridge or Room Temperature: Store these cookies in an airtight container or ziplock laying flat. Place a paper towel between each layer to absorb any oil. These will keep for 1 week at room temperature.
Freezer: Store them the same way as noted above. They will keep for 2 months frozen.
Fun Fact
The snickerdoodle has been called many names, including "Cry Babies," "Jumbles" and "Plunkets." In the early 1900s, there was a popular folk character named Snickerdoodle who was the subject of many tall tales. It's claimed that the cookie might have been named after this fanciful folk hero. (source)
More Joyful Recipes!
Try one of these hot drinks to pair with your snickerdoodle cookies!
Did you try this and love it? Leave us a review, we would love to hear from you!
Recipe
Nut Butter Snickerdoodles Without Cream of Tartar
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- ¾ cup cashew butter
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 3 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix the cane sugar and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon until evenly mixed. Set aside.
- Add all other ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix until creamed together and well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop out dough from the large bowl. Drop cookie dough balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture one at a time. Roll them until completely covered in cinnamon sugar. Then, transfer to the baking sheet, keeping the cookies 2-3 inches apart. These cookies spread quite a bit because unlike traditional snickerdoodles that are more tall with a fluffy texture, these are wide and chewy!
- Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are just set and golden brown. The centers will still be gooey and look underbaked, but this is perfect!
- Once removed from the oven, let them cool on the cookie sheet until they can be handled without breaking - about 10 minutes. The cookies will continue to cook as they rest. After that time, carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature for best results.
Ashley says
Wholly cal, I wish I could explain through words just how amazing these cookies are! Literally fool proof, barely any ingredients and grain free except no one in my house even thought to ask if they were!
Rachel says
These turned out nicely and taste great!