This snickerdoodle cookies recipe makes soft, chewy and slightly tangy snickerdoodles. They come together in about 30 minutes with no need to chill the cookie dough.
I’ve been searching for the perfect snickerdoodle recipe for a long time. After much trial and error, I finally got it right. This foolproof recipe makes pillowy snickerdoodle cookies with the perfect amount of cinnamon. Gosh, they are so good! Serve them with some soft sugar cookies and buttery spritz cookies for the perfect Christmas cookie platter. And for another festive version, try my pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies.
Why I Love These Snickerdoodles So Much
- Quick. These snickerdoodles are quick and easy to prepare. Cookies in less than 30 minutes anyone? I’m in!
- No chilling necessary. Unlike many cookie recipes that require you to chill the cookie dough before you bake, this one does not. This makes them so much quicker and easier to make, but they aren’t lacking in any way from not being refrigerated.
- Simple ingredients. This recipe requires only a few simple ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen. It’s the perfect spur-of-the-moment recipe.
- Flavor. These cookies have the sweetness you’d expect from a sugar cookie with a hint of tang from the cream of tarter. Pair that with the perfect amount of cinnamon and you’ve got a 100% crave-able cookie.
- Soft and chewy cookies. These snickerdoodles are the perfect thickness and wonderfully soft and chewy on the inside. Everything you could dream of in a cookie. Plus, they have just the tiniest bit of crunch from the cinnamon sugar coating that envelopes them. The combination is to die for.
What You’ll Need
You’ll only need a few basic ingredients to make these easy snickerdoodle cookies. Here they are. For precise measurements, scroll to the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour accurately or you’ll end up with dry cookies. I prefer a food scale, but the spoon and level method works too. Just be sure not to pack your flour into your measuring cup. Check out my tutorial on How to Measure Flour Correctly.
- Cream of tartar – Don’t skip this. It brings a wonderful chewiness and a lovely tang to the finished cookies.
- Baking soda – For just the right rise and chewiness.
- Salt – To accent the flavors in the cookies.
- Unsalted butter – The butter must be at room temperature, otherwise, it won’t cream with the sugar properly.
- Sugar – I use regular granulated sugar.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract.
- Ground cinnamon – For rolling the cookies.
How to Make Snickerdoodles
Here’s a quick look at how to make this chewy snickerdoodle recipe. Make sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Beat together the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until fluffy and light in color.
- Put it all together. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla and the dry ingredients.
- Coat the cookies in cinnamon sugar. Whisk together the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Roll the cookie dough into balls and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake. Arrange the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
Helpful Tips
- Use a dark cookie sheet. Did you know that the color of the cookie sheet actually has an effect on how quickly your cookies bake? A dark color will absorb heat more quickly, which helps set the edges without causing the cookies to spread. That’s exactly what you want here, so grab the darkest pan you’ve got!
- Cream thoroughly. Creaming the butter properly brings a nice light and fluffy texture to these cookies. Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and noticeably lighter in color. Otherwise, you will likely end up with overly dense cookies.
- Don’t over-mix. Mix just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing the batter can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, leaving you with tough, dense cookies.
- Get the temperature right. Most cookies bake at 350°F, but these ones require a higher temperature (400°F) to stop them from spreading too thin.
Can I Make The Dough In Advance?
Absolutely! Simply wrap the dough in a tight layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 48 hours. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once you’re ready to bake your cookies, let the dough sit at room temperature until it’s soft enough to scoop. Make dough balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar, arrange them on a baking sheet, and bake.
How to Store
Allow the cookies to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Seal the container and store them at room temperature for up to 1 week. Do not store these in the fridge. They will dry out.
Can I Freeze Them?
Yes! There are a couple of ways to go about it.
- Freeze the baked cookies. Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, seal them in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature.
- Freeze the cookie dough. Form the dough into balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Arrange them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and pop them in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Once frozen solid, seal the dough balls in a freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can bake them directly from frozen. Just add an extra minute or two to the cook time.
Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (358g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (168g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups (310g) sugar (plus 3 tbsp for rolling)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a cookie sheet (I recommend a darker cookie sheet) with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Add the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar to a large mixer bowl and cream until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon in another small bowl.
- Create balls of one tablespoon of cookie dough each.
- Roll each ball of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then set on the prepared cookie sheet with about 2 inches between them.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
- Store cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
- Makes 40-45 cookies.
- To Make Ahead: Wrap dough in a tight layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, let dough sit at room temperature until soft enough to scoop.
- To Store: Keep cooled snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Freeze cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months, thawing before enjoying. Alternatively, freeze formed and coated dough balls on a lined baking sheet for 3-4 hours, or until frozen solid. Transfer frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, increasing cook time by 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Way to sweet to me, and it’s on a crunchier side, not soft and chewy as I hoped for.
It sounds like you over baked them, because they should definitely be soft and chewy. Either that or you added too much flour.
OMG. BEST. RECIPE. EVER. I added maybe about a 1/2-1 tsp of cinnamon into the batter , added turbinado raw cane sugar into the cinnamon/sugar mix to coat the cookies and used vanilla bean paste in replace of the extract ….DELISH! I also put the batter into the freezer in between batches and they turned out perfect! I can’t wait for my coworkers to try these. My family loves them!!
I’ve made snickerdoodles a couple times, but i try to use new recipes each time! This one is supposed to be chewy, but i took it upon myself to bake them for longer because the inside just seemed off and too doughy. Definitely needed some cinnamon or something in the dough too!
This was a great recipe! I made some before Christmas, so that all the Christmas goodies wouldn’t disappear before Christmas. However, here I am back in the kitchen making another batch! Apparently the other goodies were safe as long as these were around. So by family demand, I’m making another batch! Lol Thanks Lindsay!
LOL! Glad they’re a hit!
I made these for Christmas today. I had never made snickerdoodles before and these came out PERFECT! They are actually soft and chewy, and the flavor is divine. Everybody loved them. Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
They looked like a thick cookie in the oven but once out, they flattened out. The taste was great. What did I do wrong?
It’s normal for them to be more puffy in the oven and then settle a bit when they cool. If they seem too flat though, it could be something else. Maybe something wasn’t properly measured.
My coworkers went crazy over these. They asked me to bring them in again
So glad to hear that!
could i use more cinnamon i love cinnamon
Sure!
The texture came out chewy and perfect, but the flavor just seemed like something was off to me. Maybe a little salty, just not sweet enough. Maybe a little cinnamon in the dough rather than just sprinkled on top. I’d give these a 7 out of 10.
I made these a day ago and I need to make more. I eat mine just as they cool because if I wait I won’t get any. They are a hit in my family. I use a 1 1/2” cookie scoop for a bigger cookie and it works great. I also love that you use weight measurements as I find this does make my baking a whole lot better and tasty. Thank you for sharing
So glad you enjoyed them!
Great cookies the first time and way better than store bought. Took a little longer in my oven which may be due to oven temp/cookie sheet construction. A couple more minutes and perfection. Thank you so much for the pictures and good instructions (however, I wouldn’t use cream in the instructions as that is an ingredient in cookies and was a confusing descriptor “Add the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar to a large mixer bowl and cream until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2-3 minutes.” mix until creamy would be a better description.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Creaming butter and sugar is standard terminology in baking. You can find this phrase in any cookie recipe.
Beautiful recipe! I’ve ended up with hard and dry snickerdoodle cookies in the past but this is the opposite! So glad to find a recipe that’s easy to follow and DELICIOUS
So glad you enjoyed them!
When scooping the dough it melts so that I can’t roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture. I’m going to cook it on the fridge then try! Excited to try them out once done!
It sounds like the cookie dough was not thick enough. It could be that the flour was under measured. How did they turn out?
These turned out to be the perfect cookie. They were crispy around the edges and chewy in the middle. I did add cinnamon to the mix and a lot because I Love cinnamon. Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe was amazing!!!! Highly recommend. I didn’t have a dark sheet pan, but my oven runs pretty hot so they still turned out great!
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Thanks for sharing, these cookies are wonderful.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!