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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
- 2 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons 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.
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup 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.
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 2 Eggs – incorporate better than chilled eggs. To warm them up faster, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
- 1 teaspoon 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
- DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, stir together the 2 3/4 cup flour, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- WET INGREDIENTS. Cream together the 1 cup butter (barely softened) and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add the 2 eggs and vanilla and mix until it is well blended.
- 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.
- BAKE. Place on an un-greased pan, bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Let sit on the cookie sheet for a few additional minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
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.
More of our TOP-RATED COOKIES:
CLASSIC COOKIES: Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Hershey Kiss Cookies, No Bake Cookies, Shortbread Cookies, Crinkle Cookies, Italian Cookies
CINNAMON COOKIES: Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies, Cake Batter Snickerdoodles, White Chocolate Snickerdoodles, White Chocolate Dipped Snickerdoodles, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Dough
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, just softened
- 1½ 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 flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. 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 ⅓ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out dough and roll it into a ball. Roll each ball in 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
These are without a doubt the best snickerdoodle recipe ever!! They are so easy and comes out delightful every time! These are affectionately known as Luna snickerdoodles in our house!
Recipe halved nicely for our family of two. Good taste and texture.
Glad to hear that! Thank you!
I’ve been making these cookies for about a year now and they’re still everyone’s favourite! I’ve never found a better snickerdoodle recipe
Awe, that makes me so happy! Thank you so much!
My grandbabies and I made this recipe this morn. So good and so much fun!
Perfect!! I am glad you did! Thank you 🙂
I have made these cookies from different recipes and these by far are the best. They came out perfect and I got 3 dozen out of them. I’ll be taking them for our Christmas gathering and I’m thinking they won’t last long. I have a daughter in law that ate 70 at one time when I made some last year. I can’t wait until she gets to try these. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. Have a wonderful Christmas with all your family members.
Super easy and very tasty cookies!!
Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you for sharing that!
I do suggest keeping them quite far apart, for they spread and run into each other! Delicious though!
I made these last week. They were the first Snickerdoodles my husband or I had ever had. They immediately became one of our favorite cookies. I’m making another batch today to give as gifts. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
You are so welcome! I am so happy you both liked them! Thank you for letting me know!
I like my snickerdoodles crispy, so cooking these for 12 minutes was perfect. I found that at 8 minutes they didn’t seem fully cooked.
Perfect! My dad likes them crispy, too! Thank you!
Do I have to use Cream of Tartar? If I do, are there any possible substitutes?
If you aren’t using it, you could substitute with lemon juice or white vinegar. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar equals 1 teaspoon lemon juice/white vinegar.