This is, hands-down, the best recipe for snickerdoodles you’ll find! They are super soft and chewy with a gorgeous crinkly topping perfect for holding in pockets of delicious cinnamon. Included below are a few quick tips for recreating these beauties time and again!

A stack of snickerdoodles with one broken in half on top.

Snickerdoodles are a cookie classic – soft, tender butter cookies with a slight tang and chewy texture that are rolled in cinnamon-sugar and baked. A holiday staple, for sure, but also an every day, any day kind of cookie, as well!

Everyone and anyone has a recipe for snickerdoodles, but I’m here today to tell you that these are the absolute best of the best. They puff in the oven and then settle back down while cooling into a soft, thick, supremely chewy cookie with a gorgeous crinkly top. They’ve received nothing but rave reviews!

An overhead photo of a plate full of snickerdoodle cookies.

Snickerdoodle is sort of a strange name, yes?

I’ve often wondered how the name originated and when I started doing some research, it seems there are a few different theories. All seem to agree that the name is German in origin; the cookies seem to have surfaced in New England in the late 1800s, likely from someone of either German or Dutch descent.

The cookies have also been called snipdoodles or cinnamon sugar cookies, but no direct German translation seems to make sense, so it may just be a little bit of a whimsical spin on a couple of different words.

Ingredients for snickerdoodles prepped in bowls on a counter.

Snickerdoodles vs sugar cookies

Some think of snickerdoodles as simply drop sugar cookies that have been rolled in cinnamon-sugar, but this oversimplification is far from accurate.

While both cookies have the same basic list of ingredients (butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, and baking powder/soda), there is one key ingredient in snickerdoodles that turns them into something altogether different:

Cream of Tartar

This magical little ingredient does two things to make snickerdoodles, well… snickerdoodles:

  1. It is an acid, so its presence gives the cookies that ever-so-slight tangy flavor.
  2. Also because it’s an acid, it helps to create a more tender texture, keeping the cookies both soft and chewy, which is a texture combination you don’t find in traditional sugar cookies.
Scooping snickerdoodle cookie dough with bowl of cinnamon-sugar.

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A few quick tips!

  • Chill, chill, chill! – Be sure to follow the chilling instructions for the pan and dough. It helps the cookies hold their shape and not spread.
  • Baking Pans Prep – I recommend using parchment paper to line the pans to eliminate any possibility of the cookies spreading.
  • Cream of Tartar – This is a key ingredient in snickerdoodles, but if you find yourself in a serious pinch, you can use 2 teaspoons baking powder and omit BOTH the cream of tartar AND the baking soda. Just remember the flavor will be slightly different.
  • Cinnamon – Use your favorite, high-quality cinnamon since you’ll be getting a heft taste of it. I keep Simply Organic ground cinnamon in my pantry.
  • Scoop – I like to use this cookie scoop for uniform cookies.
  • Make-Ahead – You can prepare the dough and store it, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before scooping and baking.
  • Storage – Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • Freezing – You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature then enjoy!

And might I suggest a snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich because, why not?

Two snickerdoodle ice cream sandwiches stacked on top of each other.

Watch How to Make Snickerdoodles:

If you make these snickerdoodles and love them, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you so much! ❤️️

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

Yield: 48 cookies
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
This is, hands-down, the best recipe for snickerdoodles you'll find! They are super soft and chewy with a gorgeous crinkly topping perfect for holding in pockets of delicious cinnamon.
4.57 (41 ratings)
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 2¾ cups (330 g) flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, (2 sticks )
  • 1½ cups (298 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions 

  • Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat and put in refrigerator to chill.
  • Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
  • Gradually stir in the flour mixture, beating on low speed just until the flour is blended.
  • Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
  • In the meantime, mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and roll in the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat.
  • Place on chilled cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Chill the dough and cookie sheets between batches.
  • Let cookies set on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

  • Chill, chill, chill! – Be sure to follow the chilling instructions for the pan and dough. It helps the cookies hold their shape and not spread.
  • Baking Pans Prep – I recommend using parchment paper to line the pans to eliminate any possibility of the cookies spreading.
  • Cream of Tartar – This is a key ingredient in snickerdoodles, but if you find yourself in a serious pinch, you can use 2 teaspoons baking powder and omit BOTH the cream of tartar AND the baking soda. Just remember the flavor will be slightly different.
  • Cinnamon – Use your favorite, high-quality cinnamon since you’ll be getting a heft taste of it. I keep Simply Organic ground cinnamon in my pantry.
  • Scoop – I like to use this cookie scoop for uniform cookies.
  • Make-Ahead – You can prepare the dough and store it, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before scooping and baking.
  • Storage – Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • Freezing – You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature then enjoy!
Calories: 90kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 38mg, Potassium: 31mg, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 130IU, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Michelle Lettrich
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American

Originally published in 2009, this has been updated to include new photos and more in-depth recipe tips.

[Photography by Dee of One Sarcastic Baker]