Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles. These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish!
Snickerdoodles are a timeless classic, just like a good batch of chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter cookies. Like drop sugar cookies wrapped in a cinnamon sugar hug, these irresistible cookies never go out of style. My recipe yields the softest and thickest snickerdoodles you’ll ever taste. I like to call them snickerdoodle pillows because they are perfectly fat and puffy! Much too often you’re left with flat, crispy, and thin cookies. The only remedy is to submerge them in a tall glass of milk. But what about starting out with a kitchen tested recipe for soft-baked snickerdoodles? You’ve come to the right place. 🙂
How to Make Soft Snickerdoodles
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. Take them out of the oven after about 10-11 minutes. This will keep the interior of the cookie soft and chewy.
Why is Cream of Tartar in Snickerdoodles?
Instead of baking powder, use cream of tartar and baking soda in snickerdoodles. Sure, you could use 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of the cream of tartar + baking soda, but then you won’t really have a snickerdoodle. Cream of tartar adds a unique tangy flavor to the cookie, which sets it apart from sugar cookies and makes it a classic snickerdoodle. You also use it for the best flavor in maple pecan snickerdoodles. It’s absolutely delicious!
No Cookie Dough Chilling!
Great news! You can skip the cookie dough chilling step with this snickerdoodle recipe. There’s enough flour in this cookie dough to create a strong and sturdy cookie without the crutch of chilling the dough first. There’s also no fancy-pants ingredients required. These snickerdoodles are EASY. Shortbread cookies are another easy no chill recipe to keep in your back pocket.
A medium cookie scoop is helpful to divide up the dough. Roll each dough ball in cinnamon sugar, and arrange on a lined baking sheet:
These snickerdoodle cookies aced the true “soft test” meaning they remained soft on day 2! In fact, they were still soft on day 4. (And I’m surprised there are any leftover by that point, but I was trying to make a point!) Since they remain so soft, snickerdoodles are the perfect cookie for gift-giving. I know there are many snickerdoodle lovers out there!
If you’re looking for other snickerdoodle favorites, here are my pumpkin snickerdoodles, peanut butter snickerdoodles, chocolate snickerdoodles, and snickerdoodle blondies. And are you craving cake? Here’s my snickerdoodle cake & swirled snickerdoodle cupcakes recipes.
This recipe also joins 30+ others in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipes—ready in 1 hour or less!
Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 26-28 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles. These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish! No dough chilling required.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/3 cup (267g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies). Set aside.
- Make the cookies: Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough will be thick.
- Make the topping: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of cookie dough each. I recommend this cookie scoop. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired. Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies remain soft & fresh for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are a few options here! First, you can prepare the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure that you let it come to room temperature before rolling and baking the cookies. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls. Roll the dough into balls then freeze the balls for up to 2-3 months. You can freeze the cookie dough balls with the cinnamon sugar coating or without, but I recommend freezing without the topping. When you are ready to bake, remove the balls from the freezer, let sit for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll into topping. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is required for this recipe. Please see the text of the post for more information.
- Extra Egg Yolk: To bring this dough together so it isn’t quite as crumbly use 1 large egg, plus 1 extra large egg yolk. I’ve been doing this recently and the snickerdoodles taste even softer, moister, and richer.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
They turned out perfectly:)
Always make snickerdoodles with this recipe and I don’t change anything. They taste great and are nice and chewy, but they always flatten everytime.
Mine flatten too. I’m hoping for some suggestions.
I made these cookies tonight on a whim, and they turned out WONDERFULLY! So puffy, cinnamon-y and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
Followed your recipe to a “t.” Family’s literally BEGGING me to make more. Thank you for working to create and share your recipes with us. I’m so glad I signed up for your emails.
What if I put it two different 9-inch cake pans? Or should I triple your XL Snicker Doodle Cookie Recipe
That should work. I’m unsure of the best bake time since it will be less dough than the regular chocolate chip cookie cake. Keep a close eye on them.
Could this be made into a cake, similar to the chocolate chip cookie cake or sugar cookie cake?
Definitely. There’s too much dough for a 9-inch cake pan or pie dish. I would try them as bars in a 9×13 inch pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time.
Hi Sally
Can you freeze the cookies after making them
My cookies turned out great! Thank you sharing the recipe. I did not have cream of tartar so i used white vinegar instead and it worked nicely. If you do this substitution don’t combine white vingear with dry ingredients…I did and it activated the baking soda! no explosion though!! haha
What I did was I rolled them a couple of times in the cinnamon sugar instead of 1 or 2 times
My husband loves this recipe. Snickerdoodles are his favorite cookie. Our only complaint is that we don’t seem to get quite as thorough of a coating of the sugar and cinnamon mixture on the outside as with some other recipes. Any tips on how to get a denser overall coating?
I’m so happy he enjoys it, Kat! After I roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar topping, I sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top for good measure.
