The best soft, chewy, and thick Snickerdoodle Recipe, with tender centers and perfectly crisp edges!
Why We Love This Snickerdoodle Recipe
- Foolproof: Easy to follow steps ensure success every time.
- Perfectly Spiced: Just the right amount of cinnamon for the best flavor.
- Melt-in-Your-Mouth: Soft interior with crisp edges.
- Crowd-Pleaser: Loved by all, making them perfect for gatherings and events.
- Tangy Twist: Subtle tanginess from cream of tartar.
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.
How To Make This Snickerdoodle Recipe
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk melted butter with sugars until smooth. Add remaining wet ingredients.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients.
- Chill dough.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Roll dough into large balls and coat with a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes,.
- Cool cookies on a rack after resting on sheet for 5 minutes.
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.
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.
Variations
Love this Snickerdoodle Recipe? Try our Pumpkin Snickerdoodles or Caramel Snickerdoodles!
More Delicious Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
Snickerdoodle Recipe
This is the ultimate Snickerdoodle recipe! Soft, thick, and chewy with perfectly tender centers and crisp, cinnamon-sugar-coated edges.
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale optional, but recommended!
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper or silicon baking mat
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3/4 cup flour see 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 granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, then let cool to room temperature. Ensure it’s not hot to avoid greasy cookies.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, mix melted and cooled butter with granulated and brown sugar until well emulsified. Add whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined, ensuring there are no streaks of flour. Avoid overmixing. Cover dough tightly and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir together cinnamon sugar coating ingredients in a small bowl.
- Portion dough into 45-gram balls (2 packed tablespoons) and shape them into tall balls. Roll dough balls generously in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Return shaped dough balls to the fridge for 15–20 minutes or until they firm up.
- Place dough balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicon baking mat with ample spacing (about 6 at a time); bake 9–12 minutes. Avoid overbaking; slight under-baking is ideal! After baking, if any cookies have uneven edges, gently press them inward with a metal spatula. Remove tray from oven and let cookies rest on the sheet 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
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.
Storage: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature 2–3 days, or freeze cookie dough up to 3 months: Shape dough into balls, roll in cinnamon sugar, and freeze on a sheet pan. Transfer frozen dough balls to an airtight container or bag. When baking from frozen, no need to thaw; bake frozen dough, adding extra minutes as needed.
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: 32mg | 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.
Can I leave this dough in the fridge overnight? Thanks!!
Sure! I’d just let it sit out for 10 or so minutes before rolling the dough balls 🙂 Enjoy!
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?
Honestly, it’s all preference, they will definitely be smaller, but if that’s what you’re going for then it’ll be perfect!
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!
YAYYY!! I’m sooo happy to hear this! Thanks Harry! 🙂
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
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!
Seriously the best cookies I have ever made. My daughter agrees.
Yay!! So happy to hear that! 🙂
Seriously the best cookies I have ever made and my daughter agrees.
Thank you Lareina! 🙂
My family loves cinnamon. Can I add cinnamon baking chips ?
Sure! 🙂
My family loves cinnamon. Can I add cinnamon chips to the snickerdoodle batter or will it change the texture?
That should be fine! 🙂 Enjoy!
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%?
Melt butter 80% of the way. Enjoy!
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.
So happy to hear it!! Thank you for the comment Erin 🙂