The ultimate BEST EVER SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES! Crisp edges, soft and chewy center, and SO much flavor! These are the BEST EVER! Recipe via chelseasmessyapron.com | #snickerdoodle #cookie #dessert #bake #baking #treat #holiday #cookies #christmas #cinnamon #sugar #easy #video #tutorial

The best soft, chewy, and thick Snickerdoodle Recipe, with tender centers and perfectly crisp edges!

Stack of freshly baked snickerdoodle cookies on a plate, with one broken in half to reveal the soft and delicious interior.

Why We Love This Snickerdoodle Recipe

  1. Foolproof: Easy to follow steps ensure success every time.
  2. Perfectly Spiced: Just the right amount of cinnamon for the best flavor.
  3. Melt-in-Your-Mouth: Soft interior with crisp edges.
  4. Crowd-Pleaser: Loved by all, making them perfect for gatherings and events.
  5. Tangy Twist: Subtle tanginess from cream of tartar.

Various ingredients for making the snickerdoodle recipe arranged on a kitchen counter, including flour, sugar, eggs, and cinnamon.

Snickerdoodle Recipe Ingredients

  • Butter: Opt for unsalted for better salt control.
  • Sugar: We’re combining white and brown for the perfect sweetness.
  • Eggs: Use 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk for richer flavor.
  • Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor.
  • Flour: Measure accurately for the right consistency.
  • Cream of Tartar: Provides tanginess and stabilizes the dough.
  • Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise.
  • Cinnamon: Adds extra flavor in both dough and topping.

Quick Tip

Our favorite way to bake? Simply use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients in grams. It eliminates guesswork that can come with less precise measuring using cups.

Mixing dry ingredients with added butter in a bowl to create the dough for this delicious dessert.

How To Make This Snickerdoodle Recipe

  1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. In another bowl, whisk melted butter with sugars until smooth. Add remaining wet ingredients.
  3. Combine dry and wet ingredients.
  4. Chill dough.
  5. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  6. Roll dough into large balls and coat with a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon.
  7. Bake for 9-12 minutes,.
  8. Cool cookies on a rack after resting on sheet for 5 minutes.

Adding eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients in a bowl to finish making the dough.

Tips For Success

  • Correctly measure flour: Measure flour accurately to avoid dry or crumbly cookies.
  • Room temperature eggs: Use room temperature eggs for a lighter texture and even dispersion.
  • Kitchen Tools: Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for this Snickerdoodle Recipe.
  • Press edges inwards: After baking, gently press any uneven edges inward with a metal spatula.
  • Roll tall cookie dough balls:Roll taller, skinnier dough balls for cookies with crisp edges and a chewy center.
  • Keep the dough cold: Maintain cold dough for better texture.

Snickerdoodle dough being shaped, coated in cinnamon sugar, and baked to perfection on a baking sheet for a delicious recipe.

Storage

Storage

  • Store Snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
  • Freeze dough balls, place them on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a sealed container or freezer bag. Bake straight from the freezer as needed, adding extra a few extra minutes to the baking process.

Snickerdoodle cookies arranged on a plate, fresh out of the oven, warm and inviting with a golden-brown exterior, dusted with cinnamon sugar, and packed with the best flavor.

Variations

Love this Snickerdoodle Recipe? Try our Pumpkin Snickerdoodles or Caramel Snickerdoodles!

More Delicious Cookies

5 from 60 votes

Snickerdoodle Recipe

The best soft, chewy, and thick Snickerdoodle Recipe, with tender centers and perfectly crisp edges!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 22 cookies

Equipment

  • Kitchen Scale (Optional, but recommended!)

