Soft, chewy, buttery cookies coated in cinnamon and sugar. These Snickerdoodles bake up super thick and turn out perfect every single time!
I’ve mentioned it before, but one of my main goals on the blog is to start sharing some classic dessert recipes with you. Because while everyone loves over the top desserts every now and then, you just can’t beat a classic recipe. Today’s snickerdoodle recipe is one that I’ve been working on for a while now, and I’m happy to say that I finally cracked the code to perfect snickerdoodle cookies!
I actually attempted snickerdoodles last year for Christmas and was not happy with the results. The cookies tasted good, but they flattened out like pancakes. Actually more like crepes, they were just thin and pretty lifeless.
So a couple of weeks ago I decided to really work on perfecting this snickerdoodle cookie recipe and I have to say, they turned out better than I had hoped. These cookies bake up soft, chewy, and pretty thick too.
In fact, I made a test batch of 50 cookies and sent them with my husband to work and they were gone by the end of the day. Now that’s when you know a recipe is good!
The first thing that I found when it comes to creating thicker snickerdoodle cookies is that you need a slightly higher amount of flour in your recipe, so you’ll be using three cups of flour. The mixture may seem a little crumbly when you first start mixing in the dry ingredients, this is normal so just keep mixing and I promise the cookie dough will come together.
And I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to measuring your flour correctly, but it’s absolutely crucial with this cookie recipe. Avoid scooping your flour from the container, instead, spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. If you scoop the flour from the container, your cookie dough may be too dry and not hold together very well.
Along with the flour, you’ll be using some cream of tartar which adds that classic tanginess we all know and love when it comes to snickerdoodles as well as some baking soda and salt. I also add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon inside of the cookie dough because cinnamon makes every cookie better, especially snickerdoodles!
Along with the dry ingredients, you’ll be creaming together some butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Most snickerdoodle recipes just call for granulated sugar, but brown sugar helps to keep the cookies from spreading as much and it also adds some moisture to the cookie dough.
This recipe also uses 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, you can save the leftover egg white and use it in these candied pecans or these strawberry turnovers.
Once you’ve mixed up the cookie dough, I suggest letting it chill for about 30 minutes. The dough chilling allows the butter to firm back up so the cookies bake up thicker and don’t spread as much. Dough chilling is almost always a must for thicker cookies, so don’t skip this step!
Once the dough is chilled, you’ll measure out the cookie dough and roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. One important thing, make sure to only measure out about one tablespoon of cookie dough or 1 and 1/4 inch balls of cookie dough.
I find that snickerdoodles any larger than that just don’t tend to bake up nearly as thick. Be sure to measure the first few scoops of cookie dough, then you can just eyeball the rest from there!
Baking Tips for Snickerdoodles
- When measuring your flour, don’t scoop it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
- The cookie dough may seem a little crumbly once you add the dry ingredients, but this is normal! Keep mixing the dry ingredients and the mixture will come together just fine.
- Make sure to chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes so the butter is chilled as the cookies go into the oven. This will prevent the cookies from spreading as much and ensure a thicker cookie.
- Be sure to measure out the cookie dough, you only need one tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie. You can either use a one tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring tablespoon. Each ball of cookie dough should measure about 1 and 1/4 inches wide once you roll each one.
Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for about 1-2 minutes or until well combined. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Each ball of cookie dough should measure about 1 and 1/4 inches once you roll it into a ball.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon for the coating. Roll each ball of cookie dough into a ball, then coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place back on the baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
- Bake in separate batches at 350°F for 7-10 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week.
Freezing Instructions: Cookie dough balls may be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll in the cinnamon sugar coating just before baking and bake from frozen for an additional 1-2 minutes. Baked cookies will also freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw to room temperature before serving.
Love snickerdoodles? Try my Pumpkin Snickerdoodles next!
Is it weird that these cookie pictures just make me so happy?! Well, I love snickerdoodles so that’s probably why. I’m craving them now for sure.
No, not at all! I feel the same way when it comes to snickerdoodles 🙂 Thanks, Kaylin!
These are like little bites of heaven when they’re fresh from the oven. So, so good! Thank you for sharing- my family loves them!
I agree, Dara! They’re definitely one of my favorite cookies 🙂
I’m totally imagining how beautiful the house would smell when these cookies are baking – Cinnamon buttery goodness! Can’t wait to make them!
Thanks, Samina! Hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them! 🙂
How many cookies does one batch make?
If you measure one tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie it will make about 4 dozen.
These are the best Snickerdoodles ever! Shared this on fb too!
Thank you, Cindy! I’m glad you liked the cookies!
These show beautifully! I have a pumkin snicker doodle recipe very much like this you’d love!! They are pillowy and soft…perfect 😊
Thank you, Linda!
I have to admit… I always print recipes and never bake them. Finally…. Ibjust backed these cookies they are my fav so I had to learn. I dont know much of what to use more of or not but I follow theough and the 49 cookies are gone within the hr 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you for this recipe…
So happy to hear that, Jen!
