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Snickerdoodle Cookies

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Snickerdoodle cookies are soft and chewy with a cinnamon sugar coating. So good that you’ll find it hard to just eat one!

A stack of snickerdoodle cookies with more behind

Snickerdoodle Cookies Overview

If you love baking cookies but are tired of chocolate chip versions, then you must try this easy recipe! These cookies are soft and chewy with a white dough interior and a slightly crispy sugar coating.

First, the dry ingredients are mixed separately from the wet ingredients and then combined together. These cookies are then rolled into balls and then tossed in a cinnamon sugar coating. Baked for just a few minutes and then left to cool on a rack.

The result is a fluffy, golden brown, and chewy cookie that tastes like no other. We love making these at Christmas time, but they can really be served any time of the year.

Recipe ingredients on the counter including bowls of flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar.

Recipe Ingredients

Cinnamon Sugar For Rolling

Three overhead images in one: 1. Dry ingredients mixed in a white bowl. 2. Room temp butter in a white bowl with hand mixer. 3. Butter is whipped with hand mixer.

How To Make Snickerdoodle Cookies

Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly coat them with nonstick cooking spray.

STEP 2: In a medium bowl, add 3¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt. Mix and set aside for now.

STEP 3: In a separate large bowl, cream 1 cup softened unsalted butter, using a hand mixer until smooth.

Two overhead images in one: 1. Sugar is added to butter. 2. Sugar is mixed into butter with hand mixer.

STEP 4: Add 1⅓ cup granulated sugar and ⅓ cup packed brown sugar to the creamed butter. Mix again with a hand mixer for roughly 2 minutes until it’s smooth and creamy, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula when needed.

Four overhead images in one: 1. Eggs are added to batter. 2. Eggs are mixed into batter. 3. Dry ingredients are added to batter in white bowl. 4. Dry ingredients are mixed in.

STEP 5: Add 2 large room-temperature eggs and 1½ tsp vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar, and beat until smooth.

Four overhead images in one: 1. More dry ingredients added to batter in white bowl. 2. Ingredients mixed with hand mixer. 3. Dough is mixed with spatula. 4. Dough is mixed with spatula after more dry ingredients added.

STEP 6: Add half of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add in the other half of the flour mixture and repeat.

STEP 7: You may need to stir the cookie dough by hand to mix in the rest of the flour. Stir gently and do not overmix, just enough to combine all the ingredients.

Three overhead images in one: 1. Cinnamon added to shallow white bowl. 2. Sugar added to cinnamon. 3. Round dough balls rolled in cinnamon and sugar.

STEP 8: In a shallow bowl or plate, mix ⅓ cup granulated sugar and 1½ Tbsp cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating.

STEP 9: Create a ball by rolling 1 Tbsp of cookie dough in the palms of your hands. Roll the ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture until it’s evenly coated.

Three overhead images in one: 1. Cookie dough balls are set on baking sheet. 2. Cookies are on baking sheet cooked. 3. Cookies are on rack cooling.

STEP 10: Place the cookie dough balls 2″ apart on two baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes, remove from the oven, and let sit for 2 minutes on the baking sheet. Use a spatula to gently scoop under the cookie and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

A pile of snickerdoodle cookies close up, one with a bite taken out.

Recipe Tips

  • Use room-temperature butter and eggs – these combine easier leading to a smoother dough.
  • Cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. This process forces air into the dough, helping the cookies rise to give them a lighter texture.
  • Chilling the dough balls helps to solidify the butter with other ingredients leading to soft and chewy cookies that won’t spread out in the baking sheet.
  • Do not overbake your cookies, you want them slightly underbaked in the center keeping them soft and chewy.

How do I make Snickerdoodle cookies without cream of tartar? If you don’t have cream of tartar on hand, you can substitute it with lemon juice or white vinegar. For this recipe, use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar for every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar called for in the recipe.

How To Store Cookies

  • Store the cookies in an airtight container or ziploc bag at room temperature. If you live in a more humid climate, then try storing these in the fridge to prevent them from getting mushy.
  • Use a sheet of parchment paper in between stacked cookies to prevent them from sticking to one another.
  • Freezing cookies – These cookies store great in the freezer! Add to a freezer bag, and remove as much air as possible as this can cause freezer burn. You can store up to 6 months. When ready, let them thaw at room temperature or eat them frozen. We freeze our cookies all the time and eat them straight from frozen.
Close up of snickerdoodle cookies on the counter, one with a bite taken out.

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A stack of snickerdoodle cookies with more behind it.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

These are a classic favorite, with a soft and chewy texture and a cinnamon-sugar coating that is simply irresistible.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 40 cookies

Ingredients

Cinnamon Sugar For Rolling

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly coat them with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl, add 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour – leveled in the measuring cups, 1 ½ tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt. Mix and set aside for now.
  • In a separate large bowl, cream 1 cup unsalted butter – softened to room temperature, using a hand mixer until smooth.
  • Add 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar and ⅓ cup packed brown sugar to the creamed butter. Mix again with a hand mixer for roughly 2 minutes until it's smooth and creamy, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula when needed.
  • Add 2 large room-temperature eggs and 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar, and beat until smooth.
  • Add half of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add in the other half of the flour mixture and repeat.
  • You may need to stir the cookie dough by hand to mix in the rest of the flour. Stir gently and do not over-mix – just enough that all the ingredients are combined.
  • In a shallow bowl or plate, mix ⅓ cup granulated sugar and 1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating.
  • Create a ball by rolling 1 Tbsp of cookie dough in the palms of your hands. Roll the ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture until it's evenly coated.
  • Place the cookie dough balls 2" apart on two baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes, remove from the oven, and let sit for 2 minutes on the baking sheet. Use a spatula to gently scoop under the cookie and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes:

  • Use room-temperature butter and eggs – these combine easier leading to a smoother dough.
  • Cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. This process forces air into the dough, helping the cookies rise to give them a lighter texture.
  • Chilling the dough balls helps to solidify the butter with other ingredients leading to soft and chewy cookies that won’t spread out in the baking sheet.
  • Do not overbake your cookies, you want them slightly underbaked in the center keeping them soft and chewy.
  • Store the cookies in an airtight container or ziploc bag at room temperature. If you live in a more humid climate, then try storing these in the fridge to prevent them from getting mushy.
  • Use a sheet of parchment paper in between stacked cookies to prevent them from sticking to one another.
  • Freezing cookies – These cookies store great in the freezer! Add to a freezer bag, and remove as much air as possible as this can cause freezer burn. You can store up to 6 months. When ready, let them thaw at room temperature or eat them frozen. We freeze our cookies all the time and eat them straight from frozen.

Nutrition

Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.

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