The Best Classic Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
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This soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookie recipe are ready in less than 30 minutes! These soft baked cinnamon-sugar cookies are always a crowd favorite and disappear in seconds. So good – you may want to make a double batch!

Why You’ll Love This Snickerdoodle Recipe

Trust me when I say this is about to become one of your all-time favorite cookie recipes!

  • Warm Spices: The perfect balance of warm cinnamon and sweet sugar flavors with a slight tang you expect from a classic snickerdoodle.
  • Quick and Easy: You do not have to chill the dough! Just beat to combine the batter, scoop the dough, roll in cinnamon-sugar and bake. Bonus: These cookies are ready in 30 minutes!
  • Perfect Texture: Most important, these snickerdoodle cookies have an incredibly soft and chewy texture.
  • Cookies Anytime: This cookie dough freezes great for freshly baked cookies anytime the craving strikes!

Looking for more classic cookie favorites? Try these decadent white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, chewy peanut butter cookies or these soft chocolate chip cookies!

Overhead view of chewy snickerdoodles spread out on the countertop.

What are Snickerdoodle Cookies?

Snickerdoodles are “cousins” to classic sugar cookies (the soft, chewy round ones – not cut out sugar cookies). While traditional sugar cookies are often sprinkled with white sugar or nonpareils, snickerdoodles are rolled and coated in cinnamon sugar – twice as nice!

The main difference lies in a key ingredient: cream of tartar. This, combined with baking soda, gives these cookies an unbelievably chewy, soft texture with a hint of tangy flavor.

Ingredients for snickerdoodle recipe arranged in bowls, from top to bottom: salt, butter, cream of tartar, eggs, vanilla, flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Made with pantry staple ingredients, they’re the perfect cookie to whip up anytime. Absolutely no need to wait for a special occasion! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.

  • Flour: For the most consistent results, use all-purpose flour.
  • Cream of Tartar: This gives the snickerdoodles their distinctive tangy taste.
  • Baking Soda: Do not use baking soda.
  • Butter: For even softer bakery-style cookies, swap half of the butter with shortening.
  • Sugar: I use a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar for the best flavor and texture.
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
Chewy snickerdoodle cookie with cinnamon sugar coating.

How to Make Snickerdoodles

This classic snickerdoodle cookie comes together quickly, so have your ingredients ready to go. Using a hand mixer, or stand mixer, will make the dough come together easily! Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions. 

  • Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Topping: Mix cinnamon and sugar for rolling dough in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Dry Ingredients: Whisk to combine the flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Set aside.
  • Wet Ingredients: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
  • Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat to combine, until just incorporated.
  • Scoop and Roll: Scoop into golf ball-sized dough balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar coating. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving room for spreading.
  • Bake: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, taking care not to overbake. The cookies will firm up as they cool. Rest on a cooling rack for a few minutes and serve warm, or cool and store for later.

Tips & Variations

Truthfully, this snickerdoodle cookie recipe is so easy, it’s almost impossible to mess up!

  • Don’t Over Bake: Take the cookies out just as they begin to turn golden. If they look a touch under baked in the center, they’re perfect! They will set up more as they cool.
  • Properly Measure Flour: Fluff flour in it’s bag or container with a fork and spoon it into a dry measuring cup. Level with the back of a knife.
  • Frost ‘Em: Add a sweet swirl of cream cheese frosting or drizzle with an easy vanilla glaze of powdered sugar and milk. You can also sandwich two cookies together with frosting in the center!
  • Extra Soft: Want your cookies extra soft like from the grocery store bakery? Swap butter for shortening! For the best of both worlds, use half butter and half shortening.
  • Picture-Perfect: If looks matter to you, immediately after baking, use a large biscuit cutter to swirl around the cookies edges. This will make them perfectly round with even edges.
A close up of a stack of soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies.

How to Store Cookies or Freeze Dough

Bake them fresh or freeze them for later, here are all your options for this snickerdoodle recipe:

  • Storage: Cool completely, then store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store with a slice of bread to keep soft, replacing the slice as it becomes stale.
  • Freeze Cookies: For extra protection, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
  • Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, place frozen dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake as directed, but add about 2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Two snickerdoodle cookies on a plate, one with a bite missing
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Recipe
Yield: 32 large cookies

The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe

This soft and chewy snickerdoodle recipe is so good, you may want to make a double batch! Ready in less than 30 minutes, these soft baked cinnamon-sugar cookies are always a crowd favorite and disappear in seconds.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon for rolling

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats) and set aside.
  • In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer (or large bowl with a hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugars until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until dough comes together.
  • In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the topping.
  • Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into rounded balls. Roll dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and set it onto prepared cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.
  • Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to firm up after they are removed from the oven. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

Store: Cool completely, then store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store with a slice of bread to keep soft, replacing the slice as it becomes stale.
Freeze Cookies: For extra protection, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, place frozen dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake as directed, but add about 2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Don’t Over Bake: Take the cookies out just as they begin to turn golden. If they look a touch under baked in the center, they’re perfect! They will set up more as they cool.
Properly Measure Flour: Fluff flour in it’s bag or container with a fork and spoon it into a dry measuring cup. Level with the back of a knife.
Frost ‘Em: Add a sweet swirl of cream cheese frosting or drizzle with an easy vanilla glaze of powdered sugar and milk. You can also sandwich two cookies together with frosting in the center!
Extra Soft: Want your cookies extra soft like from the grocery store bakery? Swap butter for shortening! For the best of both worlds, use half butter and half shortening.
Picture-Perfect: If looks matter to you, immediately after baking, use a large biscuit cutter to swirl around the cookies edges. This will make them perfectly round with even edges.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 100kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 84mg, Sugar: 12g

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Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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10 Responses
  1. Donna

    I made these last night and went exactly by the recipe and they are so good ! At first I thought the dough was too sticky and I had done something wrong like maybe putting in 2 eggs and it only called for 1 … In your instructions it says “add the egg” not eggs and I hit the panic button. ha ha …….Anyway they are perfection. Thanks again for another wonderful recipe.

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      So glad you liked them Donna! I changed it to say “eggs” in the recipe directions so there will not be anymore confusion. :-)

  2. Toni

    Loved these! Mine turned out to be super duper delicious (a little bit too big, as I had trouble with putting the dough on the baking paper whoopsi) and with a fantastic consistency :3 Great recipe!

  3. Nuray

    Hi Jessica! I just wanted to let you know these are amazing! They are def the best snickerdoodles ever and i actually made them slightly better by adding cinnamon chips…..there isnt even one left over! Big hit! Also your measurements are always spot on! Thank you!!!

  4. Joanne

    I wonder if there are actually people there who actually follow the instruction to bring eggs to room temp…because I never do! But I am a fan of no-chill cookie dough..so these sound heavenly.

  5. Danae @ reciperunner

    Snickerdoodle cookies are my favorite! I’m with you I hate cookies that require all those extra steps, especially refrigerating the dough. I can’t be trusted with cookie dough in the fridge, I’ll eat it all before it even makes it to the oven! Saving this recipe for sure!

  6. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

    Oh man!! These cookies look perfect. I don’t mind if cookies are quick or long to make, but I DO like awesome cookies, and these totally fit the bill!

  7. Adrienne | Appetites Anonymous

    Yum yum yum!!! I don’t have much patience so I love that this recipe doesn’t require much waiting! Can’t wait to try these :)

Welcome!

Jessica
I'm a trial & error, self taught, sugar addict who thankfully learned how to survive in the kitchen! I am also a wife, mama of 3.