Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
The popular cinnamon-sugar soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe. A recipe that has been in the family for over 30 years!
This was one of the first cookie recipes I made as a kid. As I have shared before, I was fully obsessed with cookbooks as a little girl. My Mom collected church cookbooks and I would go straight to the cookie recipes and beg my Mom to let me whip up a batch. I made this snickerdoodle cookie recipe 30 years ago and it is still the best I have ever tasted.
This is such a popular Christmas cookie because I have yet to find anyone who doesn’t love snickerdoodle cookies! When I used to teach a cooking school for kids, it was the first cookie I taught them to make because kids love them. Whenever I make these cookies, they disappear so darn fast!
So what makes a perfect snickerdoodle cookie?
A snickerdoodle cookie has to be soft and chewy. No hard hockey puck cookies here! It has to be rolled twice in cinnamon-sugar to ensure that it is completely coated. It also has to have the signature tang from the cream of tartar.
How to make the BEST Snickerdoodle Cookie:
- Start by creaming butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes. This is an important step as the butter coats the sugar crystals and creates a smooth texture. It also whips air into the cookie dough.
- Use Cream of Tartar as a leavening agent. It gives it the signature tangy flavor and chewy texture. A touch of baking soda helps the cookies to rise as well.
- Double roll the cookie balls into a cinnamon-sugar mixture. This helps to make sure the cookies are completely coated in cinnamon-sugar before baking.
- Bake just until the edges begin to become a light golden color. These snickerdoodle cookies need to be soft and chewy so watch carefully. If you want them to be flat, press the balls down in the center before placing in the oven.
- My favorite baking tools for perfect Snickerdoodle cookies — light-colored baking sheets, parchment paper sheets, KitchenAid mixer.
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Check out some more of my most popular cookie recipes:
Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
MJ’s Top Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lemon Sugar Cookies
Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies
Grandma Geri’s Gingersnaps
Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
Mrs. Claus Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies
The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe. Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies. The popular cinnamon-sugar soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe. A recipe that has been in the family for over 30 years!
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 2 3/4 cup Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Cream for 1-2 minutes longer.
Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, just until combined.
In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon.
If time allows, wrap the dough and let refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Roll into small balls until round and smooth. Drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat well. Using a spoon, coat for a second time, ensuring the cookie balls are completely covered. *To make flatter snickerdoodles, press down in the center of the ball before placing in the oven. This helps to keep them from puffing up in the middle. *
Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing from the pan.
I hope you love this snickerdoodle cookie recipe and it becomes a staple in your family for years! Happy Baking!
These were delicious! Thank you, there were a bunch of happy kids eating these cookies today! But I didn’t flatten them before I put them in the oven so the were rounder and not like the pic. Should I have used a fork to flatten?
Mine were delicious but they didn’t flatten either. 😏
I flattened mine with the palm of my hand before I put them in the oven and they turned out great😁
I used the lid to a jar. Sprayed it with Pam.
LOVE… LOVE … I m a true fan/follower of all your recipes! You never disappoint. The way you present & easy to follow recipes make me feel like my girlfriend just called and gave me a great recipe I have to try. These cookies are amazzzing! Keep doing what you do, and know it’s truly appreciated. Have a wonderful Holiday.
I just made these to take to a church Christmas party and I am going to have to quickly hide them… My family is trying to eat them all! A total hit!!! Thank you for this recipe – it will now be a staple in my house. Xoxo
The instructions say roll into small balls; should I use one of those teaspoon scoopers?
I made these today, very easy to make and so yummy!
These were fabulous and fabulously easy to make with the kids. The hardest part was waiting for the dough to chill. The easiest? No one could stop eating them. I had to keep a secret stash for Santa! Batch after batch. I recommend using a silicone baking mat.
These werecthe best cookies that I have ever made! I love how simple you made the instructions. They were easy to follow and my cookies were delicious.
I definitely agree on the instructions – one of the easiest to follow step by step.
I have only heard the name before, didn’t know what they looked like even. Are they an American thing? I’m in Canada. But your recipe was easy to follow. Looks just like yours in the photo. For those asking questions, I cut my chilled dough into quarters, then used a cookie scoop to make 6each just so relatively same size, dough was easy to work with. Baked them as a ball, they flattened themselves while baking. Inside was so light & fluffy! A had sugar-cinammon mixture left over, but still found it a bit too sweet covered all over. Might just roll the top instead of rolling all over if I make it again. I grew up with sugar cookies, but this was a nice change. Thank you.
I did not have time to chill dough but they did flatten nicely. I just made them a little too big and they really spread on the cookie sheet. They are a very good cookie.
they are amazing !!!!!!! but i haven’t cooked them
I made these for my family. But instead of making a snickerdoodle cookie I used the recipe to make a sugar cookie and my family went crazy over them. This is my second time making them within two weeks. Thanks for the recipe. I also figured out how to flatten them
Can you share how to flatten them?
So yummy! Thank you for the great recipe!!
