The BEST Snickerdoodle recipe I’ve ever tasted! These snickerdoodles are super soft, slightly chewy, and filled with cinnamon.
Looking for more easy, delicious cookie recipes? You’ll love our chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and sugar cookies.
Although snickerdoodles make a perfect cookie any time of the year, I always think of them as Christmas cookies since a friend of our family gave me the recipe as one of my presents when we were first married. This has been a family favorite recipe for over 27 years!
Snickerdoodle Recipe
As she pressed the recipe into my hand, she said, “You’ll want to make these at Christmas. We make them each year when we’re decorating the tree.”
I’m not certain why I remember her saying that to me so vividly all those years ago, but each year as I’ve strung popcorn onto string for our tree, I think of her and her snickerdoodles.
I’ve tweaked her snickerdoodle recipe slightly, just to suit my tastes more than anything, and we can’t get enough of them. Soft, tender, just slightly fat and fluffy, the perfect tangy flavor you expect in snickerdoodles, and the essential cinnamon sugar coating on the outside. In other words, simple classic snickerdoodle perfection.
Why You’ll Love this Snickerdoodle Recipe
Taste. Snickerdoodles have a signature sweet yet tangy flavor.
Easy. This is an easy cookie recipe perfect for beginning bakers!
Texture. This recipe gives you soft, tender, fluffy snickerdoodle cookies that everyone loves!
How to Make Snickerdoodles
This delicious cookie recipe comes together so quickly and easily. It is great to have younger children help make these cookies for beginning bakers and also for busy home cooks.
Ingredients You’ll Need for this Recipe
Snickerdoodles are made the traditional cookie ingredients, along with a star ingredient that really makes it: butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar.
If you don’t have the cream of tartar on hand, you can make snickerdoodles without cream of tartar. This is key to give the cookie its texture, flavor, and separate it from other buttery cookies. Here’s how you make your cream of tartar substitute in a pinch.
Cream of Tartar Substitute. Replace the cream of tartar and the baking soda in the recipe with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Mix wet ingredients. Cream together the butter and both the granulated sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
Whisk dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the ground cinnamon and sugar. Set it aside.
Make cookie dough. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined.
Shape dough. Scoop 1-inch balls of the cookie dough and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. You can use a cookie scoop or a spoon! So easy!
Bake. Place the cinnamon sugar-coated cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Make Ahead Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
These cookies are excellent to make ahead, especially throughout the holidays. Simply prepare the cookies as instructed and then store in an airtight container for up to a week.
If you’d like to make them more in advance, use the Freezer Friendly instructions below.
How to Freeze Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
There are a few ways to make these delicious cookies ahead of time to freeze them.
Freeze the Baked Cookies:
To freeze the baked cookies, cool the cookies completely and then freeze on the baking sheet. When the cookies have frozen solid, about 30 minutes, store the cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow the cookies to reach room temperature.
Freeze the Cookie Dough:
To freeze the cookie dough, roll the cookies to form the cookie dough balls and then place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze completely on the baking sheet. Once the cookies have frozen solid, about 30 minutes, transfer the cookies to an airtight, freezer-safe container to freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow the cookies to thaw in the refrigerator and then bake as instructed.
Here’s our Snickerdoodles recipe. So simple, yet so very delicious.
Related Recipes
Snickerdoodles Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º F.
- Cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla.
- Whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly incorporate into the butter and sugar mixture.
- Mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Scoop cookie dough by the tablespoon full and roll into a ball. Roll the ball into the prepared sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place onto a large cookie sheet, about 2-3 inches apart.
- Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes until cookies have lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Notes
Make Ahead Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
These cookies are excellent to make ahead, especially throughout the holidays. Simply prepare the cookies as instructed and then store in an airtight container for up to a week. If you’d like to make them more in advance, use the Freezer Friendly instructions below.How to Freeze Snickerdoodle Cookies
There are a few ways to make these delicious cookies ahead of time to freeze them.Freeze the Baked Cookies:
To freeze the baked cookies, cool the cookies completely and then freeze on the baking sheet. When the cookies have frozen solid, about 30 minutes, store the cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow the cookies to reach room temperature.Freeze the Cookie Dough:
To freeze the cookie dough, roll the cookies to form the cookie dough balls and then place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze completely on the baking sheet. Once the cookies have frozen solid, about 30 minutes, transfer the cookies to an airtight, freezer-safe container to freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow the cookies to thaw in the refrigerator and then bake as instructed.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2010.
The cookies are wonderfully soft and have received complements every time I have taken them to family events. The cookies are always the first to be disappear.
Melody, I’m glad your family loves these Snickerdoodles. They have been a favorite in my husband’s family for years.
What should I do for high altitude
The best site I have found for baking at high altitudes is the Colorado State University Extension, Sharon. I hope this helps.
Debbie, I’m sorry the instructions had baking powder included which is not in the recipe. Thanks so much for catching that.
Beautiful ! So inviting and tasty !