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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Snickerdoodles are a long time love of mine. Though plain and often underappreciated, there’s just something perfect about their buttery, cinammon-sugar coated goodness!
This is a fabulous Snickerdoodle recipe for chewy cookie lovers – and these Snickerdoodles are so good that this recipe made it into my first cookbook as well! We make these every year and this is a no-fail, delicious recipe that your family will love!
Reader Review
Have made these many times, they always turn out perfectly. I put the cookie dough in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking them, though. This makes it so much easier to handle the dough.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: These cookies are easy to make and come together quickly. Perfect for an afternoon snack or sweet holiday treat!
- Total Time: You can have these cookies done in just 30 minutes!
- Variations: Looking to change things up? Why not try substituting the cinnamon in the sugar topping with pumpkin pie or apple pie spice for a little extra fall-flavored goodness? A little dash of ginger powder will give these cookies a gingerbread flare, and a dash of rum extract and a sprinkling of nutmeg will make them eggnog-inspired! You could even add a sprinkling of ground cardamom, ginger, gloves, nutmeg and allspice for a chai-inspired cookie!
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need large baking sheets, a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make bringing this dough together easy, and mixing bowls to make this recipe! If you’re a stickler for precision, consider picking up a cookie scoop to make portioning your dough easy!
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar forms naturally on the inside of wine barrels during the fermentation process. Once it’s scraped off, the tartaric acid crystals are purified, ground up, and turned into a white powder used to give cookies, cakes, meringue, and whipped cream rise and prevent them from deflating! Even though you won’t find many modern recipes that call for it, it’s worthwhile to have some on hand if only so you can make snickerdoodles whenever you want! Karlynn’s Tip: You can make these cookies without cream of tartare, they just won’t have their classic tang. Just add a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to the cookie dough or replace the baking soda and cream of tartar with an equivalent amount of baking powder, and you’ll get the same texture!
Cinnamon Sugar: The cinnamon and sugar mixture that the cookie dough balls are rolled in prior to baking is what makes snickerdoodles what they are! It might not seem like a big deal, but don’t skip the rolling process, as the crispy sugar and spicy cinnamon add a ton of delicious flavor.
How to Make Classic Snickerdoodles
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add in the eggs one at a time and incorporate them thoroughly. When done, add the vanilla.
- Whisk together your dry ingredients, then add them to the butter mixture and combine until the dough is smooth.
- Combine the white sugar and cinnamon topping in a bowl.
- Roll a tablespoon sized amount of cookie dough into a ball, then roll in the cinnamon mixture to coat completely. Place on the baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are browned and the edges are set. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing and allowing to cool fully on a baking rack.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Classic Snickerdoodles
- Fat Facts: If you want your snickerdoodles to turn out puffier, use shortening in place of butter! You can replace the butter with shortening in a 1:1 ratio.
- Temperature Talk: Make sure that your butter and eggs are at room temperature before you get started! If everything’s too cold, it’ll be difficult to incorporate the ingredients together evenly. To bring butter up to room temperature, allow it to sit out on the counter for 1-2 hours before you start baking. To test if it’s at the right consistency, poke it with your finger. You should leave behind an indent without mashing right through. Eggs can be placed on warm (not hot!) water for 10 minutes before you’re ready to crack them!
Storage Instructions
You can store cooked snickerdoodes in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Refrigerator: I don’t recommend keeping baked cookies in the fridge, as it can dry them out, but you can prepare the cookie dough in advance and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just let the dough come up to room temperature before rolling and baking as instructed by the recipe.
Freezer: You can prepare the cookie dough and freeze it prior to baking, just don’t coat it in the cinnamon sugar topping, which might get damp. Portion out your balls of dough and freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then move them to a freezer-safe, airtight container or zip top bag—they’ll keep in the freezer for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to bake, allow your dough balls to thaw for 30 minutes on the counter, pre-heat your oven, and then roll them in cinnamon sugar before baking them as instructed. Baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
- Russian Tea Cakes or snowball cookies, are gorgeously rich shortbread dotted through with hazelnuts and rolled in icing sugar. They go perfectly with a cup of tea or coffee!
- My recipe for Thumbprint Cookies takes a basic recipe and transforms them with the addition of a delicious walnut crunch!
- Looking for something simple that comes together quickly and doesn’t need you to turn on your oven? Give my delicious No Bake Oatmeal Cookies a try!
- If you’re not a fan of the traditional sugar cookie, give my recipe for Lemon Sugar Cookies a go! They’re perfectly sweet, just a little bit tart, and absolutely delicious!
