These easy snickerdoodle cookies are easy to make and make a classic delicious addition to your cookie platter for the holidays. And these snickerdoodles are a sneak peak recipe to my new cookbook that is coming out!
So when I was brainstorming cookie recipes for my upcoming cookbook, The Beginner’s Baking Bible, I was thinking of all the different cookie combinations that I wanted in the book. But let’s face it sometimes you just can’t beat a classic.
Like the snickerdoodle. Chewy, slightly tangy, and the cinnamon sugar coating.
Wait, let’s back up a moment. You have a cookbook coming out?!
Yup. I’m trying to act all chill right now. Like, yea no big deal. I have a cookbook coming out. But I am so not chill. I’m all cartwheels and squeals on the inside. I have a cookbook dropping on December 24th (2019), but it’s available for pre-order right now!
Read all about the cookbook right here. And this cookie recipe is a sneak peek from the book. I figured with the holidays coming up, this was the perfect recipe to share with you all from the book.
See Also:
- In less than 30 minutes and one mixing bowl later, these white chocolate snickerdoodle blondies will be in the oven!
- These Andes mint cookies are full of chocolate and Andes candies. This is an easy to make chewy chocolate cookie dough made with peppermint extract that comes together in minutes.
- Rolled in powdered sugar before baking, these double chocolate crinkle cookies are an one bowl Christmas cookie to make.
Why is it called a snickerdoodle?
A snickerdoodle, is a New England cookie favorite. I love baking these around Christmas time, but honestly they can be enjoyed all year round.
The name snickerdoodle, comes from their German origin, Schneckennudel, meaning “crinkly cookie”.
What do snickerdoodles taste like?
Snickerdoodles are really a simple sugar cookie that gets rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. But the signature flavor is from using baking soda and cream of tartar, which gives these cookies a bit of tanginess that can’t be beat!
It’s the cream of tartar that gives them the signature taste. Cream of tartar, or tartaric acid, is a dry powdery acidic ingredient that reacts with the baking soda in the recipe to help the cookies rise and give them flavor.
Why You Will Love These Snickerdoodles
- One bowl recipe – You can make the snickerdoodle cookie dough in just one mixing bowl. Hooray for less dishes!
- Easy make ahead Christmas cookie – You can make these cookies ahead of time and either freeze them or store for up to a week.
- Soft, chewy perfection – These snickerdoodles are soft and chewy with lots of cinnamon flavor!
My Recommended Tools
Buy Now →
Buy Now →
Buy Now →
Ingredients Needed
These cookies use all the classic ingredients you probably have in your pantry already.
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda – Used to help the cookies rise and reacts with the cream of tartar. Do not confuse this with baking powder as they are not the same ingredient.
- Cream of tartar – Don’t skip this ingredient. It reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise and gives them their signature rise.
- Salt – I prefer sea salt for its fine texture and pure salt flavor, but kosher salt or table salt will also work.
- Unsalted butter – I prefer unsalted butter because it’s fresher and I can control the amount of salt. But you can swap and use salted butter, but you may want to reduce the salt.
- Granulated white sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract- I prefer pure vanilla extract but imitation vanilla extract can also be used.
- Cinnamon
How to make these snickerdoodle cookies
Step One: Combine Wet Ingredients
In your stand mixer with your paddle attachment, you want to cream your softened butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla extract together properly. I cream on medium-high speed. It may curdle a bit, but don’t worry it will all come together once you add the dry ingredients.
For these cookies go ahead and add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
Heather’s Baking Tip
Be sure to measure your flour correctly! Kitchen scale is best, or use my spoon and level method. Too much flour will result in dry, cakey cookies. And not enough may cause your cookies to spread too much.
Then add in your flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
Step Three: Chill the dough and scoop cookies.
Listen. I know. Chilling your dough isn’t a lot of fun if you want a cookie like NOW. But chilling the dough will help to firm up the dough so they don’t spread in the oven.
Step Four: Roll in cinnamon sugar.
Now that the dough is chilled. you want to go ahead and scoop your cookies. I then roll each in my hand to get a perfect round shape. And then you want to roll each coating in the cinnamon sugar.
I use either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on my cookie sheet. And you want to bake for about 8-10 minutes. They may appear puffy and not quite done. But don’t be fooled, take them out. They will set up into perfect cookies.
More Baking Tips
- Use softened butter. You need to use room temperature butter so your dough is properly creamed and aerated. To soften your butter quickly, here are 3 quick ways.
- Room temperature eggs are key. Make sure to use room temperature eggs so they are easily incorporated into the cookie dough. I place mine into a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using them.
