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    You are here: Home / Desserts / Cookies / Snickerdoodles (Buttery, Soft, & Chewy!)

    Snickerdoodles (Buttery, Soft, & Chewy!)

    November 13, 2019 By Sam 127 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    snickerdoodles arranged in metal tin

    Soft, buttery, chewy, classic Snickerdoodle Cookies that all but melt in your mouth. This recipe is super simple, includes a special ingredient for extra-soft cookies, and requires no chilling, which means you can have perfect warm Snickerdoodles in under 30 minutes!

    Snickerdoodles are a traditional Christmas Cookie in my house and one of my family’s all-time favorites!

    Freshly baked Snickerdoodles in a metal tin. Showing the crackly tops of the cookies.

    Snickerdoodles

    Christmas cookie season was always serious growing up. Every year my mom would (and still does!) mass-produce the classics: Snickerdoodles, oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and sugar cookies.

    While I was happy to eat my weight in the other cookies she made, the Snickerdoodle cookies never really impressed me. My mom is a great cook and a great baker (she helps with testing and perfecting so many of my recipes) but the Snickerdoodle cookies she made would always be a bit… dry and crumbly. If you know how I feel about cookies, they should always be soft, buttery, and chewy. The word “dry” shouldn’t even be a thought in your mind.

    It took a lot of tweaking and taste-testing, but I’m so excited to share my tested and perfected (Mom-approved) Snickerdoodles recipe. This one is made with butter instead of shortening (my mom’s used shortening, but if you recall from my peanut butter blossoms I’m a butter kind of person!) and a few key tweaks that make the cookies extra soft.

    Ingredients for this Snickerdoodle cookie recipe

    Ingredients for Snickerdoodles

    Snickerdoodle cookie dough in mixer bowl

    What You Need:

    • Butter. I use unsalted and add salt so that we have better control over the flavor of our cookies. Make sure your butter is softened before beginning.
    • Sugar. Granulated.
    • Eggs. We’re using one large egg and one egg yolk. This extra yolk helps make the cookies particularly soft and tender. Using two whole eggs would make the cookies a bit too puffy and cakey.
    • Vanilla extract. Just a splash.
    • Flour. Use all-purpose (“plain”) flour.
    • Corn starch. My favorite secret ingredient for super soft cookies! It helps make the cookies tender while at the same time keeping them from spreading too much. I use this ingredient in so many of my favorite cookies (like my peanut butter cookies!).
    • Baking soda.
    • Cream of tartar. This is a critical Snickerdoodle ingredient and provides that signature tang. In the past I have had mixed results using cream of tartar substitutes but as a rule I don’t recommend substituting the cream of tartar. It’s what makes a Snickerdoodle a Snickerdoodle!
    • Salt. For flavor, of course!

    You’ll also need an electric mixer or stand mixer for creaming your ingredients together.

    Making Snickerdoodles: rolling snickerdoodle cookie dough through cinnamon and sugar

    How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookies

    These cookies are easy and the printable recipe is below, but here are a few key steps and tips that might be helpful!

    1. Cream together wet ingredients. Start by creaming together (with an electric mixer) your butter and sugar (I know, sugar appears dry but in baking it is actually considered a “wet” ingredient. Stir in an egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. For best results all of your ingredients should be at room temperature.
    2. Stir together dry ingredients. Do this in a separate bowl. Make sure they are thoroughly combined.
    3. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. When making cookies it is less critical that you avoid over-beating your ingredients than it is with cakes, but I still recommend you avoid beating your ingredients on too high of a speed for too long, which can contribute to puffy, cakey, dry cookies.
    4. Roll cookie dough into balls, then roll through cinnamon/sugar before baking. Space your cookies at least 2″ apart as they will spread a bit in the oven. I recommend baking cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, it makes cleanup much easier!
    5. Allow to cool before enjoying! When your cookies are finished baking they should have pretty crackly centers and they may also appear just a touch under-baked. This is good! You want to let your cookies cool completely on the baking sheet (they would be too fragile to move, anyway) and they will finish baking all the way there. If your cookies were to come out of the oven fully baked, they would continue to bake as they cooled, which actually leaves you with over-baked, dry, crumbly cookies. My method of cooling them and letting them finish baking on the cookie tray leaves you with soft, chewy cookies!

