Name: Snickerdoodle Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3 cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour; 2 tsp cream of tartar; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 ⅓ tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp salt; 1 cup or 16 tbsp softened, unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar; 1 egg + 1 yolk, room temperature; 2 ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract; ⅓ cup granulated sugar; 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

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For as long as I can remember, Funfetti cupcakes and Snickerdoodle cookies have always been the best-sellers in my bakery during the holiday seasons.

Classic Snickerdoodles are super yummy and easy to whip up; I even trust my husband and kiddos to help me bake them whenever I am drowning in customer orders. Seriously, if they can do it, anyone can!

Why The Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe Is A Huge Hit

The base of this Snickerdoodle is the same as a classic sugar cookie — buttery and sweet, with a tangy twist from the cream of tartar. The cream also gives it a soft, chewy texture and subtle crisp around the edges. Talk about a mouthwatering combo!
Making Snickerdoodles is a breeze, which just takes you around half an hour. You probably have all the ingredients sitting in your pantry right now! Rolling the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mix also sounds fun, especially if you’ve got some little helpers (aka your curious, excited kids) around the kitchen.
Flavor aside, the name Snickerdoodle itself already cheers everyone up. I bet you’re “snickering” while reading this! These babies will be the perfect mood boosters for holidays, birthday parties, potlucks, or even a random cozy evening. Want a more luscious mouthfeel? Try my Snickerdoodle cupcakes!

5 Basic Steps To Make Snickerdoodle Cookies

Step 1.

First, preheat your oven to 375°F (or 190°C) and grab two big cookie sheets. Line them with silicone baking mats or parchment paper; trust me, it’ll save you some sticky situations later.

Step 2.

Now, let’s whip up our toppings. Mix cinnamon and granulated sugar in a bowl — easy peasy.

Step 3.

For the cookies, grab another bowl and whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon. In a larger bowl, cream the unsalted butter and sugar at high mixer speed until smooth. Then, toss in the egg, yolk, and a little vanilla extract and mix it all up at medium-high until combined.

Remember to scrape the bowl as you go. Then, with your mixer whirling at low speed, gradually add our dry ingredients to wet in three big batches. The dough will be pretty thick, so brace yourself!

Step 4.

Now comes the fun part – rolling the dough into small balls! Aim for around 1 ½ tablespoons of dough for each ball. Once these balls are all rolled out, give them a good coat in the cinnamon-sugar mix and space them on your baking sheets (3 to 3.5 inches apart should do).

Step 5.

Pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes — they’ll come out all soft and puffy. While they’re still warm, gently press them down with a fork or spoon to flatten their tops.

Let them cool on your prepared baking sheets for 8 to 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to chill completely. And there you have it — delicious, homemade Snickerdoodle cookies!

Notes

1. Always (and I said ALWAYS) make sure the egg and butter are at room temperature before you start!

Room-temperature butter blends much more smoothly with sugar and traps WAY less air. On the other hand, cold butter holds more air when creamed with sugar, which expands during baking and creates a very unpleasant cakey texture. That’s not what we are after; we want our Snickerdoodles to be soft and chewy.

Similarly, cold eggs will toughen the Snickerdoodle cookie dough like crazy. Use room-temperature eggs to yield a better, more tender cookie!

2. The dough doesn’t need to be chilled in the fridge, but if your cravings can wait for a few hours, then why not?

Chilling dough serves two huge purposes. First, cold fat (butter) melts slower during baking, so our cookies will spread less and stay chewier. Also, the flavors will meld beautifully into each other and bring out a more developed taste. Truly a double-kill!

3. Many of you want to mix the dough hard until everything’s mixed in. But hold your horses. Sure, overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, but that’s only great for bread structure. We are making chewy cookies, remember?

So, when you mix the dry and wet ingredients, stop once everything is JUST combined. A few streaks of flour are okay — they will disappear during baking.

4. Of course, the cinnamon sugar coating is hard to resist, but many other options are on the table if you’re in the mood for some experiments!

Like with pumpkin cookies, I sometimes add a pinch of nutmeg or ginger to the cinnamon sugar to give the flavor a warm twist. You can also use both granulated and brown sugar in this coating; the deep molasses kick brought out by brown sugar is truly something else, trust me.

5. Are you up for some crinkled snickerdoodles? Easy peasy!

You only need to dip the dough balls in granulated sugar before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. As the granulated sugar melts much faster than the larger crystals in the cinnamon sugar, the tops will crackle slightly during baking and give us a lovely crinkled texture.

6. I prefer fresh snickerdoodles but feel free to store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Note that the cookies will soften slightly during that time! For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 3 months, then thaw them at room temperature before serving.

FAQs

Can I Make Snickerdoodles Without Cream Of Tartar?

Totally! You can leave it out or replace it with a leavening agent (like baking soda). The cookies might be slightly denser, but they will still be soft and chewy, perfect for a quick treat!

Can I Replace All-Purpose Flour With Whole Wheat Flour?

Sure, but be aware that this change might alter the texture of your cookies to something denser and less chewy. To play it safe, you should only replace up to half of the all-purpose flour and see how it turns out!

Happy baking!