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!
First time rating a cookie. Because these truly deserve it, perfect!! 2 table spoons of chilled dough baked at 350 for 10/ 11 mins makes a melt in your mouth cookie! -I did add a super tiny of nutmeg and all spice (very little) and they rock. New favorite cookie!
These are the best cookies ever! I’m making my second batch because the first batch disappeared. Fortunately, they are a breeze to make and the ingredients are staples so I don’t even have to go to the store.
Thanks!
My son is a snickerdoodle snob. I made these tonight and so far, he’s eaten about six cookies. He said these are the best ones I’ve made. This recipe is a keeper! Very easy and the cookies turned out perfectly! I flattened them a bit and they look exactly like the ones pictured.
Two years running, the Best Snickerdoodles ever! I had some maple sugar left over from another baking project and used this to roll the cookie dough balls. Delicious!
The perfect snickerdoodle
These were a huge hit 🙂 the kids loved them! Thank you for sharing.
Tried these today. Omg. Sooo delicious. I did not deviate from the recipe….they came out perfect and were a hit. Thank you!
so delicious!! i added skor pieces as well and i will definitely be making these again
Hello , this recipe is so good!! My cookies didn’t spread out like the picture, even when I flattened them a little bit. What do you think I did wrong.?
This happened to me the first time I make them. Second time I made sure the butter was truly at room temperature and that helped a ton. The room the butter was in wasn’t warm enough when I sat it out the first time
First time making Snickerdoodle cookies I’m so glad I used this recipe they are soft and crispy plus I’ll be making another batch to give our to neighbors for a holiday goodie treats
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.
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!
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
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. 👍
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!
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.
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!
These tasted delicious! Mine spread out and fused together though. Any ideas on how to prevent this from happening?
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)
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!!!!
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 🙂
Best cookies ever! Made those today and turned out exactly as the pictures.
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.
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?
I’m thinking that perhaps you baked them a little too long. I’ve had this happen with other chewy cookie recipes.
Loved them!
These cookies were PERFECT in every way. I made them at the exact recipe. Question. Can we freeze any extra dough?
Is this dough ok to make a day ahead of time and leave in fridge?
Thank you!
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.
Hey! Mine turned out the same way! Super weird.. it’s like a cake!
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?
Yes! They do. You can wrap the dough in some plastic wrap/ziplock bag or in a bowl covered.
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!
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!
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
Excellent! Followed the recipe exactly. Yield: 35 cookies 🍪
This is my favorite snickerdoodle recipe! I made them last year and this year, and could not get over how good these were both times.
This recipe if foolproof. I was amazed by the ease. The cookies turned out wonderful and everyone loved them!
I have a foolish question, don’t the cookies flatten out during baking? Also what’s the best way to fatten just in the middle of the dough ball? Please help getting ready to make the dough..
After you roll them into the cinnamon sugar mix, place them on your baking sheet and use two fingers or your palm to lightly flatten them, but not too much.
I’ve been making this recipe for years now , it truly is the perfect snickerdoodle. I usually use a fork to help flatten the cookie, but I hate the fork marks especially when I’m gifting them. What does everyone else do to get “picture” perfect?
Thanks
KB
I made boxes of 5 different types of Christmas cookies this year, including the doodles, and sent boxes out to 14 different people. Without fail, every single one of them raved about the snickerdoodles immediately, to the point that it was hilarious. My mother, who also doesn’t like snickerdoodles, says that she loves these and Only these ones. Absolutely fantastic recipe
Couldn’t have been more perfect! made 24 good size cookies and cooked for 11 min each. This has been saved!
Mmmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmm! These are so good! Definitely don’t overbake them. When you let them sit on the hot pan after baking they finish baking and come out prefect and chewy. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Can you double the recipe?
Of course!
Since finding this recipe, I have made it five times: twice for the “original” Snickerdoodles, and then as a base for Lemon, Orange, and Almond Cookies (one commentator said she had tried lemon extract). I just get to the point of adding the flavoring (vanilla in the original recipe) and then add 2 teaspoons of the other flavored extracts (i.e., lemon, orange, and almond) in lieu of the vanilla. I then skip rolling the alternatively flavored dough balls in something before baking. I have thought of rolling them in just plain sugar, but have resisted the temptation “to add sugar to sugar” as my boyfriend doesn’t like overly sweet things. He is especially happy that I don’t give in to the temptation! Every flavor has been met with “oohs” and “ahs” as well as with a few queries about “how do you get the cookies to stay so soft?” I plan to keep this recipe for Snickerdoodles and as a base for flavored cookies. As many of my friends are British, they aren’t used to such soft cookies and they just love them!
Made these for Christmas. They are the best. Far more better than local grocery. They are soft and chewy.
I have so many snickerdoodle recipes and by far this is the best. Interesting comparing the recipes. Most called for 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening. They also showed 2tbsp. sugar and 2 tbsp. Cinnamon to roll the balls in. Your quantities are perfect for a pretty cookie. THANK YOU for our now favorite recipe.
Best Snickerdoodles! I made these cookies for Christmas and they were a huge hit. I added a combination of vanilla paste and liquid vanilla extract to the mixture; absalute perfection.
Best snickerdoodle recipe by far, my husband said it was the best he ever had!
These turned out awesome! I needed them for a small gathering today and I was worried because I didn’t have cream or tartar. I substituted it for lemon juice and it tasted great!!! Thanks so much for sharing this!
These turned out awesome! I’ll definitely be using this recipe again. I was worried about how they’d turn out because it’s quite rare to have cream of tartar around my house— so I replaced the cream or tartar with some lemon juice (same measurement) and it worked just the same! Thanks!
This is the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe, but these are HANDS DOWN the BEST snickerdoodle cookie I’ve made. I’ve tried a few in the past. These are absolutely PERFECT. Both my son and husband’s favorite cookie is the snickerdoodle and they both agree that these are the best even compared to snickerdoodle cookies bought at a cookie shop in town and any other bakery.
If you want chewy cookies, I suggest the minimum bake time. They will be soft, but I promise will be perfect later.
Also if you like more cinnamon coating, remove from oven a minute early and quickly sprinkled some extra cinnamon sugar mixture and popped it back in for the remaining time for baking.
This will be going in the books and passed down my family. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes as well as other delicious ones as well!!
Awesome cookies!! I will make again!
It’s was awesome! I substitute it for lemon juice and it tasted great!!! Thanks so much for sharing this!
These cookies were a hit. I had to make them 3 days in a row. They were soft and chewy. Thanks so much for the recipe.
My favorite cookie recipe! I am known for being a horrible cool and baker, and I had my entire family and closest friends say these were the best snickerdoodles they’ve ever had. THANK YOU! I followed the recipe exactly and had 24 perfectly fluffy, warm, soft pieces of heaven!