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Super soft and full of cinnamon, these are our FAVORITE Snickerdoodle Cookies that we’ve made and enjoyed for decades.
MEREDITH: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “These are delicious! Definitely the best snickerdoodles I have ever made! The recipe was easy to follow and they turned out perfect. I will be using this recipe for years to come!”
How to Make Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodle Cookies are a classic cookie recipe we have made our whole lives, and our family is obsessed with them!
We first published this recipe over a decade ago and although we haven’t changed the recipe, we have shared more tips and tricks to make sure it’s NO-FAIL and always turns out EVERY TIME.
Why we love SNICKERDOODLES
- It’s no-fail! We’ve tested this recipe time and time again!
- Perfectly sweet. It’s double-dipped in cinnamon + sugar!
- Made with ingredients in most kitchens.
- Easy to store and or freeze.
- Perfect for holidays and cookie plates.
- PREP TIME: 10 MINS
- COOK TIME: 10 MINS
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cream of Tartar – Why have 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
Step by Step: In Photos
STEP 1. DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
STEP 2. WET INGREDIENTS. Cream together the butter (barely softened) and sugar. Add the eggs until it is well blended.
STEP 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.
STEP 4. BAKE. Place on an un-greased pan, bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.
to chill or not to chill?
Many Snickerdoodle recipes call for CHILLING the dough. Ours DOES NOT, but you can if you’d like. This image above shows you what each cookie looked like basked on chilling and flattening the snickerdoodle dough.
- 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.
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.
Recipe FAQ
Variations?
- CHOCOLATE. We love to dip half in white chocolate and add sprinkles for holidays like our White Chocolate Snickerdoodles and Christmas Snickerdoodles.
- CHIPS. Adding white chocolate chips or cinnamon chips is another great addition.
How to Store SNICKERDOODLES?
- Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They should be soft and chewy for up to 3-4 days.
How to FREEZE?
- 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.
- 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.
For more popular cookies, try:
Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
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
- ⅓ 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
- CHILLED. The result is usually a thicker cookie, without as many cracks.
- CHILLED + FLATTENED. 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!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my favorite snickerdoodle recipe. They are super soft and the flavors are phenomenal. I make these often.
Came out flat and undercooked. Too bad 🙁 after all that work and effort.
Meocioneoo
I’m a caterer with 40 years foodservice behind me,,, this is my go to recipe along with your chocolate chip cookie recipe,,,, I converge the recipe 10 times up, when we make them, my clients love the homemade taste and appearance. We get lots of compliments, and I do share with my clients your site, and I tell them go on it , there’s lots of great recipes with great instructions, and make sure you look at there notes, thank you for such a wonderful site.
The best snickerdoodle cookies ever. Love this recipe
I’m so glad you love the cookies!!
Super yummy but they spread out so much during the baking process. Any recommendations to avoid this?
There’s lots of reasons why your cookies could be spreading, but this could help.. You can use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper rather than greasing a cookie sheet, add a little more flour to the dough, or you can try chilling the dough too. Hopefully this helps!
I’ve made these cookies many times, they are my husband’s favorite. I always get compliments when I take them to a gathering.
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.
So glad to hear that!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!