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These easy Snickerdoodles are soft, chewy and slightly tangy. They come together in about 30 minutes with no need to chill the cookie dough. This classic cookie is coated in cinnamon sugar, delicious and totally addicting!
Table of Contents
- Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles
- Why You’ll Love This Snickerdoodles Recipe
- What Are Snickerdoodles?
- Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Snickerdoodles
- Can I Make The Dough In Advance?
- Tips for the Best Snickerdoodle Cookies
- How to Store Snickerdoodle Cookies
- More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Watch How to Make Snickerdoodles
- Get the Recipe
Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles
I have been searching for the perfect snickerdoodle recipe for a long time. After much trial and error, I finally got it right. This foolproof recipe makes pillowy-soft snickerdoodle cookies with just the right amount of cinnamon. Thick, but not too thick, they have the perfect hint of a crunch on the outside from their glorious cinnamon sugar coating and just the right amount of chew on the inside. The classic sweetness of the sugar cookie with just a hint of tanginess from the cream of tarter blends wonderfully with the comforting warmth of cinnamon. Gosh, they are so good!
These snickerdoodles are not only delicious but they are quick and easy to prepare. You don’t even have to chill the dough before you bake them. Cookies in less than 30 minutes anyone? I’m in!
Why You’ll Love This Snickerdoodles Recipe
These really are some of the best cookies I have ever tasted. Here are just a few of the reasons I think they are so outstanding.
- No chilling necessary. Unlike many cookie recipes that require you to chill the cookie dough before you bake, this one does not. This makes them so much quicker and easier to make, but they aren’t lacking in any way from not being refrigerated.
- Simple ingredients. This recipe requires only a few simple ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen. It’s the perfect spur-of-the-moment recipe.
- Flavor. These cookies have the sweetness you’d expect from a sugar cookie with a hint of tang from the cream of tarter. Pair that with the perfect amount of cinnamon and you’ve got a 100% crave-able cookie.
- Soft and chewy cookies. These snickerdoodles are the perfect thickness and wonderfully soft and chewy on the inside. Everything you could dream of in a cookie. Plus, they have just the tiniest bit of crunch from the cinnamon sugar coating that envelopes them. The combination is to die for.
What Are Snickerdoodles?
A snickerdoodle is a popular type of sugar cookie. What sets it apart from other sugar cookies? Cream of tarter is added to the dough to give a subtle tang and an addictive chewiness to the finished product. In addition, the dough balls are rolled in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before they are baked, which gives the cookies a wonderful warmth and an extra boost of sweetness.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll only need a few basic ingredients to make these easy snickerdoodle cookies. Here they are. For precise measurements, scroll to the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour accurately or you’ll end up with dry cookies. I prefer a food scale, but the spoon and level method works too. Just be sure not to pack your flour into your measuring cup.
- Cream of tartar – Don’t skip this. It brings a wonderful chewiness and a lovely tang to the finished cookies.
- Baking soda – For just the right rise and chewiness.
- Salt – To accent the flavors in the cookies.
- Unsalted butter – The butter must be at room temperature, otherwise, it won’t cream with the sugar properly.
- Sugar – Sugar adds sweetness and helps to make the cookies tender.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor.
- Ground cinnamon – For rolling the cookies.
How to Make Snickerdoodles
Here’s a quick look at how to make this chewy snickerdoodle recipe. Make sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Beat together the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until fluffy and light in color.
- Put it all together. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla and the dry ingredients.
- Coat the cookies in cinnamon sugar. Whisk together the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Roll the cookie dough into balls and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake. Arrange the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
Can I Make The Dough In Advance?
Absolutely! Simply wrap the dough in a tight layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 48 hours. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once you’re ready to bake your cookies, let the dough sit at room temperature until it’s soft enough to scoop. Make dough balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar, arrange them on a baking sheet, and bake.
- Use a dark cookie sheet. Did you know that the color of the cookie sheet actually has an effect on how quickly your cookies bake? A dark color will absorb heat more quickly, which helps set the edges without causing the cookies to spread. That’s exactly what you want here, so grab the darkest pan you’ve got!
- Measure correctly. Baking is a science. Even when you are attempting the simplest of recipes, it is crucial to measure correctly, especially when it comes to flour. If you want to achieve the perfect light, chewy texture, check out my tutorial on How to Measure Flour Correctly.
- Cream thoroughly. Creaming the butter properly brings a nice light and fluffy texture to these cookies. Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and noticeably lighter in color. Otherwise, you will likely end up with overly dense cookies.
- Don’t over-mix. Mix just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing the batter can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, leaving you with tough, dense cookies.
- Get the temperature right. Most cookies bake at 350°F, but these ones require a higher temperature (400°F) to stop them from spreading too thin. Stick with the instructions in the recipe if you want that classic soft and chewy snickerdoodle texture.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Seal the container and store them at room temperature for up to 1 week. Do not store these in the fridge. They will dry out.
Can I Freeze Them?
Yes! There are a couple of ways to go about it.
- Freeze the baked cookies. Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, seal them in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature.
