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!
Em
I seem to be in the minority based on all of the other reviews, but I felt like these cookies turned out incredibly salty. As I was adding the salt, I was surprised to see that the recipe called for an entire teaspoon, but I always make a new recipe exactly as written the first time to see if I like it or not. With some tweaks I imagine that these cookies can be really good, but as is, they were not my favorite.
If you are making these cookies, I personally recommend that you decrease the amount of salt in them.
Em
Wanted to adjust my rating based on my roommate's review of the cookies:
My roommate absolutely adored these cookies and made no mention of the salt. I asked her to try them without telling her my own opinion and she's a big fan. I feel like this proves that I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to these cookies as I still personally think that the cookies are on the salty side, but I'm glad that they'll be eaten and enjoyed.
The average review between us would be 3.5/5.
Ricechick25
Awesome recipe. Easy to follow and turned out great!
Isabel
Hi! I made this recipe and WOW! AMAZING!! Can you freeze the dough? And if so, how long ?
Angela W Broyles
These are exellent!
Erin Lamb
I have made this recipe for my very particular, snickerdoodle-loving husband and son at least 3x now and I have miraculously managed to make them perfectly every time! I appreciate the recommendation to imprint your thumb in the center of the dough balls! This helps them not puff up in the middle, cook evenly, and result in the perfect amount of firmness around the edges and chewyness throughout :p
Nina
Delicious!!! Yummy.
Charlie
Oh yes, new favorite SD recipe! They were flawless! (Easy, quick and delicious, the trifecta of cookie love)
Thanks!!
Charlie, Katy TX
Juls
These are so delicious! I know it's your recipe but I feel like I mastered it. Thank you for sharing - it will forever by my go-to recipe for Snickerdoodle cookies.
Julia
These cookies are so good! They are chewy and thick, and even days later they are still delicious. Just a few days later I made these cookies again, and I doubled the recipe.
Trey Smith
I dont have any cream of tartar. Is there a recommended substitute?
Tha ks!
Jenn
I used baking powder instead of cream of tartar. You can sub with equal parts
Tamara Ennis
Looked online and you can use lemon juice in place of cream of tarter. I did but the ratio was 1 part cream of tarter to 2 parts lemon juice. I thought it might be too much with the doubling but it was perfect
Idabel
They were really delicious. And looked exactly like the picture. I wish they were chewy and had a little more cinnamon but overall really good!
Isabel
*Chewier
Jen
Incredibly delicious!
Natalie
I accidentally made these with self rising flour, and they still turned out amazing. They just rose and were more fluffy than I expected, but it still turned out great!
Claudia Williams
Super soft. So light. More like sugar cookies than snickerdoodle, but I LOVE them.
Melissa
I'm wary of these "the best ___" recipes online, but this one actually is the best 🙂 It makes about 36 medium-small (not quite bite-sized) cookies. It has a lot of butter....but that gives it the buttery smooth flavor, and is the secret to "soft and chewy" cookies. I feel like you can't go wrong with this cookie even if you're a beginner baker. It was a hit with friends last night; we sent the cookies around 3 times and they were almost gone within the hour!
Anu
This is the best snickerdoodle cookie recipe ever! I am not going to look any further!
I divided the dough into 2 portions wanting to make them fresh the next day but the 12 cookies just disappeared, even before they could cool down! So I made the next batch right away!
Thank you for sharing this precious recipe!
Diana Easter
I made slight alterations and these turned out perfect! I used 3 cups of flour instead of 2 and 3/4, 1 teaspoon of cream of tarter instead of 1 and 1/2 teaspoons, and 3/4 teaspoon salt instead of 1 teaspoon. I didn't refrigerate the dough and I used 1/8 cup dough for each cookie. I formed them into balls and, after rolling them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture, flattened them slightly and put them straight onto an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet. (I use the ones Costco sells, which are a thick aluminum, I believe.) They took 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. After removing them from the oven, I let them set on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before putting them on paper towels to cool. These are delicious!
Diana Easter
Addition to my earlier comment: I did not use unsalted butter, but I reduced the salt in the recipe to 3/4 teaspoon. I just rolled them in the cinnamon sugar mixture once, but I also took a spoon and covered them again, like she suggests and they had just the right amount of coating on them.
Jazmin
First time making snickerdoodles and I am in loveeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
Anita
This was my first time making snickerdoodles and I am very satisfied! I came out with exactly 24 cookies which rarely happens when I follow recipes (usually I end up with more haha). The first batch was picture perfect and the cookies were so soft. The second batch I decided to double-roll in the sugar coating since I realized I had a lot. I found that they weren't as aesthetically pleasing as the single-roll so I would stick to single-rolling. Also, I cooked my second batch a little longer by mistake so they were still soft but not too soft; this could be an option for people who don't like their cookies too soft but still delicious. Thank you so much, I'm looking forward to trying more recipes from your website~
Sam C
Oh. My. Goodness. We just made this recipe. I just ate my first cookie. Still warm. They are fantastic and so simple. Awesome.