Ingredients 
 

  • 16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter melted & cooled to room temp.
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2-3/4 cup white all-purpose flour (Note 1)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions 

  • MELT BUTTER: In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, then let it cool to room temperature. Ensure it's not hot to avoid greasy cookies.
  • MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
  • ADD WET INGREDIENTS:ย In a separate bowl, mix melted and cooled butter with white and brown sugar until well emulsified. Add whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
  • COMBINE: Mix the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined, ensuring there are no streaks of flour. Avoid over-mixing. Cover dough tightly and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
  • PREHEAT OVEN: Preheat oven to 325ยฐF (163ยฐC). Stir together white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  • ROLL DOUGH BALLS: Portion dough into 45-gram balls (2 packed tablespoons) and shape them into tall balls. Roll dough balls generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Return shaped dough balls to the fridge for 15-20 minutes, or until they firm up.
  • BAKE: Place dough balls on a parchment/Silpat-lined sheet with ample spacing (about 6 at a time); bake for 9-12 mins. Avoid over-baking; slight under-baking is ideal! After baking, if any cookies have uneven edges, gently press them inward with a metal spatula. Remove tray from the oven and let cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack
  • STORAGE: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months. (Note 2).

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Proper flour measurement is crucial. Excess flour can lead to dry cookies, while too little can cause spreading. Consider using a kitchen food scale and switch to 'metric' for accuracy. Aim for 395 grams of flour for this recipe.
Note 2: Shape dough into balls, roll in cinnamon sugar, and freeze on a sheet pan. Transfer frozen dough balls to an airtight container or bag. Baking from Frozen: No need to thaw; bake frozen dough, adding extra minutes as needed. Bake until edges set and center is soft.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

 

Meet Chelsea


Hi there! Iโ€™m Chelseaโ€“the recipe developer, photographer, writer, and taste tester behind Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron (although my little ones help me out quite a bit with the taste testing part!). I LOVE getting creative in the kitchen and then posting my creations here for you to enjoy.

Thanks again for stopping by!

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5 from 60 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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194 Comments

  1. Amy Banks says:

    Can I leave this dough in the fridge overnight? Thanks!!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Sure! I’d just let it sit out for 10 or so minutes before rolling the dough balls ๐Ÿ™‚ Enjoy!

  2. Suz says:

    Hi! Do you think I could use my 1 inch cookie scoop and just roll the balls out a little, or will they be too small?

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Honestly, it’s all preference, they will definitely be smaller, but if that’s what you’re going for then it’ll be perfect!

  3. Harry Driscoll says:

    5 stars
    This cookie recipe was amazing!! I baked some for one of my classes, and everyone loved them, so I’m baking them again for a Christmas party! Thanks so much for the tip about rolling them into tall cylinders, instead of just balls, the idea worked perfectly!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      YAYYY!! I’m sooo happy to hear this! Thanks Harry! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Missy says:

    I dont have cream of tartar and dont have lemon juice to sub that. I’ve read where I can use baking powder instead of baking soda and cream of tartar. How much do u use? Thanks

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Hey Missy, I’ve never tried that particular substitution in these cookies, so I couldn’t say for sure. Wish I could be of more help, but I don’t want to give you the wrong advice!

  5. lareina says:

    5 stars
    Seriously the best cookies I have ever made. My daughter agrees.

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Yay!! So happy to hear that! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. lareina says:

    5 stars
    Seriously the best cookies I have ever made and my daughter agrees.

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Thank you Lareina! ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. C.L. says:

    5 stars
    My family loves cinnamon. Can I add cinnamon baking chips ?

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Sure! ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. C.L. says:

    My family loves cinnamon. Can I add cinnamon chips to the snickerdoodle batter or will it change the texture?

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      That should be fine! ๐Ÿ™‚ Enjoy!

  9. Katie says:

    It says to use 80% melted butter. Where in the recipe do you use the other 20%? Or did you mean to melt butter 80%?

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Melt butter 80% of the way. Enjoy!

  10. Erin L. Copeland says:

    5 stars
    Made these tonight and the family devoured them!!! Truly an awesome recipe — the mostly melted butter is key, plus rolling into pillars vs. balls made these absolutely perfect! Thank you for sharing this recipe — will definitely be saving this to make again.

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      So happy to hear it!! Thank you for the comment Erin ๐Ÿ™‚