Snickerdoodle Cookie FAQ’s
Cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodles their classic flavor. Sort of tangy and it reacts with the baking soda. But don’t fret. If you don’t have it you can omit the cream of tartar and baking soda and use 2 teaspoons baking powder instead.
Yes!  The great thing about these cookies (and all scoop and bake cookies) is that they freeze so well!
To freeze unbaked:Â Scoop the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and freeze solid, about 1 hour. Then place into a sealable plastic bag. You can bake frozen, without thawing, but add on a few extra minutes of baking time.
To freeze baked:Â Allow the cookies to cool completely. Then when ready to eat, allow to thaw. I like to pop them into the microwave for about 15- 20 seconds to warm them back up slightly.
For more help, read this post on freezing cookie dough.
Yes, I think it’s highly important. Chilling your dough will help with the cookies not spreading as much.
Cookie spreading is a bummer. There 8 reasons that I can think of why your cookies may have spread. If your cookies do spread in the oven, which is to take them out of the oven and take a spoon and press the edges of the cookie inward.
This could be because you overbaked the cookies. If the dough is too warm (remember that chilling time!) then it could cause them too spread too much resulting in a cookie that gets too thin and gets too crispy and hard. Your oven temperature may also be too high. I recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is running at the correct temperature. If you’re still having trouble, be sure to sign up for my Bake Your Best Cookies Ever -Free Email Series
You can store, covered in an air tight container, at room temperature for up to 7 days.
More Cookie Recipes
And don’t forget to pre-order my cookbook now for the holidays! If you’re still having trouble, be sure to sign up for my Bake Your Best Cookies Ever -Free Email Series
Let’s Bake Together!
Subscribe to my newsletter to never miss a new recipe or baking challenge! And if you bake one of my recipes be sure to tag me on Instagram. You can also follow along with me on Facebook and You Tube.
Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups (330 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
Coating
- 4 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. You can use a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Add dry ingredients. With mixer on low, blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt until evenly combined.
- Chill the cookie dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This dough is sticky so it’s best to chill the dough for at least 1 hour or you can leave to refrigerate up to overnight.
- Preheat and prepare cookie sheets. Near the end of the chilling time, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400oF (205°C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Make cinnamon sugar topping. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Shape and roll cookies. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop or a tablespoon scoop the cookies into 1 ½ inch balls and immediately drop the cookie balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake and cool cookies. Bake in the preheated 400oF (205°C) oven 8-10 minutes, or until edges are browned, and tops are slightly puffy and set but not too hard. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Storage: You can store, covered in an air tight container, at room temperature for up to 7 days.Â
- Freezing:
- To freeze unbaked: Scoop the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and freeze solid, about 1 hour. Then place into a sealable plastic bag. You can bake frozen, without thawing, but add on a few extra minutes of baking time.
- To freeze baked: Allow the cookies to cool completely. Then when ready to eat, allow to thaw. I like to pop them into the microwave for about 15- 20 seconds to warm them back up slightly.Â
- Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodles their classic flavor. Sort of tangy and it reacts with the baking soda. But don’t fret. If you don’t have it you can omit the cream of tartar and baking soda and use 2 teaspoons baking powder instead.
Tavo says
super tasty and easy recipe! Really enjoyed making it with my kids and they loved it! Thank you!
Heather says
thanks Tavo…glad you and the kids loved this cookie recipe!
Angela says
One of my most favorite cookies ever! This recipe is perfection. Will be my go-to snickerdoodle from now on!
Heather says
music to my ears Angela! Glad you loved them 🙂
Kathleen says
These snickerdoodle cookies look perfectly soft and chewy. They are perfect for my family and gift giving.
Emily Leishman says
Amazing! These snickdoodles were great, and had an amazing crunch to them! And you can’t go wrong with anything covered in cinnamon sugar!
Heather says
Thanks Emily Glad you liked them!
Judy Carlson says
I baked the Snickerdoodles recipe, and this recipe is very good. Easy to prepare and bake.
Better than the one I have previously used.
Heather says
Aw that’s wonderful to hear Judy 🙂 glad you liked the recipe!
Annie F says
Very easy and delicious recipe. Although, I would appreciate the chilled time in the total time as that is misleading. I was short on time and put it in the freezer for 20 min and the cookies were perfect.
Heather says
Hi Annie! Glad you liked the cookies! I’ll make sure to update the cookies to reflect the chilling time!
Mary says
Hi! How many does it make? Can’t wait to make these! Thanks!
Heather says
Awesome Mary! This recipe makes about 24 cookies. Happy baking 🙂