The best Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe! This Recipe for Snickerdoodles is soft, chewy, and full of cinnamon! Delicious & easy to make.
No holiday season is complete without Snickerdoodles. Soft chewy centers, crispy edges dusted in cinnamon sugar - they're truly the best holiday cookie!
Pile them high on your cookie tray alongside Brownie Cookies and Thumbprint Cookies for the ultimate holiday treat.
Just like our popular Sugar Cookie Bars and Shortbread Cookies, this recipe transforms basic ingredients into a delicious treat without the fuss.
Why you'll love this Soft Snickerdoodle Recipe
- Delicious: Even though this recipe is made with only a few ingredients it’s loaded with flavor. Check out the blue section for other tasty variations of this cookie.
- Perfect Texture: These cookies have a crispy outside with a soft, chewy center.
- Total Comfort Food: There is always that feel-good feeling about making and eating classic desserts.
Ingredients
For the snickerdoodle cookie you'll need
- salted butter
- white sugar & brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- cream of tartar & baking soda - don't skip the cream of tartar, it's what makes these cookies chewy!
- ground nutmeg & ground cinnamon
Substitutions
Salted Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy-free butter but it might work!
White Sugar: We don't recommend substituting white sugar unless you have to.
Brown Sugar: White sugar can be used interchangeably with brown sugar. You can add 1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 cup white sugar to make brown sugar.
Light Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar can be substituted with dark brown sugar or a mixture of the two if that's what you have.
Vanilla Extract: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Cream of Tartar: Added to help activate the baking soda. It's also what makes these cookies chewy!
Baking Soda: Baking soda is essential for this recipe. Do not substitute with baking powder.
Ground Nutmeg & Ground Cinnamon: We don't recommend substituting either as these are is essential snickerdoodle cookie ingredients.
How to make Homemade Snickerdoodles
- Cream softened butter and white and brown sugar to a stand mixer for 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Continue beating for a further 2 minutes.
- While that is beating, in a medium bowl add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon and mix with a whisk.
- Mix together dry ingredients with wet ingredients until combined.
- Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- In a small bowl mix the topping ingredients
- Using a cookie scoop, or a spoon scoop about 2 Tablespoons of the cookie dough and work it into a ball.
- Roll in the topping mix then place on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Liz's Tips & Variations
- Chai it up: Add chai seasonings to the cookie dough and the cinnamon sugar topping mixture.
- Chocolate Snickerdoodles: Replace ¼ cup of all-purpose flour with cocoa powder.
- More Flavor: Add a tablespoon of chilled coffee or espresso to the wet ingredients for a unique flavor.
- Serve them on a cookie tray with: Jam Thumbprint Cookies and Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Storage
Storing: Store baked snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Freezing: Freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe Ziploc or airtight container for up to 6 months.
Freezing Cookie Dough: You can freeze this cookie dough. Scoop into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or use these cookie dough freezing trays. Don't roll them in sugar until you're ready to bake!
Check out this post for How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips on saving cookie dough for later.
Recipe for Snickerdoodles FAQs
While both sugar cookies and snickerdoodle cookies contain mostly the same ingredients, traditionally snickerdoodles are made with the addition of Cream of Tartar. The cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their slightly tangy flavor, which pairs nicely with the cinnamon sugar topping.
Cream of tartar helps to create that traditional snickerdoodle tangy flavor. Without it, the cookies would likely taste like a normal sugar cookie. In addition to flavor, cream of tartar gives the snickerdoodle it's lovely puffy look and chewy texture. Don't wouldn't skip it!
Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
- No Bake Oatmeal Cookies
- Crispy Gingersnap Cookies
- Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
- 80 Best Christmas Cookies
- Lemon Cool Whip Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Best Recipe for Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup salted butter softened room temp
- 1 cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Topping
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, mix together softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Continue mixing for a 2 more minutes.
- While that is mixing, in a separate bowl add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix with a whisk.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients while it is still beating. Once combined turn off the mixer.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon topping ingredients.
- Using a cookie scoop, or a spoon scoop about 2 Tablespoons of the cookie dough and work into a ball.
- Roll the dough in the topping mix until coated then place on the cookie sheet. Space about 3” apart.
- Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes at 375.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
Amy Woods
These cookies were delicious! So easy to make. I took them camping and everyone loved them. They will definitely be in my cookie rotation! Thank you.
Yanhel
This recipe was so easy to follow and they are the best snickerdoodle cookies I have ever had. They taste like cookies from a fancy bakery!