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.
What are Snickerdoodles? Snickerdoodles are soft, chewy sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. What really sets them apart from regular sugar cookies is cream of tartar, which gives them their signature tangy flavor, soft texture, and crackly tops.
This easy cookie recipe was first made by my mom decades ago and was one of the first recipes we ever shared here on Lil’ Luna. To us, the best snickerdoodles are soft and chewy in the center, lightly crisp around the edges, generously coated in cinnamon sugar, and have that signature tang from cream of tartar, and this recipe is just that. We haven’t changed the recipe over the years, but we have added more tips and tricks to help make sure they turn out just right every time.
These are truly the best for Christmas or changed up just slightly like our Chocolate coated Christmas Snickerdoodles and Brown Butter Snickerdoodles.
Why You’ll Love it + Why it Works:
- Soft + Chewy. Soft centers, lightly crisp edges, and plenty of cinnamon sugar make these a family favorite.
- No Chill Time. The dough goes straight from the bowl to the oven, so they’re quick and easy.
- Simple Ingredients. They’re made with basic pantry staples we usually have on hand.
- Cream of Tartar is Key. It gives snickerdoodles that classic tang and helps create their signature chewy texture.
- Barely Softened Butter. This is our trick for keeping the cookies soft without letting them spread too much.
Snickerdoodle Ingredients
Cookie
- All-purpose flour (2¾ cups): Gives the cookies structure. For the most accurate result, spoon and level the flour rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Cream of tartar (2 teaspoons): Adds that signature tang and chewy texture Snickerdoodles are famous for.
- Baking soda (1 teaspoon): Helps the cookies rise just the right amount.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): Balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter (1 cup, just softened): Creates a rich, buttery base.
- 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.
- Sugar (1½ cups): Sweetens and helps create the crackly texture.
- Eggs (2): Add moisture and help the dough bind together. Room temp eggs incorporate best.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon): Enhances flavor and adds warmth.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- sugar (1/3 cup): The base of the sweet coating.
- cinnamon (2 tablespoons): Adds warmth and that iconic Snickerdoodle spice.
Cream of Tartar
- Why the Cream of Tartar in Snickerdoodles? Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their signature tang and works with baking soda to help create their soft, chewy texture and crackly tops. You can make them without it, but the flavor will be closer to a cinnamon sugar cookie.
- No Cream of Tartar?
- For this recipe, replace the 2 teaspoons cream of tartar and 1 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons baking powder. The cookies will still be soft and delicious, but they won’t have quite the same signature tangy Snickerdoodle flavor.
- For a substitution that keeps a little more of that tang, you can replace the cream of tartar with 1½ teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice and keep the baking soda as written. The texture and flavor may be slightly different from the original.
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 until light and fluffy (at least 2 minutes) 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 – TWICE.
BAKE. Place on an un-greased pan or baking sheets 2 inches apart (flatten with the bottom of a cup if you like your cookies thinner), and bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone.
Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
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!
- NOT CHILLED – our preferred method – you can see that the cookie is not too flat, has all the cracks on top and is PERFECT.
- 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
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- BUTTER IS KEY. Make sure you are using real butter for this recipe (no margarine), and make sure it is JUST SOFTENED. If it’s too soft, your cookies will spread too much.
- DON’T SKIP THE CREAM OF TARTAR. It gives the cookie that famous tangy flavor!
- DOUBLE ROLL. Don’t skip rolling the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture twice – it ensures that sweet goodness is in every bite and gives that beautiful crackly coating we all love.
- DON’T OVER-BAKE. Snickerdoodles might look a little underdone when you pull them out of the oven, but trust me, take them out! They’ll continue cooking on the pan and stay soft and chewy inside.
- CHILL IF NEEDED. If your kitchen is warm or the dough feels sticky, pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
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 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ
The edges should look set, but the centers may still look slightly soft. Take them out before they look fully baked because they will continue setting on the hot pan.
– Your butter was too soft or melted (it needs to be just softened.)
– Your baking soda or cream of tartar is expired. These two ingredients work together to give snickerdoodles their signature soft, puffy texture. If they’re old, they won’t do their job, and your cookies will spread. Check those expiration dates!
– Over-mixing the dough – Once you add the dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Over-mixing can cause thinner cookies.
– Oven temperature is too low – If your oven runs cool, the butter will melt before the cookies have time to set. Use an oven thermometer to make sure it’s at 350 degrees.
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.
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This recipe was first published August 2012.
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!