This really is The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe! These Snickerdoodles are thick and soft with a crispy cinnamon sugar exterior!
If you love these, try my Chai Cookies Recipe next!
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We all love a dolled up cookie around Christmas time, right? Chocolate Peppermint Icebox Cookies, Soft Maple Cookies, Mint Hershey Kiss Cookies, and Peanut Butter Turtle Thumbprint Cookies I’ve got it all!
But sometimes the best way to satisfy a cookie craving is to keep it simple. Enter these classic Snickerdoodle cookies!
Snickerdoodles bring cookie baking back to the basics with a simple list of ingredients and just one bowl. The result is soft, thick, chewy, and perfectly sweet cookies that are coated in cinnamon and sugar and ready in just 25 minutes.
Throw them on a pretty plate with some of Grandma’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies, some Peppermint Bark and some Molasses Cookies Recipe and I’m one happy woman!
What are Snickerdoodles?
Snickerdoodles are soft and chewy sugar cookies that are coated in cinnamon and sugar!
Snickerdoodle cookies have a signature slightly tangy flavor and ultra soft and chewy texture thanks to the addition of cream of tartar and brown sugar in the dough.
Ingredients for Snickerdoodles:
- Unsalted Butter: bring the butter to room temperature so it mixes easily with the sugars.
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: Snickerdoodles utilize both sugars to add sweetness but the addition of brown sugar provides more moisture for a softer, chewier texture.
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour: for the best results, I recommend weighing your flour so you don’t have too much or too little. You can also lightly fluff and scoop it into the measuring cup with a spoon so it doesn’t get too packed in.
- Cream of Tartar: one of the key ingredients that sets Snickerdoodle cookies apart from classic sugar cookies. The cream of tartar gives the cookies an extra chewy texture and adds a subtle tangy flavor.
- Baking Soda: helps prevent the cookies from flattening out too much as they bake.
- Granulated Sugar and Cinnamon: coats the cookie dough balls before the baked for the signature Snickerdoodle finish.
How to make the best Snickerdoodle cookies
This simple and easy Snickerdoodle cooke recipe comes together in a total of 25 minutes!
- Combine all ingredients: You’ll beat together the wet ingredients, then mix in the dry ingredients directly. One-bowl recipes make for super easy clean-up!
- Form the cookies: Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Portion the dough out into 1″ balls, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake: Place the dough balls on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper (12 on each sheet), and bake at 350ºF for 9-10 minutes. They should be slightly puffed but not browned and no longer gooey in the middle!
Snickerdoodle FAQs
Snickerdoodle cookies and sugar cookies are similar in a lot of ways, but they are different! Snickerdoodle cookies vary from classic sugar cookies in that they are made with cream of tartar and brown sugar for a softer, chewier texture and a subtle tangy flavor. They are also traditionally rolled in cinnamon and sugar before they’re baked. Classic sugar cookies are made with just granulated sugar and don’t require cream of tartar.
The cream of tartar in Snickerdoodles actually serves a couple of different purposes. First of all, it gives the cookies their signature tangy flavor (don’t worry, it’s not overpowering!). It also prevents the sugar from crystallizing as the cookies bake so the cookies are softer and chewier!
If your Snickerdoodles came out hard or crunchy, they are likely over-baked. When you take them out, they should be slightly puffed and no longer gooey in the center, but not browned. They will look slightly underdone but will continue to cook on the baking sheet as they cool.
It could also mean that too much flour was added. Weighing your flour is the best way to ensure your cookies turn out perfectly every time.
Absolutely! To prep the dough ahead of time, simply assemble as directed, then store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to bake, bring to room temperature and proceed with the recipe.
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough by assembling as directed, portioning out the cookie dough balls, then freezing on a baking sheet for 30 minutes. Once the cookie dough balls are hard, you can place them together in an airtight container or ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to bake, toss them on a baking sheet and pop in the oven! They may need a couple extra minutes when baking from frozen.
If we’re not going to eat our cookies within a few days, I like to store them in the freezer to keep them fresh.
They will last about 1 week at room temperature or 3 months in the freezer.
Tips and tricks for Snickerdoodle cookies
- Line the baking sheet. I always line the baking sheet with parchment paper before baking the cookies. This makes for easier cleanup and
- Weigh the flour. This recipe yields a thick cookie that is still soft. The best way to get the perfect chewy Snickerdoodle texture is to weigh the flour so you get exactly the right amount. Too much flour and you’ll get a dry, crumbly cookie.
- If you accidentally add too much flour and the dough is to dry to roll into balls, don’t worry! You can work in 1 teaspoon of oil at a time until the dough is moist enough that it can be rolled into balls.
- For a thinner Snickerdoodle, you can use 1 ¾ cups of flour instead of the full 2 cups.
More easy cookie recipes to try
- Soft Maple Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Molasses Cookies
- Grandma’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
The Best Snickerdoodle recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup brown sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour, fluffed and levelled* (260 grams)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high until light and creamy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Add flour (be sure to fluff it or weigh it!), cream of tartar and baking soda and beat on medium speed until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the Cinnamon Sugar.
- Roll cookie dough into 1" balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place 12 on each baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, until slightly puffed but not browned, they may have a slight sheen but not be gooey in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Line the baking sheet. I always line the baking sheet with parchment paper before baking the cookies. This makes for easier cleanup and
- If you accidentally add too much flour and the dough is to dry to roll into balls, don’t worry! You can work in 1 teaspoon of oil at a time until the dough is moist enough that it can be rolled into balls.
They will last about 1 week at room temperature or 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition Information
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S WELLS says
These are tasty! I must’ve added too much flour (didn’t weigh as suggested) and I did not have vegetable oil to add, so I just added a couple tsp of melted butter until I got the right consistency and that seemed to work fine. They turned out nice and fluffy. This will be my go-to snickerdoodle recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi S WELLS! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Jenna says
So yummy! Such a delicious treat for the holiday to serve to family and friends!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jenna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Amy says
Have you ever baked with Monkfruit sweetener? (sugar substitute)
Thank you
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Amy, I have not. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Amy says
Experimented with the monk fruit sub for real sugar. The monk fruit is way to powerful! Was hopeful, but tasted horrible, didn’t agree with my tastebuds.
Next time will make with real sugar. My sister raves about these snickerdoodle’s.
I was trying real hard to use up this monk fruit from Costco – but its going to find a new home 😆
The Recipe Rebel says
LOL! Thanks for the feedback!
Colleen says
Flavor was nice however the cookies did not flatten out like shown in the photos. They remained in ball form – the 2nd batch I left in for an extra 4 minutes then flattened using a spatula once taken out to cool and they were a bit better. Still, something seems to missing in this recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Colleen, one of the common reason cookies don’t flatten is due to the amount of flour. Did you happen to weigh the flour as suggested in the recipe card?