These buttery Soft Snickerdoodles are flavored with a hint of cinnamon, making them perfect for a dessert, snack, or classic holiday cookie. They're easy to make with simple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen!
A snickerdoodle is a soft, chewy cookie that is usually made with flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and baking powder. They often have a light coating of cinnamon sugar on the outside. Snickerdoodles are believed to have originated in the United States and have been around since the early 1800s.
Snicker doodle cookies have become a classic treat worldwide and are enjoyed by people of all ages. If you've never had a homemade snickerdoodle before, you're in for a real treat! These cookies are soft and tender with a buttery flavor and a hint of warming cinnamon.
They are made with simple baking ingredients and produce a bakery-style cookie that is soft, chewy, and full of flavor. Serve them as an after-school snack, bring them to a party, or enjoy them through the holiday season!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This easy homemade cookie recipe is made with simple pantry baking ingredients you may already have stocked in your kitchen.
- The warm cinnamon flavor adds holiday cheer to these soft and tender snickerdoodles.
- These cookies are perfect for gifting, sharing at holiday parties, or enjoying as an after-school snack!
- The soft texture and buttery flavor make these the best snickerdoodles!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted Butter - Softened butter makes up these cookies' oil base, providing their soft texture and buttery flavor.
- Granulated Sugar - Sweetens up the base of the cookies.
- Eggs - Adds a rich texture and helps the cookies bind together and set during baking and cooling.
- Vanilla Extract - Adds a fragrant note of vanilla flavor throughout the cookies.
- All Purpose Flour - Makes up the dry ingredient base of the cookies that hold all of the ingredients together.
- Cornstarch - This ingredient is responsible for giving the cookies their chewy texture.
- Cream of Tartar & Baking Soda- This provides a slightly tangy flavor to the cookies as well as helps them to rise.
- Cinnamon - Gives the base of the cookie dough a light cinnamon flavor.
- Coating - A mix of cinnamon and sugar get mixed together to coat the outside with a sweet cinnamon flavor.
How To Make Soft Snickerdoodles From Scratch
Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350° F and adjust the rack to the middle of the oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Assemble the cinnamon sugar coating: Add cinnamon and sugar in a small shallow bowl and whisk until well combined.
Cream the butter and sugar: Add butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat together until light in color and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.
Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda and cinnamon until well combined in a large bowl.
Form the cookie dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
Shape the cookies: Using a cookie scoop or your hands form the cookie dough into 1 tbsp balls. Then, roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the cookies: Add the cookie sheets to the oven one sheet at a time for 7-8 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is still soft. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to use softened butter for this recipe. Room temperature butter will cream together much more easily with sugar and produce a soft cookie dough.
- Make sure the eggs are at room temperature as well. This will help them to mix in more evenly with the other ingredients.
- Cream of tartar is an acidic ingredient that gives these cookies a slight tang and helps them rise. You can find it in the spice aisle of your grocery store.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix on low speed until just combined. Overmixing will produce a tough cookie.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out evenly sized balls of dough. This will help ensure your cookies all bake up evenly!
- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time in the oven to prevent over-browning.
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of ground ginger or nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar coating for a different flavor.
- Instead of all-purpose flour, you could use whole wheat pastry flour for a heartier cookie. This will result in a denser cookie.
- Add chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts to the cookie dough for a fun twist.
- Make gluten-free soft snickerdoodles by substituting the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Baked and cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezing: Cookie dough balls can be frozen on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transferred to a freezer-safe bag or container, and stored in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to bake, place frozen dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for an extra minute.
FAQ
Cream of tartar is an acidic ingredient that gives these cookies a slight tang, and chewy texture and helps them rise.
No, snickerdoodles do not need to be flattened before baking. In fact, it’s best if you don’t because this can result in a flatter, tougher cookie.
You may have used too much flour in the recipe. For best results, use a kitchen scale or scoop the flour into the measuring cup using the spoon and level method, so you don’t pack in too much.
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Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened but not melted)
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and adjust rack to the middle of the oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Cinnamon Sugar
- In a small shallow bowl, add cinnamon and sugar and whisk until well combined.
Cookies
- In a large bowl, add butter and granulated sugar. Beat together until light in color and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda and cinnamon until well combined.
- On low speed slow beat the flour mixture in the to butter until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands form the cookie dough into 1 tbsp balls. Then, roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 7-8 minutes or until edges are golden brown and the center is still soft.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
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