Love this recipe and the cookies turn out great! I have a really dumb question though especially since I’ve made them at least 5 times but I can’t for the life of me remember how I made them in the past. Is there just 1 cup of sugar that goes into the dough and 1/3 cup for the topping or is there 1-1/3 cups in the dough and an additional 1/3 cup for the topping? Same question for the cinnamon.
Hi Melanie, The ingredients are separated out for you. So you add 1 and 1/3 cup granulated sugar to the dough, and then use another 1/3 cup for the topping. I hope this makes sense!
Snickerdoodles always seem to come out too flat for my liking, so I your title caught my eye. PERFECT! These had more height to them and baked up perfectly! I doubled the recipe and didn’t change a thing. They rolled up nicely, not crumbly and didn’t spread like most do. I used the back of a fork to flatten slightly as the recipe recommended and they turned out beautiful! This will be my go-to Snickerdoodle recipe.
Just made these on a whim to take to our family. They are just as you said..delicious, super quick and easy. Everyone who tried them is asking for the recipe. These will become a staple at our house. I don’t usually enjoy baking as nothing seems to turn out as it should. Thank you for a great one!
🙂
Hi Sally, I was wondering whether you could sap the butter for margarine or not. we are running out of butter, and we can’t go to the grocery store because of the lockdown. Thank you!
Hi Jasmine, I don’t recommend margarine for this cookie recipe. You need the butter.
Just made these cookie using the exact ingredients given as well as following the exact instructions given. They were amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Tried out the recipe and the cookies turned out amazing! Whole family loves it and how chewy and soft they turned out
Amazing cookies! Super soft and fluffy, just like they claim to be
Hi! Was wondering if using salted butter sticks would make a difference?
Hi Natalia! If using salted butter, reduce the added salt to 1/8 teaspoon.
I made these today and they’re excellent, with a great contrast between the sugary crunch of the outside and the softness of the inside. I think next time I might give them 11 or 12 minutes in the oven just to get a slightly deeper golden brown, but no more (my oven is a bit unreliable). I didn’t press on them with a spoon when they came out but they flattened down quite nicely by themselves as they cooled, similar to your photos. My family enjoyed them very much!
Followed recipe exactly and they were perfect, big hit! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Dear Sally,
Thank you for the recipe! They are the BEST snickerdoodles I’ve ever had. My husband and son are going to have to be extremely nice to me for me to share these with them.
these cookies were awesome!! completely loved them….
Made these tonight and they were excellent! I was a little afraid they wouldn’t turn out because the dough looks very crumbly once done mixing but the cookies formed well, and baked perfectly. Definitely can taste the tanginess of the tartar.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I tasted these cookies years ago at my mother-in-laws. I’m from England and have never made cookies. These got me going on baking. These have always been a favorite in my home . I tried your recipe and found them much easier to assemble/ bake. Now I know where to go for more recipes . P.S. Thanks
Best snickerdoodles I’ve made and I’ve made a lot!
I have made this recipe for years, and I have always loved it! I was running low on white sugar, so I substituted brown sugar for the topping and it made them so yummy! It added a bit of crunch to the outside. Thanks for sharing! I am a big fan of what you do! ❤️
First time making these cookies and it was a success! This was a quarantine recipe so I didn’t have any cream of tartar and didn’t want to run to the shop just for one item so I substituted the cream of tartar and baking soda with two teaspoons of baking powder. The dough was quite crumbly so I added a splash of milk until I had a good consistency. It’s hard to tell when these are baked with the sugary topping on them so be conservative with your timing so you don’t end up with crunchy bottoms (like I did with my first batch). I’ll definitely make these again!
Ever since this e I’ve been trying to keep busy and be creative in the kitchen. I love to cook, but honestly never ever bake. Recently I was at a baby shower and tried similar cookies and loved them. After googling and seeing the positive reviews, I decided to give these a try. I halved the recipe- 1. To make sure I didn’t waste too many ingredients if I screwed it up; and 2. To ensure that if they did come out great, I didn’t eat the whole batch. This recipe is a keeper!! My mom is a fabulous baker and would be super proud of me if she tried these! Thank you so much- I’ll be sure to add this to the list of family favorites!
How did halving work? What did you do about halving one egg? Would also like to halve but not sure how! Thanks!!
They were great! I lightly scrambled the egg in one bowl and poured half the mixture in. Now I’m wishing I just did the whole recipe because they’re all gone and everyone wants more!
Dear Sally,
Can you advise me how to ship these? I live in NH and my son is far away in SanFranciso would like to bake him some snickerdoodles.They would arrive 2-3 days after I make them would that be okay?
Thank you,
Jenna
Hi Jenna, The snickerdoodles should be just fine for a few days. This is the best way to ship cookies.
These turned out really great. I’ve had the hardest time finding a good snickerdoodle recipe and many of them don’t have cream of tartar so I was glad to find this one. Thank you!
I did end up baking them an extra 4 minutes.