I’m getting ready to bake these – my boyfriend’s fave cookie from his youth – for his birthday. I realize I only have extra large eggs. Is there really THAT much difference, or should I just use one whole egg?
It may not be a huge difference, but an extra large egg will add more moisture to the cookie dough. I’ve made this dough with two large eggs before, but it tends to spread more. I would really suggest using large eggs if you can, if not then you may only want to use 1 extra large egg.
Hi,
I have been making cookies since I was a kid, but even though I followed your recipe to the tee, it came out crumbly in the dough. Would you recommend to use another egg? I made sugar cookies from another recipe and they came out tasting really good, but they were hollow and spread which I have never seen that before. What would you recommend?
Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour for the snickerdoodles?
This recipe was a huge success. I made a double batch for my husband’s students and colleagues and they all raved about them. I’m making them again with a little pumpkin pie spice and orange colored sugar for Halloween.
So glad everyone liked the cookies, Marilyn! The pumpkin pie spice and orange sugar sounds fantastic too!
Okay, first of all, the recipe is awesome! They are delicious and my house smells so yummy!
Now, I ran out of unsalted butter and used 1/2 cup of unsalted butter and 1/2 cup of shortening with two tablespoons of water, but dough turned out crummy. Any suggestions on how to fix it? I baked a batch and they came out good anyway, but just wondering if you knew why.
Glad you liked the cookies, Brenda! I’m not sure why the dough wouldn’t turn out with the shortening though. Did you make any other adjustments?
I love this recipe. I added a couple of handfuls of caramel bits and OMG! SOOOOO GOOD!!
Caramel bits sound like a great addition, Kelly!
I followed the recipe to the T but the dough still seems pretty crumbly. Will adding a little more butter help? How crumbly should the dough be before baking?
Thanks for the recipe!
Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour? If so, the dough seems a little crumbly at first but should come together. If it just seems too crumbly, you could add a little milk to the dough to add some moisture (I would try 1-2 teaspoons to start with).
Just curious, what does one whole egg, and just the yolk of another egg do for the cookie? I’m only asking because I have never seen a recipe like this one before.
The egg yolk provides more moisture to the cookie dough so that it’s not too dry or crumbly and it also helps to make the cookies chewier.
My first time to make snickerdoodles. And I must say that they are awesome!
I only made one batch and will freeze the rest for the rest of the holiday season.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
So glad you liked the cookies, Lisa!
Will me not using an electric mixer make a huge difference? Lol I don’t have one of those
It’s fine if you don’t have one. Just make sure your butter is softened enough so you can mix it with the sugar.
I had great results with the recipe even at 9,300 ft elevation. Additionally, we were short of butter, I misread the egg details and only had brown sugar for the dough. Still, they were a big hit at home and with relatives. I really like the cinnamon in the dough as well. I’m going to have my 9th grade cooking students make these to share with faculty and staff this Christmas.
So glad the cookies turned out great for you, Paul! Hope your students and staff enjoy the cookies too.
I would love to make these for me and my Love. But I was wondering if I could use Stevia instead. I have the kind that measure cup for cup like sugar, but I’m not sure if it will cream properly. I may still end up trying it tonight, but I would love any tips.
I’ve never tried Stevia in these cookies, I think it would affect the taste and texture of the cookies though.
These were the best snickerdoodles ever!!! I had to fuss at my hubby for eating too many! 😂
So funny, Debbie! Glad you and your husband liked the cookies!
My cookies don’t seem to spread like yours. Any suggestions?
Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour? Too much flour can cause the cookies to not spread. You can slightly flatten them before you bake them and that should help them spread.
My little ones love these cookies, so does by hubby! But its definitely settling the sweets craving ive been having this pregnancy! Thank you for the delicious recipe
So happy to hear that, Alexis!
Thanks for sharing your recipe for the snickerdoodles. They are delicious! I really like adding cinnamon to the batter. Makes one of my favorite cookies taste even better!
So glad you liked the cookies, Dave!
Love these Snickerdoodles – they turned out chewy yet a little crisp around the edges. Easy to make; great directions. These will be my Snickerdoodle go tos from now on. If I could figure out how to post the pictures you would see 48 perfect cookies. Well , 47! I followed the recipe exactly which I also appreciate.
So glad you liked the cookies, Randee! You can also feel free to e-mail me a picture or tag me on Instagram!
Best snickerdoodle recipe. I used King Aurther’s GF measure for measure and they came out perfect. The egg yolk did the trick not too flat. Thank you for sharing.
Glad to hear the gluten-free flour worked great, Steffie!
These were delicious! Refrigerating the dough before baking was definitely key to making them thicker. I am definitely making these cookies again. I was very pleased with how these came out – sometimes the recipes that I find online look good but don’t turn out well and that was definitely not the case with these.
So glad you liked the cookies, Christina!
These cookies are AMAZING! Thanks for sharing, I love chewy and I love cinnamon – and I ADORE SNICKERDOODLES! I was out of cream of tartar, so I substituted 1 tsp COT + 2 tsp baking soda = 1 TBS baking powder. Still worked out excellent. The kids love them as much (or more) and this was an easy win. Thanks!
So glad you liked the cookies, Ellen!