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This snickerdoodle cookie recipe makes soft, chewy and slightly tangy snickerdoodles. They come together in about 30 minutes with no need to chill the cookie dough.
I’ve been searching for the perfect snickerdoodle recipe for a long time. After much trial and error, I finally got it right. This foolproof recipe makes pillowy snickerdoodle cookies with the perfect amount of cinnamon. Gosh, they are so good! Serve them with some soft sugar cookies and buttery spritz cookies for the perfect Christmas cookie platter.
Why I Love These Snickerdoodles So Much
- Quick. These snickerdoodles are quick and easy to prepare. Cookies in less than 30 minutes anyone? I’m in!
- No chilling necessary. Unlike many cookie recipes that require you to chill the cookie dough before you bake, this one does not. This makes them so much quicker and easier to make, but they aren’t lacking in any way from not being refrigerated.
- Simple ingredients. This recipe requires only a few simple ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen. It’s the perfect spur-of-the-moment recipe.
- Flavor. These cookies have the sweetness you’d expect from a sugar cookie with a hint of tang from the cream of tarter. Pair that with the perfect amount of cinnamon and you’ve got a 100% crave-able cookie.
- Soft and chewy cookies. These snickerdoodles are the perfect thickness and wonderfully soft and chewy on the inside. Everything you could dream of in a cookie. Plus, they have just the tiniest bit of crunch from the cinnamon sugar coating that envelopes them. The combination is to die for.
What You’ll Need
You’ll only need a few basic ingredients to make these easy snickerdoodle cookies. Here they are. For precise measurements, scroll to the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour accurately or you’ll end up with dry cookies. I prefer a food scale, but the spoon and level method works too. Just be sure not to pack your flour into your measuring cup. Check out my tutorial on How to Measure Flour Correctly.
- Cream of tartar – Don’t skip this. It brings a wonderful chewiness and a lovely tang to the finished cookies.
- Baking soda – For just the right rise and chewiness.
- Salt – To accent the flavors in the cookies.
- Unsalted butter – The butter must be at room temperature, otherwise, it won’t cream with the sugar properly.
- Sugar – I use regular granulated sugar.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract.
- Ground cinnamon – For rolling the cookies.
How to Make Snickerdoodles
Here’s a quick look at how to make this chewy snickerdoodle recipe. Make sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Beat together the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until fluffy and light in color.
- Put it all together. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla and the dry ingredients.
- Coat the cookies in cinnamon sugar. Whisk together the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Roll the cookie dough into balls and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake. Arrange the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
Helpful Tips
- Use a dark cookie sheet. Did you know that the color of the cookie sheet actually has an effect on how quickly your cookies bake? A dark color will absorb heat more quickly, which helps set the edges without causing the cookies to spread. That’s exactly what you want here, so grab the darkest pan you’ve got!
- Cream thoroughly. Creaming the butter properly brings a nice light and fluffy texture to these cookies. Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and noticeably lighter in color. Otherwise, you will likely end up with overly dense cookies.
- Don’t over-mix. Mix just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing the batter can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, leaving you with tough, dense cookies.
- Get the temperature right. Most cookies bake at 350°F, but these ones require a higher temperature (400°F) to stop them from spreading too thin.
Can I Make The Dough In Advance?
Absolutely! Simply wrap the dough in a tight layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 48 hours. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once you’re ready to bake your cookies, let the dough sit at room temperature until it’s soft enough to scoop. Make dough balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar, arrange them on a baking sheet, and bake.
How to Store
Allow the cookies to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Seal the container and store them at room temperature for up to 1 week. Do not store these in the fridge. They will dry out.
Can I Freeze Them?
Yes! There are a couple of ways to go about it.
- Freeze the baked cookies. Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, seal them in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature.
- Freeze the cookie dough. Form the dough into balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Arrange them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and pop them in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Once frozen solid, seal the dough balls in a freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can bake them directly from frozen. Just add an extra minute or two to the cook time.
