While both snickerdoodle and sugar cookies are delicious, they do have subtle differences. The main difference between a sugar cookie is that it uses granulated sugar as part of the recipe. A snickerdoodle will use cream of tartar in addition to baking soda for extra flavor. Cream of tarter gives the cookie its distinctive crackly top as it bakes. Additionally, a sugar cookie is rolled out and cut into fun shapes for the holidays. Snickerdoodles are formed by rolling the dough into balls and then rolling them in cinnamon and sugar before they go into the oven.