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!
Table of Contents
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.
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 cheesecake bars, 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? For the NEXT LEVEL of snickerdoodles, try our cinnamon cookies, packed with white chocolate chips and pecans!
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!
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.
Aimee’s Best Tip
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.
PRO TIP: Make it in a 13×9. Use our snickerdoodle bars recipe as a guide to bake these classic cookies in a 13×9 instead! So easy.
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
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chai Cookies
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Easy Cookie Recipes
See all Cookies recipes
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.
The cookies themselves are good but a little bitter and there’s no direction on how to store them. Overall 8.9/10
Made these today (cut recipe in half since only wanted a few dozen). They came out perfect! They were so easy and the taste was delicious. Taking to my grand-babies this weekend!! Five stars for sure, and will be my go to Snickerddoodle Cookie recipe.
Glad you and your grandbabies enjoyed them!