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
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!
Kelsey
I very last minute, literally morning of my holiday party decided to try a new snickerdoodle recipe. People were coming over to me asking why my snickerdoodles were soooo good. I said, I can’t take any credit, I found the recipe online! I even messed the recipe up- I’m 2 weeks out from my due date, was cooking 3 things at the same time, realized I forgot to add the egg and vanilla and just threw them in the mixer as the last step. They were so damn good, people were grabbing a couple to take home.
Never making another recipe, they were so soft and perfect. Thank you!
Nia
The directions don’t say where to add the sugar to the dough, when should I add it?
Natalie
It is mixed with the butter in the beginning.
Kate
Is there a way to add weight (grams) to your recipes? I want to make all of them, but measuring is the easiest way for me to bake! Love your recipes!!!
Liza
Can Splenda for baking be substituted for sugar?
Sierra
PERFECT recipe, I followed just as is except I made the cookies bigger and cooked at 375, made more of a cafe style big cookie. So delicious, thank you!
Donna
Great recipe, and very good cookies too. This is my most favorite cookie ever. all of the cookie recipes you sent to us they are all good my least favorite would be the peppermint ones. I don't like peppermint. Your chocolate, white chocolate chip cookies are one of the favorites of everybody when I make them. They are so gooey and very chocolaty everyone I make cookies for loves these the best. All the guys at The Fire Dept. rave about them. My son is always the hero when I bake for the Fire Department. The guys love everything I bake and are so happy to get them. Merry Christmas to you Melissa, and to your family. And to all you Bakers, Merry Christmas to you all!!!!
Melanie
Almost exactly the same recipe that has been in my husbands family for over 50 years. The only difference is a little different in the amount of cream if tarter, baking soda and salt cream of tarter
Jen Vertanen
Made these with my daughter last night and they are PERFECT. Just like I remember making them growing up <3.
Katie
I don’t have parchment paper- would greasing the cookie sheet instead work?
Patty
Wow these cookies are delicious! Light, fluffy and melt in your mouth. I did not indent the center because I wanted them a little puffy and they came out perfect. They went down just a little bit as they cooled. I am making cookies for our community bake sale so did a trial run today. So easy to make and they taste fantastic. I used a 1 1/2" scoop and got 44 cookies out of the batch and they are a perfect size, in my opinion.
payton
are they suppose to be this sticky?
Shoestars
Did you refrigerate the dough before forming balls? That will help when forming the cookies
Monica D.
So I was up late one night thinking about Snickerdoodle cookies and came across this recipe. First off, the tang from the cream of tartar was different straight out the oven, however once they cooled completely, it mellowed out well. These are so easy to make that even I could do it (I am not a big fan of cooking). So happy I found these. These might become my new potluck item.
Bev Workman
I followed the recipe exactly two different times. Friends and family love them! Truly 5 stars!
JJ
I have long been looking for a Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe without shortening that still resulted in a cookie with slightly crisp edges and a soft chewy center. These are exactly what I wanted - Thank You! A couple of notes - bake for less time if baking in a convection oven. 8-9 minutes was enough in my oven, 10 resulted in a still delicious but evenly crisp cookie. Also, since I don’t need to watch my sodium levels so I actually appreciate the salt in what otherwise is a traditionally very sweet cookie. Just make sure to use UNsalted butter, as it says, or omit the added salt if using salted butter.
My new Snickedoodle recipe!
Jack
These cookies are nuts. Trust me.
Karen Murray
I made these cookies for a group of construction people working on a renovation project at our house. The first person who took a bite said "These are the best cookies I've ever had!" Thank you.
rebecca
these cookies are the BEST! I would love nutritional info. is it listed?
Kevin Renaud
Ok, so this was a difficult dough to work with, very sticky even after a 30 minute chill.
BUT, well worth it. Perfect snickerdoodle.
For fun, I rolled about half of them in a sugar and pumpkin spice mixture.
Both were just excellent…that butter and cinnamon mix is lingering on my tongue.
Kathryn
These were absolutely incredible. I've made others before and they've always tasted a little off to me, but these were so delicious. If you're researching snickerdoodle recipes, please just make this one!
Kimberly
Can I substitute granulated sugar with Splenda or another sugar substitute? Or is regular sugar a must?