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

Snickerdoodle Cookies are a classic cookie recipe we make all the time! We enjoy these almost as often as our Chocolate Chip, Sugar, or M&M Cookies!

Snickerdoodle cookies stacked on a white plate.


The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe

We’ve been using this Snickerdoodle recipe for as long as I can remember because it is the BEST! It’s just as classic as our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies and Sugar Cookies recipes.

We love it because:

  • It’s no-fail! We’ve tested this recipe time and time again, and if you follow the directions, they always turn and are ALWAYS delicious!
  • Perfectly sweet. With the dough dipped in cinnamon sugar TWICE, these snickerdoodles are perfectly sweet.
  • Easy to store and/or freeze. Make them in advance and store or freeze to bake later, but they’re a go-to cookie recipe everyone loves.

If you fall under the Snickerdoodles loving category, I suggest giving this cookie recipe a try. Or, to change it up a bit, try White Chocolate Snickerdoodles or Cake Mix Snickerdoodles!

Why is it called a Snickerdoodle? From Wikipedia: The Joy of Cooking claims that Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln (“snail noodles”), a kind of pastry.

Ingredients

  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Cream of Tartar – Many people debate whether it’s even a Snickerdoodle without the cream of tartar. It’s a key ingredient that transforms the cookies into a tangy, chewy cookie, differentiating it from a typical butter sugar cookie.
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Unsalted Butter – just softened! This is the key. Too soft, and the cookies will be flat, too cold and the cookies will be too puffy.
  • Sugar
  • Eggs – incorporate better than chilled eggs. To warm them up faster, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Cinnamon Sugar Coating – Sugar + Cinnamon.

Need a Cream of tartar Substitution?

  • Replace the 2 teaspoons cream of tartar AND the 1 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • Mimic the tangy taste by also adding a splash of lemon juice or white vinegar

How to Make Snickerdoodles

  1. DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. WET INGREDIENTS. Cream together the butter (barely softened) and sugar. Add the eggs until it is well blended.
  3. SHAPE. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix well, and then shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the dough balls into your cinnamon and sugar mixture.
  4. BAKE. Place on an un-greased pan, bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

recipe tips

  • The perfect cinnamon/sugar ratio: In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons sugar with 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
  • Sifted ingredients. It may seem unnecessary, but be sure to sift the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, before mixing it into the creamed mixture. The less the gluten in the flour is activated by mixing, the softer the cookies will be. 
  • Scoop. Use a cookie scoop to spoon out the dough. This will help ensure that all the cookies are uniform in size.

FOR Soft Snickerdoodles

A soft Snickerdoodle is essential. There are a couple tricks to make and keep your Snickerdoodles soft and chewy:

  • Do NOT over bake them! Our recipe says to bake for 8-10 min. Depending on how soft you want them:
    • Take them out of the oven after 8 minutes.
    • Let them sit on the baking sheet for a minute, then place on a cooling rack.
  • Store in an airtight container. Throw a piece of bread into the container with your cookies. The bread will absorb the extra air in the container, and make the cookies stay fresh for longer! Most cookies can stay fresh, when stored in an airtight container at room temp, for about 3 days. 
Three different snickerdoodle cookies cooked using different methods.

to chill or not to chill

Many Snickerdoodle recipes call for CHILLING the dough. Ours DOES NOT, but you can if you’d like.

  • First cookie – CHILLED. The result is usually a thicker cookie, without as many cracks as are usually found on the tops of Snickerdoodles.
  • Center cookie – CHILLED + FLATTENED. This cookie was chilled, rolled into a ball, rolled into the cinnamon sugar mixture, then flattened a little bit with the bottom of a cup. If you like a more flat, chewy cookie, try this method.
  • Last cookie – NOT CHILLED + NOT FLATTENED. This is our classic recipe. No chilling, no flattening, and baked to perfection. This is how we prefer our cookies, but use the above methods if you like your cookies more thick or flat.

How to Store

STORE. Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll last for 3-4 days. 

FREEZE. Store in a freezer bag, or air-tight container in the freezer for up to 4 months. When you’re ready to eat or serve them, let them thaw in their container on the counter. They will taste just as yummy the day you made them!

FREEZE the dough. Once you have shaped and coated the cookie dough balls with the cinnamon and granulated sugar mixture, line them up on a small baking sheet (one that will fit into your freezer). Place the dough balls in the freezer until they are solid, then transfer to a freezer Ziploc. Freeze for up to 2 months.

  • To bake – line dough balls on a baking sheet and allow them to thaw for about 20 minutes before baking. You may need to add a minute or two to the bake time to compensate for the cooler starting temperature. 
A stack of snickerdoodle cookies with the top one missing a bite.
4.98 from 3342 votes

Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Super soft and full of cinnamon, these are our FAVORITE Snickerdoodle Cookies. They always get rave reviews!
Servings: 36
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients 

Snickerdoodle Dough

  • 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

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  • cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions 

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

Video

Notes

Many Snickerdoodle recipes call for CHILLING the dough. Ours DOES NOT, but you can if you’d like. (Refer to the picture above for more notes).
CHILLED. The result is usually a thicker cookie, without as many cracks as are usually found on the tops of Snickerdoodles.
CHILLED + FLATTENED. This cookie was chilled, rolled into a ball, rolled into the cinnamon sugar mixture, then flattened a little bit with the bottom of a cup. If you like a more flat, chewy cookie, try this method.
NOT CHILLED + NOT FLATTENED. This is our classic recipe. No chilling, no flattening, and baked to perfection. This is how we prefer our cookies, but use the above methods if you like your cookies more thick (puffy) or flat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 125kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 67mg, Potassium: 45mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 172IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Recipe Rating




1,713 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve made these cookies many times, they are my husband’s favorite. I always get compliments when I take them to a gathering.

  2. 5 stars
    These Snickerdoodles came out perfectly puffy. I refrigerated the dough about 1/2 hour before rolling into balls. I’m in Mexico without cream of tartar so I appreciated the note about the substitution. I just made a second batch in 2 weeks! Everyone loved them.

  3. I was excited to try these, as I have been looking for a plump, soft, and chewy snickerdoodle. I followed your directions exactly, and sadly, my cookies turned out very flat! I am do disappointed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!