    These Snickerdoodles will stay soft and fresh for up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature.

    A stack of Snickerdoodle Cookies

    If you’re a fan of crunchy cookies (is anyone?) or puffy, cakey cookies, I’m afraid these might not be for you. I like my Snickerdoodle cookies soft, buttery, crinkly and chewy and these are just that, nearly melting in your mouth with each bite. Enjoy!

    More Classic Cookie Recipes to Try:

    • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
    • Butter Cookies
    • Spritz Cookies
    • Gingerbread Cookies
    Snickerdoodle cookies stacked in tin

    Snickerdoodle Cookies

    You are going to LOVE these soft, chewy, buttery Snickerdoodle Cookies! With NO CHILLING required they are ready in under 30 minutes!
    4.89 from 36 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 24 cookies
    Calories: 194kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter (226g) softened to room temperature
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
    • 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour (see my post on how to measure flour properly to avoid cookies that are dry) (375g)
    • 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
    • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

    For rolling

    • ½ cup granulated sugar (50g)
    • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F¹ (175C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper
    • In stand mixer or with hand mixer cream butter and sugar together on medium-low speed until combined.
    • Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, stirring again until combined. Pause to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
    • In separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
    • With mixer on low speed, gradually stir flour mixture into your butter mixture until completely combined (the dough becomes fairly thick, and you will need to scrape the sides/bottom of the bowl several times to ensure it is well combined).
    • In a separate small bowl, stir together cinnamon and sugar for rolling. 
    • Roll dough into 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized balls and roll in your cinnamon/sugar mixture. 
    • Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake on 350F (175C) for 11-12 minutes, the centers may appear slightly under-done still and that is OK! Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet where they will finish baking without drying out or becoming hard or crumbly.

    Notes

    Never place cookie dough on hot cookie sheet, it will melt and you will have extremely thin cookies.

    ¹Recipe Update Note:

    When I originally published this recipe I recommended baking the cookies at 375F (190C) for 10 minutes. That will still work (and work well!), but I've found that baking them at 350F (175C) for 11-12 minutes yields even softer, chewier cookies and now recommend that.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 249IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    This Snickerdoodle recipe was originally published 04/18/2016.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christine

      January 22, 2022 at 6:09 pm

      5 stars
      2nd time making these snickerdoodles , they are THE BEST EVER . 🥰

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        January 24, 2022 at 2:38 pm

        Thank you so much, Christine! We’re so happy you like our recipe 😊

        Reply
    2. Melissa

      January 19, 2022 at 2:15 am

      5 stars
      These are the best snickerdoodle cookies I’ve ever had! Thank you for another great recipe.

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        January 19, 2022 at 9:34 am

        That’s so nice to hear, Melissa! We’re so happy you like them ❤️ Thanks for coming back to leave a review–enjoy!

        Reply
    3. Cindy C.

      December 22, 2021 at 1:05 pm

      I’ve made these in the past and they were delicious! I would like to make the batter a day ahead and refrigerate over night before baking, Would that work or mess with the chemistry?
      Thanks Sam!

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 18, 2022 at 1:41 pm

        Hi Cindy! I’m sorry for the delayed response! You could certainly make them a day ahead of time. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Nicole

      December 20, 2021 at 10:58 am

      I’m not criticizing your recipe, Ssm, I think you’re brilliant! However, just a note, I always add ground nutmeg instead of cinnamon to the dough and then of course roll these in cinnamon/sugar…makes them taste like eggnog!!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        December 22, 2021 at 5:01 pm

        Sounds delicious, Nicole! We’ll have to try it sometime 😊

        Reply
    5. Nyaziah

      December 20, 2021 at 1:36 am

      5 stars
      I’m planning my my Christmas Eve cookie boxes and I wanted to know how I can get a flatter snickerdoodle. Is that possible?

