Snickerdoodle cookies are always a crowd favorite! This recipe makes soft, thick and fluffy Snickerdoodles brimming with that classic cinnamon flavor.
Snickerdoodle cookies hold a very special place in my heart. The first baking adventures that I embarked on began with my mom’s Snickerdoodle cookie recipe. One time during one of these baking excursions, I did a horrific thing and I didn’t follow the recipe. I sort of just launched everything in and shouted, “Hobey ho! Let’s go!” The result was odd…The cookies were more like cake but really fluffy. It was a scientific accident, but I was hooked. And thus began my love for science of baking.
I still love a Snickerdoodle cookie. It’s probably one of my favorite cookies, or rather, one of my favorite cookie doughs. I could eat Snickerdoodle cookie dough all day every day, but don’t because raw eggs are bad news, but I like to walk on the wild side.
I am picky in my Snickerdoodle cookies, though. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make a fluffier, thicker Snickerdoodle. I always like when they’re puffed up and round and fluffy. I don’t like thin, flat Snickerdoodles. Nuh-uh. Those are for the birds. Back in the day, I managed to make really thick, puffy Snickerdoodles, even with my heinous cookie baking mistakes. After a bit of reflection, I think I figured out why. I used to halve the recipe and I think, on occasion, I would forget to halve the flour. The result? A thicker, fluffier cookie.
And so I set off to find my ultimate Snickerdoodle cookie, starting with my Mom’s base. What did I do to create thick, soft Snickerdoodle cookies? Well, I did what I did when I was little: I put in some extra flour, but this time I did it consciously. They were perfect! So thick.
Other tricks to making sure your cookies stay thicker? First, Chill the dough for at least two hours before baking. Secondly, use a Siplat or parchment paper for baking. They grip the cookies to prevent spreading.
How do I make my Snickerdoodles ultra-cinnamony? I add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the cookie dough itself and then I use a generous amount of cinnamon when I roll the Snickerdoodles in the cinnamon sugar mixture. I like when my Snickerdoodles have a nice, dark, cinnamon-colored coating. So go crazy with the cinnamon! If you’d like that extra shot of cinnamon, feel free to put as much cinnamon as you want in the dough. These are cinnamon cookies, after all!
Question: Do any of you have a favorite recipe you remember baking when you were little?
- For the cookie:
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or more if you’d like!)
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more, if you’d like)
- For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating. Set aside.
- In a bowl, using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg/sugar mixture.
- Mix only until incorporated.
- Chill for two hours or up to 48 hours. Remove from the fridge for about 15 minutes before rolling into balls. Roll into balls that are about three Tablespoons big. (These cookies will be massive and delicious!)
- Then roll them in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. I tend to go heavy on the cinnamon for maximum cinnamon flavor.
- If you don’t use the dough within that time, freeze it. A trick that I have is to roll the balls before I freeze them for easier baking. When you bake them from the freezer, let the dough thaw on the counter for a half hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the first brown appears.
- Once baked, these cookies will last in a sealed container for up to three days.
Baking Is A Science 
Cookies looks soooo good! But there is no milk in the ingredient list 🙂
Hi Karolina! Thanks for the comment! The milk was actually a typo! I don’t use milk in this recipe, so thank you for the heads up and I edited the recipe. They were quite delicious!
Made these today, they are wonderful, the kids love them, me too! Thanks
You’re very welcome! Thank you!
they look perfect!
In the method you mention milk but it’s not in the ingredients list. How much do you use? They look delicious!
Hi Tiffany! Thanks for your comment! The milk in the method was an accidental addition/typo! I make these cookies without milk (although I do make my sugar cookies with a dash of milk.) Thank you for the heads up! I edited the recipe.
Oh no! How much milk? Can’t wait to try these!
Hi Kerry! The milk in the method was an accidental addition/typo! I make these cookies without milk (although I do make my sugar cookies with a dash of milk.) Thank you for the heads up! I edited the recipe. Let me know how they turn out!
Made these yesterday and they came out great. Nice soft pillow like cookie Though I think I would add a touch more vanilla to mine. I did want to let you know that your instructions call for milk but there is no milk in the ingredients. I made mine as written without any milk anywhere and they came out just fine.
Hi Crystal! Thank you for your positive feedback!!! The milk was an accidental addition! I make these cookies without milk. I edited the recipe. 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
It says 1/2 tsp of baking soda and 1/4 tsp of baking soda…which one is supposed to be baking powder?
Hi Rita! I fixed the recipe! It’s 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder!
[…] ended up going with cookie number 2 that had 1 3/4 cups flour. I even posted a beautiful post about Snickerdoodle cookies with that […]
in the recipe you list cinnamon twice in the ingredients, but you only mention it in the directions for the topping. Is the first listing of cinnamon a mistake?
Thanks!
Hi Beth! The cinnamon in the actual cookie dough is optional, but I edited the directions! Thanks for catching that for me!
I was curious – why does this call for cream of tartar? How will it change the cookie if I leave it out?
Hi Brita, does the butter need to be room temperature as well?
Hi Jamie! Yes, it does. Thank you!
DELICIOUS! I just made these today and they are so yummy! They are thick and chewy for sure. Baked for 14 minutes and, although they didn’t brown, I took them out of the oven because I didn’t want to overbake. They’re perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
These cookies turned out delicious. The only thing is it’s been years since I made snickerdoodles and I did not flatten the balls out any so they maintained a lot of their roundness. Maybe advising the use of the bottom of a cup or a fork to flatten slightly.
Hi there. Made the dough. Eeeeeeek!!! I hope they come out ok! The dough tastes delicious! One question. You say roll the dough into a ball …….do you use a cookie scoop at all?
Hi Nancy! I usually eye-ball it, and sometimes I use a scale to be super precise. Otherwise, a cookie scoop is fine too!
Okay, so I have to correct my comment or delete it!!! I used the wrong measuring cup to measure my flour (insert eye socket stretching emoji here)!!! Will try the recipe again with the correct flour measurement. So sorry!
These cookies are the best. My hubby cannot get enough of them. Thank you for recipe. BB
Hi! Love this recipe! But would you say it’s better with melted, soft, or cold butter?
Hi Maddie! Thank you thank you! Typically, I’d recommend room temperature for snickerdoodles, but you can definitely cheat and use melted butter if you’re taking butter out of the freezer or fridge.
Oh no…. the cinnamon wasn’t added into the instructions…. realized when I pulled them out of the fridge this morning….
Hi Kim! The cinnamon isn’t in the actual dough; you just need to roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. 🙂
It only made 8 cookies with a 3 tbsp ice cream scoop
Hi Kim! Thanks for your comment. That sounds about right! My cookies are usually about 1 Tbsp.
You have 1/2 tsp of cream of tarter 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Well the 1/2 tsp of cream of tarter and 1/4 tsp of baing soda equal 3/4 tsp paking powder. You see baking powder is made from 1 part of baking soda to 2 parts of cream of tarter. Your ingredients could have just said 1 1/4 tsp of baking powder.
Hi Pat! Thanks for the comment. Personally, I prefer to add cream of tartar separately, simply because I think it shines more. I think the beauty of snickerdoodles is their distinct cream of tartar-y taste. Thanks!