- Freeze the cookie dough. Form the dough into balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Arrange them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and pop them in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Once frozen solid, seal the dough balls in a freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can bake them directly from frozen. Just add an extra minute or two to the cook time.
Cookies are the perfect quick and easy solution to dessert. I’m always on a mission to develop new, easy cookie recipes to share with you. Here are some of my favorites.
Watch How to Make Snickerdoodles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 45
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tender, buttery and slightly tangy sugar cookies are coated in cinnamon sugar and baked to perfection in this classic dessert! Whip up a batch of these Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies and experience blissful comfort with each cozy bite.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (358g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar, plus 3 tbsp for rolling
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a cookie sheet (I recommend a darker cookie sheet) with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Add the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar to a large mixer bowl and cream until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon in another small bowl.
- Create balls of one tablespoon of cookie dough each.
- Roll each ball of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then set on the prepared cookie sheet with about 2 inches between them.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
- Store cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
- Makes 40-45 cookies.
- To Make Ahead: Wrap dough in a tight layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, let dough sit at room temperature until soft enough to scoop.
- To Store: Keep cooled snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Freeze cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months, thawing before enjoying. Alternatively, freeze formed and coated dough balls on a lined baking sheet for 3-4 hours, or until frozen solid. Transfer frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, increasing cook time by 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie Ball
- Calories: 86
- Sugar: 6.7 g
- Sodium: 57.7 mg
- Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.9 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 16.4 mg
Good for xmas
This was so good but I do have 2 things. My cookies spread flat and looked cracked instead like it does in the pic. Is there a reason why?
Spread flat as in thinner than what the picture looks like? It’s hard to say from a distance, but it sounds like maybe an ingredient was a mismeasured or something.
I accidentally mixed the cinnamon into the batter, do you think it will taste the same, or should I put in more of another ingredient to tone down the cinnamon? Also, should I still add the same amount of cinnamon to the outside of the cookie?
It should be fine. I wouldn’t add anything additional. I’d still add the cinnamon to the outside. They’ll just have a little more cinnamon flavor, which wouldn’t bother me at all.
I haven’t made these since high school omg these are delicious!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe is the best one I have used. I have had four people that didn’t like snickerdoodles go nuts over these. They are so soft and chewy. And the perfect amount of cinnamon on the out side. This year I’m going to use colored sugar to mix it up and make them a little more festive!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can you use baking powder as a substitute for the cream of tartar?
I’m sorry but no, the two work differently.
Hi Lindsay! I made your mini chocolate chip Chipwiches a few weeks ago and they were a HUGE hit! This time I want to try making them with Snickerdoodles and rolled in cinnamon chips. My question is should I press down the dough balls before baking to make them a bit more flat like the original Chipwiches? Or will they spread enough in your opinion? Any other suggestions? TIA! You’re my go to for all baking 🙂
I would probably press them down a little bit to make them thinner. I hope you enjoy them! So glad to hear you enjoyed the chipwiches!
Thank you for the quick response 🙂
I had a hard time getting the recipe to stay in one place so I could read it without scrolling down multiple times. Maybe this is a Pinterest issue?
It was really annoying.
But…the cookies were great!
I guess it depends on if you were viewing it purely on my website or through a Pinterest window. I’m not sure. I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies though!
I brought these cookies to work and sent some with my husband to bring to his work and EVERYBODY raved about them! And they’re so easy to make!!!
Wonderful! So glad they were a hit!
Delicious! I adjusted the sugar and baking soda for high altitude and they turned out perfectly. I would definitely bake these again.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made it how the direction says but it has the consistency of cake batter and not cookie dough. Any tips?
It sounds like an ingredient wasn’t measured properly.
Can this be used to make a snickerdoodle cookie cake?
It would likely need a little adjusting. I might use my sugar cookie cake and add some cinnamon sugar to it.
Is it okay if I just use a dark cookie sheet with cooking spray without parchment paper or a silicone mat?
I don’t really recommend that, but you could. Cookies bake differently based on how you set up the cookie sheet. They’re going spread a little differently, probably more, and be much more brown on the bottom. Especially if it’s a dark colored cookie sheet.
I made these cookies for my coworkers the other day and have heard no stop compliments from them since then! All of them were raving about how these snickerdoodles were the best they have ever had. I did accidentally double the vanilla but it certainly did not hurt them!
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
Chewy goodness. EVERYONE loved them at a Bridal Shower I brought them to.
So glad to hear that!
Can these be frozen?
Yes, that should be fine.
I totally agree with you!
Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies – can’t wait t give this a try. Do you have any suggestions for baking at higher altitudes?
I can’t really help with high altitude baking, but I’m told this guide is a good one. https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/high-altitude-baking-guide/
One of the best snickerdoodle cookies. Also works great as a sugar cookie
Glad you enjoyed it!
Does the bake time change for different areas? My cookies definitely weren’t ready after 8 minutes.
Not typically by area, but ovens do certainly differ. Also, you want to remove them before they look fully baked. They will firm up as they cool. If you only remove them when they look super done, they will end up dry.