Snickerdoodle Cookies
These soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies with a hint of cinnamon are true classic!
Can we all agree that snickerdoodles are the unofficial cookie of fall? It’s all I’ve wanted to bake lately, and I’m sharing them with everyone who’ll let me. I’m taking them to play dates, little league, and even my running club.
Their thin crunchy cinnamon-sugar exterior gives way a very soft cake-like center. They are light, flavorful, and require no chilling before baking. This recipe has been a family favorite since I was a kid and I’m so happy to share it with you!
What are Snickerdoodles?
Snickerdoodle cookies are basically soft sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. They’re simple and uncomplicated, and that’s probably one of my favorite thing about them.
I have made a few slight adjustments to my Mom’s snickerdoodle recipe to up the flavor even more— subbing some of the granulated sugar for light or dark brown sugar, and adding a little ground cinnamon into the cookie dough. Nothing major, these cookies are still so easy to bake!
Snickerdoodle FAQs
While this cookie recipe is pretty straightforward, here are some commonly asked questions:
Do I need to use cream of tartar?
Cream of tartar is one of the signature ingredients in snickerdoodles and gives them their classic tangy flavor. Most recipes (including this one) call for baking soda + cream of tartar. However, baking powder is a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar, so if you find yourself without cream of tartar there is a solution! Simply replace both the baking soda and cream of tartar in this recipe with 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder.
How do I know when Snickerdoodles are done?
The end goal is a soft white cookie so it’s hard to know when they’re done. If you wait until they start to brown, they will be over baked and crispy instead of soft. The best thing to do is to follow the baking time as listed in the recipe. Every oven is different however, and so that’s why I give a range of 9-11 minutes.
Cookies should no longer appear wet and shiny, and instead look puffed with a few small cracks on top. When in doubt, bake a few as a test and find the sweet spot for your oven.
If you’re a fan of a more firmer cookie, just let them bake for an extra minute or two.
Why did my cookies spread?
This is a question I get with most of my cookie recipes. Usually, it’s because of one of these reasons:
- You started with butter that was too warm. Butter that’s already a little bit melty will cause flat melty cookies. Butter should be soft enough that your finger leaves an indent, but not so soft that you can easily press your finger all the way through it. Next time to need room temperature butter fast, skip the microwave and check out these tips for getting butter up to temperature quickly.
- You didn’t beat the butter and sugars long enough. “Creaming” these ingredients together incorporates air into the dough, which helps with rise. No trapped air means less of a rise and a flatter cookie.
- You’re reusing hot baking sheets. Placing cookie dough on a hot sheet pan means it starts melting and spreading right away. Rotate with 2 pans so you have time to let one cool while the other one is in the oven. These are the sheet pans I use and love.
Try These Other Snickerdoodle Recipes
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Recipe originally published March 2011.
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (170 grams)
- 1 ¼ granulated sugar , divided (250 grams)
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar (70 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (330 grams)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon , divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and brown sugar on medium high speed until light and creamy. Add the eggs and beat to combine, scraping the bowl down as necessary.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add to the the stand mixer and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the cookie dough into rounded tablespoons and roll in the cinnamon sugar. Place evenly on the prepared cookies sheets.
- Bake until they are puffed and slightly cracked, about 9-11 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
Hey, just a quick follow-up on my earlier comments – I tried your recipe with white sugar the other day and had AMAZING results, flavour & texture wise!! They did not look as pretty as yours (they did not sink in the middle after baking, but I also had to use baking powder), but these tasted so good I will just keep on trying 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog! Beautiful photographs! I have to admit- I seem to gravitate toward baking over everything. Must be that sweet tooth. Can't wait to peruse your sight in more depth:-)
Thanks for the tip, Annalise – I might indeed not have beaten the butter & sugar long enough, as the mixture still looked quite dark – I'll try to cream it longer next time; I didnt't know this can make such a difference! Overall, I like the idea of brown sugar in these cookies as I think it gives them quite a bit of depth flavourwise.
Anna,
I did in fact use brown sugar. My original recipe called for white sugar but I decided this time to play around with the brown. I like the darker flavor it brought to the snickerdoodles, but white would be equally delicious.
I wonder if you didn't fully cream the butter and the brown sugar? Beating it on high for several minutes makes it lighter in texture and color, almost to the point that you wouldn't be able to tell brown sugar vs white.
I just made these but while I quite like their taste & texture (except that I find them a bit too sweet, so I would go for 3/4 cup of sugar max. next time), they do not look nearly as light as yours in the pictures – did you really use brown sugar as the recipe says? Mine have a distinct molasses taste I am not sure Snickerdoodles are supposed to have…
It was so nice to meet you today! I've scrolled through your posts and your recipes look delicious. And next time you need someone to share cookies with, I'm here for ya!
These are my absolute favorite cookies! They look magnificent, Annalise. There's nothing better than soft snickerdoodles straight out of the oven. Thanks for sharing! I'll have to try these soon.
Those look amazing! Snickerdoodles are awesome.
These look like the perfect sweet, pillowy soft therapy for a bad day. Or a good day. Or any day. 🙂 Lovely pics, too!
Oops! I meant to say stomach ache. No idea how that came out as agke.
It's so funny you post this because I just found this container of cinnamon sugar in my cupboard that I had made a while back but forgot about! I could tooootally go for some snickerdoodle cookies right now… maybe even enough to give me a stomach agke!
My favorite cookie! Love your blog!
Snickerdoodles looks super pretty and excellent..
These look absolutely gorgeous. I'd never heard of snickerdoodle before and in the past two days, I found a recipe for Snickerdoodle muffins and now this! It's a sign, I guess! They look good, will need to make some asap!
These look great! I love snickerdoodles:) Simple but sweet!