My love affair with snickerdoodles was ignited by a trip to Disneyland, where I got the biggest, thickest, puffiest snickerdoodles at the coffee shop at the end of Main Street. I think I had one for breakfast three days in a row, and it definitely made me feel like I really was in the most magical place on Earth!
Give this recipe a try and let me know about your favorite cookie-related memories in the comments below!
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
Classic Snickerdoodle Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups butter
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 ⅓ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Topping
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream together the butter and sugar, then add in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one thoroughly. When done, add the vanilla.
- Whisk together your dry ingredients, then add it to the butter mixture, mixing until the dough is smooth.
- Combine the white sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Roll a tablespoon sized amount of cookie dough into a ball, then roll in the cinnamon mixture, covering completely.
- Place on the baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are browned and the edges of the cookies are set. Do not overbake.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the baking sheets onto a cookie rack and cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Emilia says
Have made these many times, they always turn out perfectly. I put the cookie dough in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking them, though. This makes it so much easier to handle the dough.
Helene LeBarron says
Hi I have been looking for the recipe for 2 different squares that were online a few weeks ago.One had a cream cheese icing.Would love to have them.
Maria halsdorfer says
Awful so upset dough was so soft couldn’t roll added another cup of flour I had just dropped them on the cookie sheet looked awful tasted awful so sweet and this recipe is so different then other ones, 2/14 cups sugar really so sorry I wasted my time and ing. Not even 1 star!!!
Annalee says
Is the measurement for the baking soda really 1 1/ 3 tsps? Not 1 1/4 tsps or 1 1/2 tsps? Thank you
Andrea Manthorne says
Have them in the oven now. They smell heavenly
Alesha says
So the dough isn’t think enough to roll into a ball. I don’t understand why.
MalcPike says
Do you think I could freeze the dough after rolling the balls in sugar/cinnamon?
Karlynn says
Yes that would work great!
James Lori Shipley says
I think a visit to your house to pu some yummy treats is in order-I will share chocolates lol!!!!
DottieBast says
I make this recipe for friends every so often and they will literally jump through hoops to get me to bring them some by they love them that much! Today, one of those friends told me he was going to try making some from one of his own cookbooks.. He texted me a couple of hours ago and told me they came out all wrong (not like yours). I printed your recipe for him. 🙂
thekitchenmagpie says
DottieBast This one would be good for my first cookbook, what do you think?
DottieBast says
thekitchenmagpie DottieBast for some reason I wasn’t notified you had replied 🙁 I sincerely hope these made your cookbook because even after all this time, I’m still in love with this recipe 😀
thekitchenmagpie says
DottieBast ;) I’m sure they made the cookbook!
Krista Michelle Gray says
Made ’em on Christmas Eve morning!!! Love ’em!!!! The recipe is cookie dough PERFECTION!! They taste like a cookie version of the famous Beaver Tail!!! That slight “crunch” when you bite, and then the soft interior!?!? Gahh!!! PLUS! Santa loved them – true story!!!! Kitchen Magpie? My family would like to know … “Where does the name, “Snickerdoodles” come from!?” ALSO …. Look what I found at Target yesterday for $5? A Snickerdoodle cookie mix … Meh … but, I only bought it for the adorable cast iron skillet! Neat-o! Best cookie!!! Thank you!!!
The Kitchen Magpie says
A) I’m totally making a skillet snickerdoodle next Christmas
B) so glad you liked them!
C) Disney handed out snickerdoodles to give to Santa too! Santa was SO happy!!!!
I also have no idea where the name came from…
Genevieve Olivier says
Hey these would be awesome to take to a family gathering but was wondering if you have ever made a gluten free kind? My sister is intolerant. Would be nice to be able to share with everyone.
Amy Moeller-Stiles says
So good
Lois Maillet Lynn says
Ok, not now, tomorrow
Deb McKay says
I have never had one.
The Kitchen Magpie says
WHAT!!!?? OMG bake them now! They are so amazing!
Lois Maillet Lynn says
Never tried..
Sue04kids says
The BEST snickerdoodle cookies ever!! Thanks for sharing
thekitchenmagpie says
@Sue04kids So glad that you liked them!! Thanks for letting me know!
CampClan says
This recipe calls for vanilla extract but does not say where to add it in! HELP!
aGhost_eek says
I think this is the first recipe calling for Cream of Tartar I’ve seen that wasn’t for making playdough.
thekitchenmagpie says
I know! They are such an old cookie recipe that you use cream of tartar in them. You can switch it out, but it does give them a unique tang…I thought about changing it but really wanted classic Snickerdoodles.
Rhonda Blundell says
You might actually get me baking!
Dena Roberts says
Can these snickerdoodles be frozen?