Watch The Video Tutorial
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 45
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tender, buttery and slightly tangy sugar cookies are coated in cinnamon sugar and baked to perfection in this classic dessert! Whip up a batch of these Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies and experience blissful comfort with each cozy bite.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (358g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar, plus 3 tbsp for rolling
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a cookie sheet (I recommend a darker cookie sheet) with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Add the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar to a large mixer bowl and cream until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon in another small bowl.
- Create balls of one tablespoon of cookie dough each.
- Roll each ball of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then set on the prepared cookie sheet with about 2 inches between them.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
- Store cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
- Makes 40-45 cookies.
- To Make Ahead: Wrap dough in a tight layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, let dough sit at room temperature until soft enough to scoop.
- To Store: Keep cooled snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Freeze cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months, thawing before enjoying. Alternatively, freeze formed and coated dough balls on a lined baking sheet for 3-4 hours, or until frozen solid. Transfer frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, increasing cook time by 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie Ball
- Calories: 86
- Sugar: 6.7 g
- Sodium: 57.7 mg
- Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.9 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 16.4 mg
Great one! Me and my grandkids enjoyed rolling out these cookies! Dough was easy to handle and they baked up beautifully and were delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Followed your recipe for the last two Christmas Cookie Bake for my family….A Hit each time!
Thank you for sharing this recipe
So glad to hear that!
These cookies are impossible to hand roll just by following the recipe. Even added more flour to try and get them to be more manageable. But without a scooper you can’t just grab, roll, dip, and pan. Attempting to chill the dough some to make it more manageable. Update is that they’re still difficult but more manageable… not by much. I suggest one of those silly scoops and scoop it right into your topping mix. Aside from that. This one is a hot mess.
I’m sorry you had trouble with them, but I’m also very confident in the recipe. It sounds like your butter was either much too soft (read about room temperature butter here, it’s not always what people think), or you didn’t fully cream the butter and sugar. When it’s properly creamed, it should visibly lighten in color and texture should become fluffy and actually grow in volume. The other option is that you under measured your flour, which is possible but not as common.
As someone who has never baked cookies before, this recipe was simple and very easy to follow. The cookies were delicious, will definitely make these again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Not right
The cookie dough was hard and tasted off and they did not cook, I made the dough twice and it still was not right.
Such a beautiful recipe. They were such a hit. Moist, fluffy and the perfect sweetness.
So glad you enjoyed them!
These came out perfect highly recommend!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I made these several times to perfection. This time I didn’t have any cream of tartar so I substituted 3 tsp baking powder for the tartar and soda.
Came out perfect! I’m so excited, these may replace choc chip cookies in our house 🙌❤️ thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
my cookies barely spread at all in the oven. I scooped them at 1.5 tbsp and rolled in the sugar and cinnamon. I cooked them at 400 f for 7 mintues… what happened
It’s hard to say for sure from a distance, but most likely the flour was over-measured. It’s the easiest ingredient to over-measure and just a slight difference can impact spread. If you decided to adjust something, like the sugar, that can also have an impact. Also, was the cookie dough still at room temperature when you baked them, or did you refrigerate the dough?
These are delicious! I’ve made these a handful of times and people now request I bake them for our gatherings. Do you think I could put toffee in this recipe and the cookie will still turn out chewy and soft?
I’m so glad you enjoy them! I imagine the toffee would be fine. It just might melt when baked and could add a crunch or some chewiness to the cookies.
Love, love, love these cookies! Thank you so much for this recipe! I get compliments whenever I make them
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
Whenever I need to bake goods, I can always trust your recipes. Thank you for sharing them.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you!
I loved this recipie so much! They are so good and soft!! The first time I made this recipie the cookies were undercooked but when I remade it just now and put them in for two more minutes and they were perfect!
So glad you enjoyed them!
They tasted good but turned out way to flat.
Followed the recipe to the tee and cookies are delicious!
So glad you enjoyed them!