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 26, 2021 at 6:45 pm

        Hi Nyaziah! These aren’t a very thick cookie, if yours come out thicker make you are measuring your flour properly. Enjoy! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Christina B

      December 18, 2021 at 1:06 pm

      I’m working on my Christmas cookie exchange & these were easy & most delicious! They came out perfectly! Thank you Sam!

      Reply
    7. Jessica McGee

      December 09, 2021 at 2:50 pm

      If I wanted to make these cookies ahead of time and freeze them would they still come out okay? and should I roll them in the cinnamon sugar before freezing?

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        December 10, 2021 at 12:19 pm

        Hi Jessica! That should work just fine. We would roll them dough into balls and wrap individually then store in an air tight container. You can roll them in the cinnamon before or after freezing. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Bruce

      June 14, 2021 at 10:50 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely the best Snickerdoodles ever. That 1/2 tsp of cinnamon in the dough increases the richness of the flavor. The texture is amazing (which is a hallmark of your recipes). I weighed the flour and sugar, so the texture would be sure to come out right. These will be a big hit at my accordion band’s rehearsal tomorrow- our first in a year and a half.

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 15, 2021 at 8:59 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! I hope everyone else will too, but something tells me they will. 😉

        Reply
      • Rebecca

        July 13, 2021 at 3:52 pm

        I have baked many if your cookie recipes with great success. I use gluten free one to one flour from Outrageous Baking made in Longmont, Colorado. I have tried every GF flour on the market and this one is the best for easy substitution. I can’t believe it took me 65 years to learn about cornstarch in cookies. Best advice ever! Thank you for your recipes🤗

        Reply
        • Sam

          July 15, 2021 at 9:50 pm

          Thank you for the feedback, Rebecca! I’m glad you have enjoyed everything. 🙂

    9. Lynn Larson Deer

      June 07, 2021 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      Do you think I could add chopped pecans to the recipe?

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 10, 2021 at 2:42 pm

        Hi Lynn! That should work just fine. Personally I would coarsely chop them and add about 1.5 cups. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Lynn

      April 18, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      Will be making these again!! The texture is PERFECT and what differentiates a great cookie from a good cookie. I used salted butter and just added less salt than what the recipe calls for but I think more salt would have been fine too. 4 sheet pans worth of cookies with this recipe with them well spaced out. A winner!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        April 18, 2021 at 9:38 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lynn! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Marques

      March 21, 2021 at 2:12 pm

      4 stars
      I melted the butter like I melted it for the pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe. Why didn’t the melted butter work for this recipe too? The dough is very, very stiff and looks like biscuit dough. Seems like it still set up in the oven though. I see cracks.

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 21, 2021 at 9:25 pm

        Hi Marques! For best results you really need to cream the butter and sugar together. If your dough is too stiff you may have accidentally over measured the flour. I hope they still turn out for you. 🙂

        Reply
        • Pam

          September 29, 2021 at 4:04 pm

          I just made these and they are very good. I am wondering how come some have cracks on top and some don’t?

        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          September 30, 2021 at 10:04 am

          Hi Pam! We’re so glad you loved them! We’re sorry to hear that some of the cookies were missing their signature cracks…that’s frustrating. Cracking occurs from several chemical reactions during the baking process. If some aren’t cracking, it could be because those dough balls were less round than others, the dough became too warm, the oven wasn’t heating evenly where they were located on the sheet, or their cinnamon sugar coating was applied more sparingly. Hopefully they still tasted just as good! 🙂

    12. Da'Maris Tinajera

      March 12, 2021 at 7:26 am

      5 stars
      These cookies are exactly what you need right now…. at any time actually! I had never baked with cream of tartar before so I was a little intimidated with the recipe. BUT… I tried it anyway… PEOPLE… these cookies are delicious! A little crunch on the outside and chewy on the inside. Trust me. Just. Go. For. It.

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 12, 2021 at 8:44 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! The cream of tartar is essential for the classic snickerdoodle taste. I’m glad you took the plunge! These are totally worth it. 🙂

        Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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