The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

Here’s a recipe for Snickerdoodle Cookies that will blow you away. I’ve perfected this cookie recipe, creating the perfect soft and chewy textured snickerdoodle with the right amount of cinnamon sugar flavor and the creamy tang you expect. These cookies are buttery, soft, and chewy, yet crispy on the edges, airy and light at the same time. It’s magic! The flavor and texture of snickerdoodle cookies is unlike anything else. Once you learn how to make this classic recipe for snickerdoodle cookies, nothing can stop you. Everyone will beg you for the recipe, and I’ll leave it up to you if you share it or not! Snickerdoodles are a must on my holiday baking list, along with Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Peanut Butter Blossoms. I make snickerdoodles throughout the year as well, they are good enough for any special occasion or no occasion at all.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Key Ingredients

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Unsalted Butter: Every good cookie should start with this. Two sticks, softened at room temperature, are needed to make this snickerdoodle recipe. Granulated Sugar: Some goes into the cookie dough, and some is mixed with cinnamon to add to the outside of the cookies. Eggs: Let your eggs come to room temperature along with the butter. This will ensure that everything mixes together smoothly. Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt: The main ingredients to the dry mixture in this recipe. Cream of Tartar: This is the thing that makes snickerdoodles taste like snickerdoodles. It’s acidic, giving you a tangy flavor. Cinnamon: This yummy warm spice mixed with sugar is the perfect coating for our cookies.

How to Make Snickerdoodles

Recipe Tips

Adjust the size: You can make your snickerdoodles as big or small as you like. Both 1 tablespoon sized cookies and 2 tablespoon sized cookies took the same amount of time to bake in my trials. Double the Recipe: You can feel free to multiply this recipe to get as many delicious snickerdoodle cookies as you need. More cinnamon sugar is not a bad thing: make sure that the entire rolled ball of dough is really well coated in the sugar mixture by pressing it in gently. This creates a slight crunch on the outside of the cookie. Don’t overbake: Overbaked snickerdoodles will be dry. Pull your cookies out of the oven just before they start to get brown. They will continue to cook a bit as they cool.

Cream of Tartar for Snickerdoodles

The thing that gives snickerdoodle cookies their tangy flavor is the addition of cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is also mostly responsible (along with the baking soda) for the light crumb of the cookie. Cream of tartar is super important for the success of your snickerdoodles because, without it, these would just be sugar cookies. I suggest buying a fresh bottle of cream of tartar when you decide to make snickerdoodles. If you only use cream of tartar once a year or even twice a year, it will lose its effectiveness sitting in your cupboard. For good measure, I like to be sure that both my cream of tartar and my baking soda are fresh when adding to my snickerdoodles recipe.