Snickerdoodle Recipe (2024)

This soft and chewy Snickerdoodle Recipe is a family favorite. If you love snickerdoodle cookies the way we do, then you’ll want to have this easy snickerdoodle recipe in your collection!

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The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe

For me, a delicious snickerdoodle has a few requirements:

  • Snickerdoodles first and foremost must be soft and chewy. The best snickerdoodle recipe in my opinion has to be a soft snickerdoodle recipe. Crunchy snickerdoodles are a hard pass for this girl. I prefer a soft snickerdoodle, and one that stays soft for days.
  • Next, it has to have a fantastic blend of flavor, with both butter and cinnamon coming through. The perfect snickerdoodle cookies are a delicious and balanced combo of both.
  • Finally, as with almost all of my recipes, I prefer an easy snickerdoodle recipe. This is a cookie, not Honors Pre-Calculus (a current headache in my home), therefore it needs to be simple and easy to make.

This snickerdoodle recipe checks ALL of those boxes.

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Truth be told I didn’t even try a snickerdoodle until about ten years ago. A friend of mine loves the Disneyland snickerdoodles, and asked me to bring her one home when we went for a visit. I searched that entire park for a darn snickerdoodle. Finally a cast member at one of the bakeries told me they had rotated them out for for another cookie at that given moment in time.

So I did what any crazy, obsessed snickerdoodle stalker would do. I came home and set out to make amazing, Disney-worthy, snickerdoodles.

Recipe For Snickerdoodles

A few things to take note of before you start making this snickerdoodle recipe.

Flour

It’s critical that you measure your flour correctly. You want to give your flour a stir, then gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off. Check out my all about flour post if you need more details. If you scoop, or don’t level your flour, you will have too much in your recipe.

Chill Your Dough

First, you are going to need to chill your dough. I know, dough chilling can be a pain. I get it. Trust me, I avoid putting into recipes when I can. For this recipe however, it really does make a difference. Chilling the dough gives you a richer tasting cookie that doesn’t spread too much.

Brown Sugar

Second, this recipe uses brown sugar. If you’ve made snickerdoodles before, chances are they just used granulated white sugar. And that’s fine. But brown sugar, it will take your snickerdoodles up a notch.

One time I needed to make snickerdoodles for an event, and like always was doing it at the last minute. Gasp, I was almost completely out of granulated sugar. Brown sugar to the rescue! That was one of the best substitutions I’ve ever made. The depth of flavor is greatly increased and the texture is just a bit softer.

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Cream Of Tartar

Third, this recipe uses cream of tartar. Apologies if you you don’t have it in your pantry at the moment, but it’s really a snickerdoodle staple.

Cream of tartar is an acid, a tartaric acid. It’s used as a leavener, and when combined with baking soda they produce dioxide gas, which is the same gas that is produced by yeast in bread baking. Not only does it help make your cookies wonderfully soft, it also gives a hint of tartness.

If you don’t have any on hand and need to make these snickerdoodle cookies immediately, here’s some substitution advice. Disclaimer, I haven’t tested this snickerdoodle recipe with a substitute, only with cream of tartar.

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Snickerdoodle Recipe (5)

Snickerdoodle Recipe

4.91 from 20 votes

Author Christi Johnstone

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

This soft snickerdoodle recipe produces perfect snickerdoodles that nobody can get enough of. The best snickerdoodle recipe I've tried, it uses both granulated and brown sugar for extra flavor and softness.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar light or dark is fine
  • 2 large eggs make sure they are large eggs as they provide moisture for the recipe
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

  • In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and cream of tartar. Set aside.

  • In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well.

  • Stir in the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

  • Cover bowl (or remove dough from bowl and wrap in plastic wrap) and chill for at least one but not more than 24 hours.

  • When ready to bake, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  • Form the dough into 1 inch balls. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and roll each ball of dough through the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat well.

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  • Place on a greased baking sheet or a cookie sheet covered with wax paper or silicone baking mat.

  • Bake 8-10 minutes. Check for the tops to start firming up, and the sides to show a bit of browning. Make sure they are cooked but do not over bake. Allow to cool on baking sheet for at least ten minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

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Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Disclaimer

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this Recipe? Pin it!Mention @LoveFromTheOven or tag #LFTORecipes!

