Festival Snickerdoodles

Classic snickerdoodles with a smart trick: this version skips the whole eggs and full butter that make traditional snickerdoodles dense and rich, using a single egg white and margarine instead. The result is a lighter, slightly more cake-like cookie that still hits the cinnamon-sugar sweet spot.

The technique is everything else you’d expect from a cinnamon sugar cookie. Chill the dough for an hour so the cookies hold their shape. Roll each ball through a bowl of sugar and ground cinnamon until completely coated. Bake just until the edges are lightly browned and the centers stay soft.

Making 40 small cookies from a single batch makes these the right pick for a party tray, holiday cookie swap, or school bake sale.

Pro Tips

• Don’t skip the chill. Room-temperature dough spreads too thin and the cookies lose their dome.
• Roll the balls between your palms until smooth before coating in cinnamon sugar. Cracks pick up too much sugar and bake unevenly.
• The classic snickerdoodle ingredient is cream of tartar (giving them their tang). This version uses baking powder and soda instead, so the flavor is milder and sweeter.
• Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack. Two sheets give you uneven browning, even with a convection oven.
• Pull the cookies when the edges turn golden but centers still look slightly underdone. They firm up on the hot pan.

Variations

• Swap margarine for butter for a richer, more traditional flavor. Use the same volume.
• Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar coating for a chai-spiced version.
• Drizzle cooled cookies with melted white chocolate and a dusting of cinnamon for a holiday upgrade.