Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe (2024)

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Posted by Aimee 37 comments
Published: Feb 01, 2011 Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024

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ClassicSnickerdoodle 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!

Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe (1)

What Makes a Perfect Snickerdoodle 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.

  • 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!

Snickerdoodle Ingredients

Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe (2)
  • 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!

How to Make Snickerdoodles

These easy snickerdoodle 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.

Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe (3)

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.

Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe (4)

Why buy frozen snickerdoodle cookie dough when you can save yourself some money and prep your own?

Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe (5)

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Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe (10)

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Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

4.64 from 103 votes

By: Aimee

ClassicSnickerdoodle Cookie Recipe. You'll love this easy cookie recipe with that timeless taste. It's what childhood is about!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 dozen cookies

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

Calories: 96kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 41mg, Sugar: 8g

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

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.

Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are snickerdoodle cookies made of? ›

Snickerdoodles are known for their soft and chewy texture, along with a sweet, cinnamon-sugar coating. The primary ingredients in Snickerdoodle cookies include butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, all rolled into a cinnamon sugar mixture.

Why are my snickerdoodles so hard? ›

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they bake – when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and puffy, they are done. Also, make sure you're not adding too much flour.

Why didn't my snickerdoodles crack? ›

Cracking occurs from several chemical reactions during the baking process. If some of your cookies aren't cracking, it could be because those dough balls were less round than others, the dough became too warm, your oven isn't heating evenly, or (most likely) the cinnamon sugar coating wasn't applied as thoroughly.

Why do my snickerdoodle cookies go flat? ›

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

What does "snickerdoodle" mean in slang? ›

The dictionary suggested the word could be a compound of “snicker” (“a smothered laugh; a snigg*r”) and “doodle” (“a silly or foolish fellow; a noodle”) which left me more confused than before.

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Cornstarch Is The Secret To Soft And Chewy Cookies.

Do snickerdoodle cookies go bad? ›

A: Yes they do have an expiration date printed on the box. I buy a dozen boxes each December to last the year which is when the expiration date is on mine.

Why is my snickerdoodle sour? ›

If your snickerdoodles are too sour, you may have added too much cream of tartar. It does give the cookies a subtle sour-tangy flavor, but it should not be over-powering and should balance nicely with the cinnamon and sugar.

What happens if you don't use cream of tartar? ›

In other applications where whipped whites provide structure, the meringue base would be weaker, and possibly collapse, without a stabilizer like cream of tartar.

Why do my snickerdoodles taste like flour? ›

Improper flour measurement is the #1 cause of your cookie dough being too dry or the cookies tasting like flour.

How do you know when snickerdoodles are done baking? ›

How do you know when the cookies are baked? The snickerdoodle cookies will only take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep your eye on them! It's best to rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes so that the cook evenly. The cookies are done when the edges are just set and the centres are soft and cracked.

Why did my snickerdoodles spread so much? ›

Baking cookies in a too-cool oven will cause the fat to melt before your cookies set up, leading to spreading,” Dawn says. Grab an oven thermometer the next time you're in the grocery store so you can be sure your oven is at the correct temperature.

Why did my snickerdoodles come out dry? ›

However they won't be particularly chewy and they should not spread out on the baking sheet that much. There are several reasons why the cookies may have become dry and crumbly but the two most likely are that either the cookies were baked for too long or too much flour was added to the dough.

Why aren't my snickerdoodles puffy? ›

How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft? The secret's in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don't use shortening here; you'll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie.

What's the difference between sugar cookies and snickerdoodles? ›

Snickerdoodles are sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar gives the cookies their distinct flavor, texture, and appearance. Some food historians argue that sugar cookies recipes use baking powder to leaven the cookies, while snickerdoodles recipes use cream of tartar.

Why is a cookie called a snickerdoodle? ›

The Joy of Cooking claims that “snickerdoodle” comes from “Schneckennudel,” a German word that literally means “snail noodles.” Schneckennudels don't have anything to do with snails or noodles, though—they're actually delicious-looking German cinnamon rolls.

What does snickerdoodle flavor taste like? ›

The snickerdoodle flavor is best described as a mix of vanilla and cinnamon with a singular tanginess thanks to the cream of tartar.

Are my snickerdoodles raw? ›

Here are some signs to look out for: Colour: Raw or undercooked cookies tend to have a pale appearance, lacking that golden or slightly browned hue that indicates they're fully baked. Watch for cookies that still have a doughy or unbaked look. Texture: Touch the surface of the cookies gently.

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