Need more snickerdoodle cookies in your life? I hear ya. I have a few more recipes you’ll want to try! My Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles are always a big hit. My friend Rebecca over at Foodie With Family has a Snickerdoodle Cake recipe that you need in your life. Aimee over at Shugary Sweets has a Snickerdoodle Banana Bread that makes mornings extra delicious. Snickerdoodle Pie? Oh yeah, it’s a thing and Deborah over at Taste and Tell will fill you on in that deliciousness.

Snickerdoodle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you tell if a snickerdoodle is done? ›

How do you know when the cookies are baked? The snickerdoodle cookies will only take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep your eye on them! It's best to rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes so that the cook evenly. The cookies are done when the edges are just set and the centres are soft and cracked.

Why didn't my snickerdoodles flatten out? ›

Yes, but if you add too much flour, your cookies won't spread as they bake. Too much flour causes the dough to become dry and crumbly, which prevents it from flattening out during baking. As a result, your cookies will stay in their original shape instead of spreading out into nice circles.

Why aren't my snickerdoodles puffy? ›

How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft? The secret's in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don't use shortening here; you'll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie.

What happens if you don't use cream of tartar? ›

Without cream of tartar, you'll get the same baked good in the end, but the consistency may not be as flawless. If you're worried about your cake coming out too flat or your lemon meringue pie going runny, adding cream of tartar is an effective way to prevent it.

Can I skip using cream of tartar? ›

In some recipes, you can leave out cream of tartar if there is no suitable replacement. You can simply omit cream of tartar from the recipe if you're making whipped egg whites, syrups, frostings, or icings.

Why are my snickerdoodles so hard? ›

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry.

Why did my snickerdoodles come out dry? ›

Overmixing the dough

If you overmix the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumbly. The best way to fix this is to add more liquid to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, water, or even melted butter. You may also need to add more flour to the dough if it is too wet.

Are snickerdoodles supposed to be undercooked? ›

Are snickerdoodles supposed to be undercooked? I always recommend slightly underbaking your cookies and then letting them finish baking through cooling on the pan. This will ensure you don't overbake your cookies and end up with a dry, hard cookie!

Why are my snickerdoodles spreading so much? ›

If your ratios of flour, butter and sugar off, the cookie might spread too quickly. This can occur if you aren't precise with your measurements. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, for example, and you add a slightly heaping cup instead of leveling off the cup precisely, you'll end up with too much.

How do you fix snickerdoodle dough? ›

Milk, egg yolks or egg whites, vanilla extract or even a teaspoon of water can help moisten the dough to give you less crumbly cookies. A little bit of a liquid like milk can also help your cookies spread in the oven to give you a more crispy cookie. This is a technique I might use if my sugar cookie dough is too dry.

How do you fix runny snickerdoodle dough? ›

Soft – Dough that's “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix. This will help keep your batch from “Spreading” and coming out of the oven looking like flat, not-so-cookie-like puddles.

Why did my snickerdoodles come out cakey? ›

Generally when baking, cakey texture is from more flour and less sugar. The ratio of fat, sugar and flour is what achieves the texture of the cookie. Also, when you are whipping the eggs in the recipe as well.

Why does snickerdoodle dough need to be refrigerated? ›

Don't skip chilling the cookie dough.

Refrigerating snickerdoodle dough lets the butter resolidify and prevents the cookies from flattening out in the oven. I recommend giving the dough at least 45-60 minutes of chilling time in the fridge before baking.

Why are my snickerdoodles so fluffy? ›

Why are my snickerdoodles puffy? Too much flour - spoon and level the flour correctly how I show it in my chocolate chip cookie post. Inaccurate oven temperature (too hot) - I advise using an oven thermometer for accurate baking results.

What does adding cream of tartar do to cookies? ›

Cream of tartar makes cookies chewy, as it precludes the sugar in the dough from crystalizing, which would lead to crispiness (ie: the opposite of chewiness).

Why do my Snickerdoodle cookies get hard? ›

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they bake – when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and puffy, they are done. Also, make sure you're not adding too much flour.

What is the purpose of cream of tartar in this recipe? ›

The most common recipes that call for cream of tartar are those that call for egg whites to be whipped, like angel food cake, genoise cake, meringue, and macarons. Jampel says that is because cream of tartar works as an egg white stabilizer that increases both the volume and shelf life of the meringue.

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