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.
I love to hear from you! If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating. If you make any of my recipes, tag me on Instagram @modern_honey so I can see your creations. It’s one of my favorite things seeing you make these recipes in your own kitchen. Sign up for my newsletter below so you never miss a recipe. Thank you for following along! I truly do have the greatest readers. FOLLOW ME ON: INSTAGRAM --- FACEBOOK --- PINTEREST
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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 2 ¾ cup Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Cinnamon
Instructions
- 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.
Video
I hope you love this snickerdoodle cookie recipe and it becomes a staple in your family for years! Happy Baking!
Cheryl
Excellent! Followed the recipe exactly. Yield: 35 cookies ????
Donna A Pollock
Melissa
I love these cookies. They have became one of my most favorite. I'm going to try the caramel filled one's today. I can't wait. I make Snickerdoodle cookies all the time because they are my favorite. Thank you for this great recipe
Donna
SnickerdoodleFan64
This is my favorite recipe, it's always a hit! I lost my recipe and had to do some searching to get it back, but no regrets! (and to think I almost saved the sally's baking addiction recipe instead *shudder* (nothing against sally but they just wouldn't stand a chance to this recipe!)) anywho, thanks for the slam dunking snickerdoodles!
Lan
Absolutely the best snickerdoodle recipe- I will be using this one indefinitely! I had to bake them for 13 minutes (probably because they were a tad too big). I pressed the middle down and they came out perfectly flat with soft centres and chewy outsides. Absolutely perfect- Thank you!
Dayne Gardner
I tried another recipe and they were very hard. I found your recipe online and they turned out perfect! Still sofy and chewy after three days, expect them to be the same until they are gone. Do you know if they freeze well?
Lisa Taylor
Yes! They do. You can wrap the dough in some plastic wrap/ziplock bag or in a bowl covered.
Zoetta
This might have been my error somehow. They ended up puffy and cakey and nothing like the picture. The only deviation from the recipe, I thought, was adding a very small amount of pumpkin pie spice. They taste weirdly...sour. I am going to try again tonight when I get more butter, will update when k do.
Jen
Hey! Mine turned out the same way! Super weird.. it’s like a cake!
G Jasp
Is this dough ok to make a day ahead of time and leave in fridge?
Thank you!
Jennifer Krupalla
These cookies were PERFECT in every way. I made them at the exact recipe. Question. Can we freeze any extra dough?
Deby
Loved them!
Angel H.
I was expecting a more .. Dense cookie? Mine turned out sort of fluffy and airy even after being mashed flat pre-baking. I wouldn't call them 'dry' but board line dry. I followed the recipe exactly, and the dough seemed perfect. Any ideas on what could alter the texture?
Beverly Clarke
I'm thinking that perhaps you baked them a little too long. I've had this happen with other chewy cookie recipes.
Denise wiley
Made these today. They were perfect. Had to make a second batch to have enough to take to put family get together because my hubby wanted to eat so many.
Prabha
Best cookies ever! Made those today and turned out exactly as the pictures.
Kali
I was craving Snickerdoodle cookies all week. This recipe was so easy and the final product did not disappoint! Wish I knew how many calories were in it because I ate about 5 in one day! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Beck
These tasted delicious! Mine spread out and fused together though. Any ideas on how to prevent this from happening?
Prabha
Too many cookies on the sheet may be? The recipe says 24, I got 38 - 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie, 12 cookies per sheet (3 by 4)
Janet
This happened to me too!! So I had square cookies instead of round LOL. I made 3 dozen and I thought it would be okay to put them all on my huge, baker’s size cookie sheet .... nope. It spreads to the size of 3 inches so you have to space out your balls of dough accordingly and probably bake in 2 batches. Wish I had read all the comments before baking!!
So because they had all run together, I figured I’d cook them 5 minutes longer but they turned out to be too crunchy. But still delicious and disappearing fast. I found if they are reheated in the microwave with the “Reheat” cycle (30 seconds on reheat pizza slice) then they are soft and chewy like they’re supposed to be!!
I think you’d have a very much larger cookie if you only made 24!!!!
Tammy Merryfield
Great recipe, Made them just as the recipe was written. I took them to work for National Cookie Day they were a big hit will be making them again!
Tammy Merryfield
I used this recipe for National Cookie Day and took them to work. I made them exactly as the recipe was written. They were a big hit will be making them again. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Lola
This tasted amazing! The cookies were very soft and had delicious flavors. I am not the best at baking, but these were the best snicker doodles I ever had. Thanks for sharing!
Marcia
This recipe is excellent. Easy to follow and put together. The tips, especially the double roll in cinnamon sugar were so helpful.
And of course, the cookies tasted great. My husbands favorite cookie. He was very happy. ????
Lyls
Hi, I want to make this recipe but dont have a mixer. Can I just manually whisk the ingredients together?
Does it affect the fluffiness of the cookie or anything at all when making it?
Excited to start making it soon!
C
You don’t need a mixer - I made mine by hand. When you add the flour, mix with a spoon as best you can until the dough is slightly tacky and just use your hands to fold in any remaining flour (this is my approach anyway) - usually once you add the flour in the dough starts to crumble until you fully mix it in
Deborah Clouatre
Getting ready to bake these Again! The best snicker doodle cookie ever!! Got the dough chilling in the fridge. Can't wait to eat them.