Classic Snickerdoodle Cookies that are soft and chewy and packed with cinnamon sugar flavor! You’ll love this family favorite recipe that we’ve been enjoying for nearly 40 years!
Love cookies? Be sure to try our peanut butter cookies for a delicious twist. Our readers love them! Or give these oatmeal raisin cookies a try, one of my favorites!
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What Makes a Perfect Cookie
Soft and chewy cookies in my mind, are the absolute perfect.
These soft chocolate chip cookies stay soft for DAYS, and I wanted that same chewy soft texture in today’s easy cookie recipe.
Thankfully, I planned ahead. As with most of my cookie recipes, I doubled this one.
One batch of the snickerdoodle cookie dough got baked immediately for our afternoon treat.
The second batch went into the freezer so we can have more Snickerdoodles (or Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars) whenever the fancy strikes!
Snickerdoodles remind me so much of childhood. A buttery cookie dusted with a hint of cinnamon, these have remained one of my favorite cookies.
Over the years I’ve also incorporated the cinnamon sugar element of Snickerdoodles into other treats, like Snickerdoodle Biscotti and Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Truffles.
- The Snickerdoodles recipe below is my go-to recipe from my mom and the one I ate growing up.
- No need to chill the dough. One of the best parts of today’s cookie, no chilling required!
- This recipe is easy enough for kids to help with and produces delicious cinnamon sugar cookies each and every time. A good Snickerdoodle cookie is sweet but not rich.
- Aside from all of that, the word “snickerdoodle” is just really fun to say. Go ahead, try it.
Snickerdoodles. You can’t help but smile, right?
Ingredient Notes
- Baking soda and cream of tartar. You’ll notice today’s snickerdoodle cookie recipe is missing baking powder. The cream of tarter gives it that tangy flavor while still allowing it to rise into a chewy texture.
- Butter. I choose unsalted butter in 99.9% of my baking and cooking. This allows me to control the kosher salt in a recipe.
- Eggs. Binds the cookie dough together and gives a soft texture.
- No need to chill the dough. One of the best parts of today’s cookie, no chilling required!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
These cookies start with a very simple dough.
After beating softened butter with eggs and sugar, add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and kosher salt.
Note: The baking soda is key for achieving that chewy texture that spreads just enough! Do not try to substitute the baking soda with baking powder. The texture won’t turn out right.
Now comes the most important part of making Snickerdoodles! The cinnamon sugar topping.
Before baking, you dip each ball of cookie dough into cinnamon sugar. When you pull them out of the oven, you’ll have chewy buttery cookies with a crisp and slightly crinkly cinnamon exterior.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Divide the dough into balls using a small scoop, dip into the cinnamon sugar then place on a baking sheet. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour, just until frozen. Immediately transfer the frozen cookie dough to an airtight container to avoid freezer burn!
Swap the cream of tartar and baking soda for 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead!
Slightly underbaking the cookies will help, and if you must, refrigerate the cookie dough if your butter was TOO soft.
Why buy frozen snickerdoodle cookie dough when you can save yourself some money and prep your own?
More Easy Desserts:
- Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pudding Cookies
- Caramel Cracker Bars
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chai Cookies
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Snickerdoodles Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat, set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and eggs with a hand or stand mixer. Do this for a couple minutes until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Add this mixture into the sugar and butter mixture. Beat again until dough forms.
- In a small bowl mix together cinnamon sugar coating. Using your hands or a small cookie scoop form ½ inch round balls of dough. Roll each ball around in the cinnamon sugar coating it generously.
- Place dough balls two inches apart on your baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly golden and no longer doughy. Let cool on a cooling rack for five minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to get a nice coating of cinnamon sugar on each cookie dough ball.
- Can you freeze snickerdoodle cookies? Yes! Divide the dough into balls using a small scoop, dip into the cinnamon sugar then place on a baking sheet. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour, just until frozen. Immediately transfer the frozen cookie dough to an airtight container to avoid freezer burn!
