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Super soft and full of cinnamon, this snickerdoodle recipe is one we’ve made for decades that is beyond delicious and NO-FAIL!
A Family Favorite
Snickerdoodle cookies are a classic cookie we have made our whole lives. The family is obsessed with them and fortunately you guys are too! With over 3,000 FIVE STAR reviews, this recipe has been made and enjoyed by thousands of you each year and we cannot tell you how happy that makes us.
This easy cookie recipe was first made by mom decades ago. It was also one of the first recipes we ever shared here on Lil’ Luna. Although we haven’t changed the recipe, we have shared more tips and tricks to make sure it’s NO-FAIL and turns out perfect EVERY TIME.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Perfectly sweet. It’s double-dipped in cinnamon + sugar!
- Pantry staples. The ingredients are simple and found in most kitchens!
- Giftable. They make a great addition to Christmas cookie plates.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 min
COOK TIME: 10 min
Cookie
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar – creates the signature tangy flavor
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter – just softened!
- This is KEY! When you press in finger into the butter, you want it to barely indent. Too hard, and the dough won’t be just right – too soft and your cookies will be flat.
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs – room temperature eggs incorporate the best
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Cream of Tartar Substitution
Replace the 2 teaspoons cream of tartar AND the 1 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar.
How to Make SnickerdoodleS
- BATTER. In a medium bowl, stir the 2¾ cup flour, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) cream together 1 cup butter (barely softened) and 1½ cups sugar. Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until it is well blended.
- SHAPE. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix well, and then shape the dough into 1-inch balls (no need to chill).
- COAT. In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Roll the dough balls into the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
- BAKE. Place on an un-greased pan, and 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?
This is the main question we get asked about this snickerdoodle recipe so we decided to test it for you to show the differences. The results speak for themselves!
- CHILLED – the cookie is more poofy, doesn’t have as many cracks on top and does not expand as much.
- CHILLED + FLATTENED – this cookie expanded the most, but became almost too flat
- NOT CHILLED – our preferred method – you can see that the cookie is not too flat, has all the cracks on top and is PERFECT.
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Snickerdoodle Recipe
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
Cover and store the dough from this snickerdoodle recipe in the fridge for 1-2 days. See How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips.
Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Store in a freezer bag, or air-tight container in the freezer for up to 4 months.
I make a lot of cookies and snickerdoodles are one of my favorite. This recipe has become my favorite snickerdoodle recipe by far. Thank you! The only changes I make is 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 3/4 tsp salt. I do use a sifter and I use a scale to measure the dough balls. I make mine 25g and bake for 9 1/2 minutes. Perfect. Also, I just buy the McCorm*ck Culinary brand Cinnamon Sugar. It stays more consistent.
Thanks for sharing what you do/use! I’m so glad you enjoy the snickerdoodle recipe!
Can I freeze the dough
Yes!
Put in refrigerator for 10 min after rolling then baked, they were perfectly cooked but needed more like 11 min!
Did not like this recipe. Cookies were flat, soggy. Didn’t hold shape. Followed the recipe to a T. Sorry, this really was disappointing.
Hey Amy! I found that baking the cookies a few minutes longer and making them slightly larger made them the perfect texture!! I had to play around a bit to get the right bake but they turned out perfect in the end! When I followed the directions exactly they weren’t nearly done baking by 8-10 minutes but closer to 12-15 minutes depending on cookie size & they were no longer gooey & underbaked in the middle! Just keep an eye on them as they’ll be crispier if you leave them in too long!
Hopefully this helps if you decide to give this recipe another try.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Flavor is good, but they spread way too much and were too flat for my liking.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Precisely what I wanted a snickerdoodle to snicker-DO. 🤌🏻
I am not the best baker, but really enjoyed giving this recipe a try! When I saw the batter initially I thought I had messed up (and I did, put wayyy too much sugar), and thought I had made sugar cookies instead. I realized I ran out of regular sugar as well so I used about half of what the recipe called for in sugar with powdered sugar and added the right amount of cinnamon, rolled my dough balls into it, and they turned out beautifully! My oven did require a longer baking time, but honestly, I love my cookies to be a teensy bit raw in the middle. Thanks for sharing!
This best snickerdoodle recipe I have ever tried. Using butter, rather than shortening gives it amazing flavor!
I agree!! 😉 So glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Great Snickerdoodle taste. Unfortunately it’s too late in the year to bake without AC in my kitchen. I’ll try next Feburary. The cookies spread and ended up as flat as a tortilla. I baked the for 11 minutes and they were crispy around the edge and chewy in the middle and they seemed to still eat fine. I’m going to try the recipe again and chill the dough.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Amazing! Made them just like the recipe says except I accidentally spilled half an egg yolk that didn’t make it into the cookies. They turned out very soft and thin, yet didn’t fall apart or crumble at all. I didn’t feel the need to do the second cinnamon sugar dip because they already had enough flavor from the first one. My family loved them.
Yay! So glad that you enjoyed the snickerdoodles!