These were delicious! And lasted forever, they were just as good a week later, whereas most cookie recipes I make seem to degrade in flavor and texture after just a few days, maybe it’s the cream of tartar? I also added about of teaspoon of cardamom to the cinnamon sugar mixture because it’s one of my favorite spices, if you haven’t tried it I highly recommend it. 😀
Definitely the best snickerdoodle recipe I’ve ever tried. This will be my go-to from now on!!
I made these 2 nights ago and only made 1/2 a batch.. The first batch were so soft and chewy and yummy, they were eaten within 2 days. (I put the batter in the fridge for only a few minutes ). However, the 2nd half were so hard, like hockey pucks. not at all like the first. The only difference was that I left the batter in the fridge overnight. I was so disappointed, that I made another full batch of cookies again today, and they quickly hardened again! Help! Can you tell me how to avoid them hardening again? I have faith in this recipe, as they were So good the first time.. Is it critical to roll the cookies in the cinn / sugar mix twice? I also left each pan of cookies in oven for 10 min. Any tips would be much appreciated.
Just made these. Outstanding!
The one tip I would add would be to sift together dry ingredients separately, before incorporating with the wet. I tend to find that’s a helpful step when baking.
These were delicious! For those wondering, 2 tablespoons of dough each makes 24 cookies exactly. I chilled my dough for about 15 minutes, and it went back in fridge between sheets going in the oven. Don’t crowd your pans. I baked 6 cookies at a time. More than that and they will merge, unless you are making smaller cookies.
I’ve been looking for the perfect snickerdoodle recipe, have had a few failures, and this one is just right.
Oh. My. Goodness. These are the most delicious cookies I have ever made, and that is really saying something because I bake very often. The texture is perfect and they stay soft. They are also gorgeous cookies, and not too sweet. I love the subtle tang to it, also. For such a simple recipe, these are INCREDIBLE!!! Five stars!
Can I chill them for say, an hour and a half, before baking? Making dough now but cannot bake till later. Have made this recipe before without chilling and they were amazing.
It worked out perfectly!!! This recipe is one of my favorites.
Best I’ve made! Soft and delicious! I didn’t end up with the cracks like the pics, which I wanted though.
I loved the recipe, if you’re like me, though, I added a little cinnamon to the dough.
Snickerdoodle have been a favorite of my son, since he was a little for in the kitchen with me. We found this recipe…my hat’s off…this kid now requests your recipe at least once a month. It is surely one of the best I’ve tried!! Thank you
is there any specific alternate cream of tartar mixture for these cookies if I don’t have that on hand?
Soooo good! I am convinced that they just vanished into thin air! Where did they go? Lol
Best ever! Simply use the spoon to lightly push down and they flatten out perfectly! Baked 10 min in convection oven, left one minute on sheet before removing Beautiful!
I made thee tonight. They are so soft. I think the dough needed more flour or less butter. Sugestions are welcome. Should the dough be so soft? Otherwise easy to make and I got 42 cookie from the bath. Thank you for your recipe. I am sure I will make them again. Husband loved them.
These are honestly the best snickerdoodles
I have ever made, and I’ve made many!!!!
Thank you for sharing!!!!
Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie and I’ve never once made them at home and been happy…until now!! Absolutely the best recipe ever, and so easy!! Thank you!!
I made them with cannabutter and had to add a little extra flour but they turned out quite nicely 😉
I am not surprised that they go quickly they look incredible!! so simple but amazing!!
Can unbleached flour be used in this recipe?
These cookies were just right! I found that it worked well to flatten them with my hand — they look like the picture.
These turned out so delicious that I made a batch for a few of our neighbors. My husband didn’t want to give the ” extra” away. Neighbors loved it so much it became a battle for the bag of them I brought over. Definitely a winner in our home – and neighborhood. Can’t go wrong with these addictive lip smackers.
I doubled the recipe (~48 cookies) for a potluck. They disappeared so quickly! I substituted 3 tsp lemon juice and 3 tsp white vinegar for the 3 tsp cream of tartar. This may have caused my cookies to have a small dome shape even though I flattened the balls of dough with a spoon before putting them in the oven. They still came out very nice, soft, and chewy. As suggested, I chilled the dough for 30 minutes before baking. Do not skip the double coat of cinnamon sugar! I was skeptical about that step but the cookies ended up being the right amount of sweetness. Thanks for sharing this recipe – it was such a hit!
My first batch was a little weird. So I kinda tweaked them a little bit.
I added a little cinnamon and sugar into the dough. After rolling them in the cinnamon and sugar, I put them on the cookie sheet and flattened them with the bottom of a cup.
But overall I’m thoroughly impressed with these cookies. They’re amazing.
This is a wonderful recipe! I followed the directions to the letter and they came out flat and chewy! Beating the sugar and flour for 5-7 minutes really does help. Thank you! I’m going to share this recipe on Facebook!
These were awesome! I have made Trisha Yearwood’s recipe in the past but didn’t have any shortening so I did your recipe. Your recipe is going to be in rotation for lunches now! I used a small scoop and got 3 dozen out of them.