Snickerdoodle Recipe (2024)

Published: November 30, 2019 · Modified: Oct 19, 2023 by John Kanell

Try this classic Snickerdoodle recipe when you want a sugar cookie with extra oomph. Flavored with a generous amount of cinnamon, this classic cookie is a favorite around the holidays. But they’re so quick and easy to throw together that you could easily make them whenever the mood for cookies strikes!

One of my favorite things about my chewy snickerdoodle recipe is that you don’t need to refrigerate the dough, which cuts down the prep time drastically. In fact, you can have a batch of these sweet, buttery cookies ready in 20 minutes! For more easy cookie recipes, try my easy oatmeal raisin cookies, spritz cookies recipe, and my recipe for peanut butter cookies.

What You Need to Make this Recipe

Cream of tartar — cream of tartar is a vital ingredient for soft, chewy cookies. And, when combined with baking soda, it helps the snickerdoodle cookies puff up. Cream of tartar also gives this classic snickerdoodle recipe the hint of tang that these cookies are known for.

Cinnamon — you need cinnamon for the cookie dough, and to create a delicious cinnamon-sugar coating.

Butter — soften 1 cup of unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter on hand, reduce the amount of salt in the dough by ½ teaspoon (so you’ll only use ¼ teaspoon of salt).

Sugar — you only need granulated sugar (regular white sugar) for these cookies.

Eggs — take the eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start baking to bring them up to room temperature

How to Make this Snickerdoodle Recipe

1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment), beat the sugar and softened butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well before adding the second egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla extract.

3. Set the mixer to low speed and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat until just combined. Scrape the sides down and incorporate any remaining dry bits.

4. In a small bowl, mix granulated sugar and ground cinnamon together to make the cinnamon-sugar coating for the cookies.

5. Use a cookie scoop (I used a #40 scoop) or tablespoon to portion out the cookie dough into 1½ tablespoon-sized balls.

6. Roll the dough between your palms to create smooth balls, then coat them in cinnamon sugar. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheets 2 inches apart so they have plenty of room to spread. Bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until puffed and just starting to wrinkle around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pro Tips for Making this Recipe

• Use room temperature eggs. Room temperature eggs incorporate much better into the creamed butter and sugar.
• Weigh the flour. Adding too much flour is a common mistake and yields dry, floury cookies. The easiest way to use the correct amount of flour is by using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour with a spoon in its container, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. Don’t scoop directly from the flour container, as you will likely scoop too much.
• If you prefer a slightly chewier, less puffy cookie: Substitute one of the eggs for just an egg yolk and replace ¾ cup of the granulated sugar with light brown sugar (165g).
• How to manage too-sticky dough: The dough will be soft when rolling it between your palms, but it shouldn’t stick to your hands. If the dough is too sticky, chill it for 20 minutes and then scoop and roll into balls. Or scoop, chill for 10 minutes, then roll into balls and coat in sugar.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve tried this snickerdoodle recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!