This is the best snickerdoodle cookie recipe with soft and chewy texture and lots of cinnamon sugar flavor in every bite. This classic cookie is family favorite!
Love cookies? Try my best chocolate chip cookie recipe, snickerdoodle cake mix cookies & m&m cookies.
Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
These snickerdoodle cookies are one of my favorite Christmas cookies and a timeless classic to make anytime of year. I usually always have all the ingredients on hand and is something I know everyone will love.
The best part about this recipe? It only takes about 30 minutes to make and is perfect for the kids to help with. Make these and my brown butter pecan cookies for your cookie exchange this year!
Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Baking staples: All-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar and vanilla extract.
- Cream of tartar: This gives the snickerdoodles their perfect, pillowy top.
- Butter: Creaming this with the sugars help make the cookies airy while still being chewy.
- Vanilla: The vanilla gives the cookies their
- Eggs: The binder that brings it all together and helps activate the baking soda.
- Cinnamon sugar: A coating of cinnamon and sugar gives these cookies their beloved flavor.
How to Make Snickerdoodles
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and the brown sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Then add in the dry ingredients and stir just until smooth. Cover the dough and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch size balls and then roll into the cinnamon sugar. Place onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake in oven at 350°F for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly under cooked and that’s okay. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and they will firm up. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Helpful Baking Tips
- Cream of tartar. See that nice pillow top? That’s from the cream of tartar. You definitely don’t want to make these cookies without it! For an easy cream of tartar substitution replace the cream of tartar and baking soda with 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. You can also add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to mimic a tangy taste.
- To chill the dough or not. Chilling the dough makes them thick and chewy. I usually refrigerate my dough for at least 30 minutes or so but you do not have to chill them!
- Do not flatten. You do not need to flatten the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet prior to going into the oven. The cookies will spread as they bake, while still remaining thick and chewy on the insides.
- Don’t overmix. This causes the cookies to dry out. Mix the dough just until combined to give them that perfect soft texture.
- Don’t overbake. Remove them from the oven when the edges are slightly golden brown. The centers will probably look a little undercooked, but they’ll firm up after about 5 minutes as they cool. Then you’re left with perfectly soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies!
- Double dip in cinnamon sugar: After cookies are cool enough to handle, dip them in cinnamon sugar again for added flavor, texture and crunch.
Other favorite cookie recipes that are easy to make include iced oatmeal cookies, spice cake mix cookies, and iced pumpkin cookies!
More Snickerdoodle Inspired Recipes
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Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter , 2 sticks at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (85 grams) light brown sugar , packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Cinnamon Sugar for Rolling
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and the brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat just until smooth, being careful not to overmix, and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Add in the flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Stir just until smooth. For a thicker cookie you can cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch size balls and then roll into the cinnamon sugar. Place onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly undercooked and that’s okay. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Double roll the dough balls in cinnamon sugar for extra flavor.
- Mix in 1 cup of white chocolate chips for a delicious twist.
- Mix in 1 cup of butterscotch chips (or a mix with white chocolate)
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
“A New England favorite, these crinkly-topped sugar cookies are probably German in origin. Their name may be a corruption of the German word ‘Schneckennudeln,’ which translates roughly as ‘crinkly noodles.” -Robert Patten
What makes snickerdoodle cookies different than a regular sugar cookie, is that they are rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking.
This is a key ingredient when making any classic snickerdoodle recipe. It gives the cookies that famous pillowy top that everyone knows and loves. You won’t get the same results if you make this recipe without it!
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Keep in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months. When ready to eat thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for 15 seconds.
Enjoy! Hope these snickerdoodles become a new staple in your home and win you lots of new friends!
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Holiday Cookies, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
These cookies are so good! They are so perfectly soft and chewy!
We love these snickerdoodle cookies so much! Will make them many more times.
I noticed in the picture with the cookie balls they were placed on what looks like a Silpat with cookie placement. It said “Perfect Cookie”. Where can we find one of those?
Amazon would be the best place to find something similar.
This is my favorite recipe for snickerdoodle cookies. I made them for Thanksgiving.
So glad you love these! Thanks for leaving a comment and review Celeste! :)
Made these cookies for Thanksgiving. This is my favorite snickerdoodle cookie recipe.
I put them in for 30 min. I’m still new to baking. I think I may have possibly measured something wrong. When I took the batter out of the fridge it was really fluffy but when I touched it it would just stick to my fingers. I also could have over mixed. I have been watching some videos on cookies and I think that I could have possibly made some mistakes along the way. They still turned out delicious though just not as pretty as yours lol
I made these tonight and not sure what I did wrong. By the time I took the bowl out of the fridge the cookies were not able to be rolled into balls. I think I made a boo boo
Hi Amber! How long did you refrigerate them? I usually only put them in the fridge for 30 minutes. You could try skipping that step. I’m sorry these didn’t turn out how you expected!
These cookies are really soft and delicious!
Hope you enjoy!
Yum, Jamielyn! Thank you for another goodie.
So delicious! We all loved them
These are great. Thank you!
These are great! I have been looking for a chewy snickerdoodle recipe.
These are absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing :)
They are always a huge hit! Hope you enjoy! :)
I cannot find the printable link for the super soft snickerdoodle cookies recipe.
The recipe is now updated! :)
LOVE!
Oh YuM! I haven’t had a Snicker Doodle cookie in like, forever! Well, at least 20 years! My oldest sister used to make them for her kids and I’d enjoy a few when I visited. These bring back such sweet memories! So delicious…thank you!
Snickerdoodles are often a forgotten cookie! Definitely add them to your baking list, they are amazing!! :)
Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie ever! These super simple for my lack of baking skills LOL
They really are so easy and delicious! You got this! ;)
I do not see the recipe for original cookies
The recipe is now up and running! :)