- What can I substitute for cream of tartar? Swap the cream of tartar and baking soda for 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead!
- How do I get fluffier cookies instead of flat? Slightly underbaking the cookies will help, and if you must, refrigerate the cookie dough if your butter was TOO soft.
Video
Nutrition
This is the only Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe you will ever need! Perfect as an afternoon snack, a dessert or a lunchbox treat, Snickerdoodles are the classic childhood cookie.
This is the best snickerdoodle recipe I have ever tried and it is the only one I will ever use now thank you so much for it. My husband is in love with these cookies but then, so am I. Lol
So glad to hear it!
My 30 yr old Daughter loves snickerdoodles, and your recipe did not disappoint! I always use cream of tartar for snickerdoodes .
These turned out perfect. I mixed wet ingredients for easily 2-3 minutes. Used a small dough scoop to make the balls. Baked for closer to 10 minutes, perfect thickness and delicious!!!
What if the dough is too sticky and can’t roll balls because it sticks to my hands?
I had never had snickerdoodles before until I tried this recipe and omg they are amazing and immediately went to the top of my favorites list.. So I was wondering if I could use this recipe as a base for mini apple pie bites/cupcakes? I think these would make it super amazing dessert. I look forward to your answer.
I couldn’t seem to make 1/4” balls, I did 1/2”. Baked 9 mins and they were very tasty. Made 54 cookies.
I meant to say, I couldn’t do 1/2” balls, I did 1”.
My cookies did not flatten out. They stayed in a ball. What did I do wrong?
These cookies are delicious, its just us two so I half the batch and and froze the dough for later.
I did cookies these cookies longer then suggested, every oven is different it will depend on your oven and cookie sheet, mine was a stone.
They came out great.
Stoneware usually requires a few extra minutes when baking cookies, as it takes time for the stone to heat up!
I tried this recipe today and the cookies came out great!
I can’t fit a tray of cookies in my freezer. Will chilling them in my refrigerator for a longer period of time have the same effect? If so, how long would you recommend?
I see cream of tartar as an ingredient, can I bake them without it?
Cream of tartar is a must for the baking soda to work. Otherwise you will need baking powder. Baking soda needs something acidic to activate it and help the cookies rise, baking powder already had the acid mixed in it.
In my part of the USA , Snickerdoodles without cream of tartar are just cinnamon cookies.
It is the taste you get from cream of tartar that makes them Snickerdoodles!
I also was wondering about the recipe not having cream of tartar. Always read it is what gives it the certain taste.
Cream of tartar helps cookies rise (like baking soda and powder). I wanted to create a recipe that does not include that ingredient since so many people have said they don’t have it on hand (and it goes bad like baking powder)…way before you would use it up.
I’ve always made snickerdoodles with a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda. I’m curious how using only baking powder affects the texture. These sound like very good cookies. I always thought it was the cream of tartar that gave them their texture. I learned something new!
Cream of tartar helps cookies rise (like baking soda and powder). I wanted to create a recipe that does not include that ingredient since so many people have said they don’t have it on hand (and it goes bad like baking powder)…way before you would use it up.
Where is the cream of tartar?
You can find it in the seasoning aisle…near the nutmeg and ginger 🙂
There is no Cream of Tartar in the recipe. Should there be?
Cream of tartar helps cookies rise (like baking soda and powder). I wanted to create a recipe that does not include that ingredient since so many people have said they don’t have it on hand (and it goes bad like baking powder)…way before you would use it up.
I dont see vanilla listed in ingredients? Is this a typo
Snickerdoodles have to be my favorite cookie of all time. These sounds so amazing.
I love snickerdoodles. There’s just something about the cinnamon sugar combo that is so tasty.
I’d love to have you share this recipe on Sweet Tooth Fridays. I hope to see you there! http://alli-n-son.com/2011/02/03/chocolate-toffee/
Those snickerdoodles look delicious and so wonderfully crackly on the tops. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog called “Sweets for a Saturday” and I’d like to invite you to stop by and link your cookies up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com