I've been using European-style butter in cookies for years, and I love that it's easier to find now. It isn't the best choice for every type of cookie. Some recipes work just as well (or even better) with standard American butter. But for big, buttery Snickerdoodles, Plugrá is excellent.
Plugrá
Plugrá (I say ploo-GRAH, though I've heard chefs say PLU-graw) is a European-style butter with a slightly higher butterfat content and less water than regular butter. That extra fat helps cookies bake up tender with crisp edges and a fuller butter flavor.
Since Snickerdoodles are essentially butter-and-sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar, this is one place where better butter really makes a difference. The flavor is richer, the dough creams beautifully, and the finished cookies have that perfect buttery depth.
What's Special About These?
These are large, bakery-style Snickerdoodles. The traditional addition of cream of tartar separates them from plain sugar or cinnamon-sugar cookies. It adds that classic tang while also encouraging those signature cracks and crevices on top.
They bake up medium thickness (not flat, not cakey) with crisp edges and chewy, slightly bendable centers. I bake mine on insulated baking sheets, which helps the bottoms stay light and keeps the centers tender.
If you don't have insulated baking sheets, you can stack one baking sheet on top of a slightly smaller rimmed baking sheet to mimic the effect.
Above are the dough balls scooped with a large cookie scoop. I usually use an OXO medium scoop, but I recently bought a set of three trigger scoopers with colored handles and have been happy with their durability, how evenly they portion the dough and the ease of which the dough pops out of the scoop. So if you are in the market for cookie scoop, that's my recommendation.
Snickerdoodle Notes
Okay, let's get to the notes! I don't have a ton of notes because these are classic Snickerdoodles, but here are a few hopefully helpful tips:
- Measure the flour carefully. If you're not using a scale, stir the flour to aerate it, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off. I've been using King Arthur All-Purpose Flour for these.
- Salted vs. unsalted butter. We buy both salted and unsalted Plugrá. The salted is our everyday butter, while the unsalted is what I typically use for baking. That's why I've listed two salt amounts in the recipe.
- Bring the eggs to room temperature. Room-temperature eggs emulsify more easily with the butter, which helps create a smooth dough. My shortcut is to place the eggs in warm (not hot) water for a minute before baking.
- Yield. This recipe makes about 38 ounces of dough. I portion mine just under 2 ounces each and get about 20 large Snickerdoodles, but you can make them smaller if you prefer.
Recipe
Buttery Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (380 grams)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅜ teaspoon salt or ⅝ teaspoon if using unsalted butter
- 8 oz butter, such as Plugra (228 grams)
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated white sugar (325 grams)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed (70 grams)
- 2 large eggs, bring to room temperature.
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Put the softened butter in a stand mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar and beat with the paddle attachment for three minutes or until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until mixed. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix on low with the paddle attachment or by hand to make a soft dough.
- Using a large cookie scoop (about 2 oz), scoop up rounds of dough. I recommend scooping them onto plastic wrap lined plates and chilling until they are stiff enough to roll in sugar. Otherwise, you can just scoop the mounds and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over. Chilling improves the texture somewhat, but the cookies are also fine when baked right away.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. If you have insulated baking sheets, they work really well here.
- Before baking, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet spacing 3 inches apart and bake one sheet at a time for about 12 minutes (longer if the dough is very cold) or until the cookies develop little cracks in the top and have golden brown edges. At around the 11 minute mark they start going from pale to brown pretty quickly.
- Right after you pull them from the oven, slide the parchment onto the counter and let the cookies cool on the parchment sitting on the counter (no wire rack).
LinC says
I made a half batch of these cookies, and they turned out great, both crispy and chewy. They had the signature crinkled tops of true Snickerdoodles. I used Irish butter, and I was surprised how much that improved the taste compared to my old recipe. Good tip about watching for brown edges to know when the cookies are done. This recipe is a keeper!