Best Snickerdoodle Recipe

The popular cinnamon-sugar soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe. A recipe that has been in the family for over 30 years!

This was one of the first cookie recipes I made as a kid. As I have shared before, I was fully obsessed with cookbooks as a little girl. My Mom collected church cookbooks and I would go straight to the cookie recipes and beg my Mom to let me whip up a batch. I made this snickerdoodle cookie recipe 30 years ago and it is still the best I have ever tasted.

This is such a popular Christmas cookie because I have yet to find anyone who doesnt love snickerdoodle cookies! When I used to teach a cooking school for kids, it was the first cookie I taught them to make because kids love them. Whenever I make these cookies, they disappear so darn fast!

A snickerdoodle cookie has to be soft and chewy. No hard hockey puck cookies here! It has to be rolled twice in cinnamon-sugar to ensure that it is completely coated. It also has to have the signature tang from the cream of tartar.

Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe

Super soft and full of cinnamon, these are our FAVORITE Snickerdoodle Cookies. They always get rave reviews!

Prep: 10min

Total: 20min

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Nutrition Facts: calories 125 kcal, Carbohydrate 18 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 23 mg, Sodium 67 mg, Sugar 10 g, servingSize 1 cookie, Trans Fat 0.2 g, Fiber 0.5 g, unSaturated Fat 1.3 g

Ingredients:

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (just softened)
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, cream together butter (barely softened) and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
5. In a small bowl, combine remaining ⅓ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.
6. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out dough, roll into a ball and then roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture- twice.
7. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Let sit on the cookie sheet for a few additional minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe. Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies. The popular cinnamon-sugar soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe. A recipe that has been in the family for over 30 years!

Prep: 15min

Total: 25min

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter ((softened))
• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 2 large Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 2 3/4 cup Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Cream for 1-2 minutes longer.
3. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, just until combined.
4. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon.
5. If time allows, wrap the dough and let refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Roll into small balls until round and smooth. Drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat well. Using a spoon, coat for a second time, ensuring the cookie balls are completely covered. *To make flatter snickerdoodles, press down in the center of the ball before placing in the oven. This helps to keep them from puffing up in the middle. *
6. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing from the pan.

Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles

Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles. These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish! No dough chilling required.

Prep: 20min

Total: 30min

Yield: 26

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/3 cup (267g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies). Set aside.
2. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
3. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
4. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough will be thick.
5. Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of cookie dough each. I recommend this cookie scoop. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired. Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
6. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Cookies remain soft & fresh for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Perfectly Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

Snickerdoodle Cookies do not have to be bland flavorless hockey pucks! My favorite easy recipe gives you the BEST soft and chewy Snickerdoodles that are bursting with flavor from a double dip in cinnamon sugar. I’ll give you all my tips to make sure your cookies don’t turn out dry and crumbly!

Prep: 20min

Total: 30min

Yield: 33

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 147 kcal, Carbohydrate 22 g, Protein 2 g, Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Trans Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 26 mg, Sodium 140 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 12 g, unSaturated Fat 3 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 and 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a few baking sheets with parchment paper, or line with a silicone mat.
2. Make the dough. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 1 cup butter for a couple minutes until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom a few times in between.
3. Add 1 and 1/3 cup white sugar and 1/3 cup packed brown sugar. Beat for 2 minutes, taking the time to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl in between. Your butter and sugar should be light and fluffy with no chunks at all.
4. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat well, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Make sure you beat it long enough that it becomes smooth and homogenous.
5. Add 3 and 1/4 cups flour (be sure to spoon it into the measuring cup! Don’t dip your cup into the flour bin, you will pack your flour and end up with too much!) Don’t mix the flour in yet.
6. Use a small spoon (I use my teaspoon) to stir 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar into the flour. Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Don’t overdo it. There should still be flour streaks when you stop your mixer. Use a spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl.
7. Continue beating just a few more seconds until all the flour streaks are gone. Do not over mix! You want to make sure all the ingredients are combined, but once that is done, stop mixing. Over mixing dough = tough cookies.
8. Use a large cookie scoop or a spoon to shape the dough. You want dough balls that are about 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches across. I used this cookie scoop.
9. Roll the cookies. In a small or medium bowl, add 1/3 cup sugar and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon. Stir together. Roll the shaped cookies in the cinnamon-sugar to coat. (Reserve the remaining cinnamon-sugar!)
10. Place cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet with about 2 inches in between them. I can fit 12 cookies on an 11×17 baking sheet.
11. Bake the cookies at 350 for about 9-11 minutes, until the edges are barely set. It’s ok if the centers of the cookies (about the size of a quarter) are still shiny. The rest of the cookie should be matte. It’s VERY important to not over bake snickerdoodles; underbaking slightly is what helps give them that soft and chewy texture. (Dry Snickerdoodles taste like chalk. Don’t be like that.)
12. Shape the cookies. Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, use a spoon to push the edges of the cookies toward their centers. This makes the cookies round in shape and makes the center thicker and more chewy. You have to do this within 30-60 seconds of taking them out of the oven, before the edges harden. Enlist help if you can! See my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe for more details about this technique!
13. Let the cookies set up on the pan for at least 3-5 minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire cooling rack and let cool for a few minutes.
14. While the cookies are still warm, but cool enough to handle (and not falling apart), place each cookie back into the bowl of cinnamon sugar*. Coat one side of the cookie, then flip it over and coat the other side. This gives you the ultimate cinnamon-sugar edge to your snickerdoodle! Enjoy one right away with a glass of milk!
15. Freezer instructions: You can freeze this dough and bake later! I like to shape the dough into balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar, and store them in a ziplock bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. I never thaw cookie dough before baking. Just bake straight from frozen and add a couple minutes to the bake time. Voila!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

FAQ

How do you keep snickerdoodles from getting hard?

Why do snickerdoodles go flat?

What is a substitute for cream of tartar in snickerdoodles?

Why do they call it a snickerdoodle?