The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe
The best snickerdoodle cookies are soft and chewy, covered with cinnamon sugar, and served warm from the oven. The taste of this classic cookie has never gone out of style and is a hit with children (and grown-ups, too). They've been made for over 130 years, making them one of America's most famous cookies!
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter just soft (2 sticks)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1-2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
- In a standing mixer, or a bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on a low setting until just light and fluffy. Do not overmix. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla until just combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while keeping the mixer on a low setting. Stop the mixer every now and then to scrape the sides of the bowl, then continue adding the dry ingredients.
- In a small bowl, combine the 1/3 cup of sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- Using a small cookie scoop or 1 tbsp measuring spoon, scoop some cookie dough so it's just heaping, roll it into a ball, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mix. Place the balls 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue with the remaining cookie dough. Do not throw out the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few additional minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool.
- Once cooled, roll them around in the cinnamon-sugar mix to double-coat them.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can throw in a piece of bread to absorb the extra moisture, making it so the cookies last longer!
- Freeze: You can freeze the cookie dough and thaw it to bake later! Once you have shaped and coated the cookie dough balls with the cinnamon sugar mixture, line them up on a small baking sheet that will fit in your freezer. Place the dough balls in the freezer until they are solid, then transfer them to a freezer Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Bake after freezing: Line the dough balls on a baking sheet and allow them to thaw for about 20 minutes before baking. You may need to add a minute or two to the baking time to make up for the frozen part of it.
- Chilling the Cookies: When you chill the snickerdoodle dough, it usually becomes a thicker cookie, without as many cracks as are usually found on the tops of Snickerdoodles.
- Not Chilling: This is my classic recipe. You get lovely and appealing cracks on top that are usually found on the tops of classic snickerdoodle cookies.
- You want the butter barely softened. If the butter is too soft, then the dough will be too soft. Cold butter won’t be incorporated all the way and will result in a thicker cookie.
- Room-temperature eggs are better than cold ones. It mixes with the batter more and rise easily.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on the low setting and, using 1/3 cup at a time, add in the dry ingredients. I found this technique will result in a soft cookie. You can also sift in the dry ingredients. The less gluten that activates, the softer cookie you will have.
- Use a cookie scoop or a 1 tbsp measuring spoon. This will ensure the cookies are uniform in size and will bake evenly.