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 and peanut butter snickerdoodles. 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!
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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 topping: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- 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.
- 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.
I’ve been making these cookies for Christmas for years now and I have to say they are the absolute best. The only snickerdoodle recipe I will ever use. For a seasonal touch I add nutmeg, ginger and clove. They have become my signature bake and they have actually caused fights amongst family and coworkers. I also find that they are best when taken out just before they look done.
These are AMAZING!!! So soft, delicious, and incredibly easy to make. Thank you for another perfect recipe!
These turned out SO good! I have an egg allergic kiddo, so I substituted a flax egg for the egg in the recipe, but otherwise I followed it exactly. Love the tip about flattening them a little bit with a spoon. Excellent recipe, thank you!
These are perfect! I freeze the balls of dough & only bake a few at a time to avoid overeating (at least try to avoid it) and they are delicious.
Love this recipe! Mine have always turned out perfectly! I make my cookies with 1 tablespoon of dough because I prefer a smaller cookie, but otherwise no changes except not flattening them after baking. Thank you for another wonderful Christmas cookie recipe, Sally!
I have always made snickerdoodles the traditional way that has the cinnamon in just the topping. Always a great cookie. This cookie is by far better! I find these cookies to be extremely addictive. The trick is to add every bit of that cinnamon in the batter. Sally, your website is so awesome! Love your recipes!
I just made these. They baked up perfectly and taste delicious. My house smells delicious too.
Hi Sally! Thank you for this recipe. Can you please tell me the approximate size of the baked cookie? I’m trying to decide how big I want them since they’re going on trays for Christmas. Thank you!
Hi Lisa! These baked snickerdoodle cookies are about 2 – 2.25 inches in diameter.
Hi sally!! I LOVE this cookie recipe,it’s awesome if you need desserts in a time crunch.I’m making a few other types of cookies of yours for an event this weekend.Anyways,I was wondering if chilling this cookie dough will effect the final product?
Thanks for your input!!
Have a good day!
Hi Jennifer! Chilling the cookie dough is ok, but make sure you let it sit out at room temperature for a little before rolling/baking. The cookies won’t spread much if the dough is too cold.
Made these exactly as stated and they came out PERFECT!!! This is a wonderful recipe!!! Perfectly light and everything you’d want in a snicker doodle!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Could this recipe be turned into a cookie “pizza?”
Absolutely! I’m unsure of the exact bake time though.
Sally you have NEVER failed me! I made these and they are incredible. Followed the recipe exactly and I will never make snickerdoodles any other way.
These snickerdoodles are amazing! Big, soft, perfect amount of “tang” and cinnamon. Thank you!
This is my favorite snickerdoodle recipe. I have made them many times and they always come out perfect and oh so delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
I cannot even begin to explain how amazing these cookies turned out. They are so soft and chewy and they have the perfect snickerdoodle taste. Thank you so kindly for sharing all of these recipes with us all! I will for sure this recipe handy for the future!
Delicious! These are the best cookies I’ve made in a long time. Hopefully they will last for our Thanksgiving celebration on Thursday. I will certainly be making another batch for Christmas Eve. Thank you Sally!
I just made these, and I’m not exaggerating when I say they are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made! So simple yet so positively delicious. I love the slight saltiness and tang, which compliment the sweet so well- and the soft texture is divine. Thank you so very much for this recipe, I look forward to making them over and over again!
The best snickerdoodle cookies EVER! I am not a very accomplished baker and the recipe was very detailed and easy to follow. My family LOVED them! This recipe is going in my “favorites” cookbook – thank you!
These are our families favorite!! My daughter requested them for a Valentines party we are going to tomorrow! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!! Just curious- if i wanted to chill the dough for a day or two, you think that they would still taste fresh and fluffy?!
Yep, chilling for a day or two is just fine. Just let the dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Enjoy!
My 8 year old daughter just made these today. They tasted amazing!!! This was the first time she has ever made cookies all by herself. These will be made in the near future for sure!
These snickerdoodles were perfection. I rolled them in the cinnamon-sugar and then before baking I sprinkled them with more sugar mix. Yummo!
I made these a few months ago and again today – on a very cold, windy, snowy evening. They are just so scrumptious!! And, fresh out of the oven, provide a bit warm comfort! Thanks 🙂
I just wanted to share that these are definitely the best snickerdoodles ever! I love how thick they are and they come out moist and perfect. Thank you for this recipe! My husband loves them and I have spent years trying to make something he enjoyed.
I just got finished making these – they look EXACTLY like the pictures!!
They’re thick and golden and crusty on the outside and fluffy and chewy on the inside. I followed the recipe exactly and came up with exactly 2 dozen (LARGE!) cookies.
I’ll be away at college on my mom’s birthday coming up this week, so I can’t wait to wrap these up and send her some of her favorite cookies as a surprise.
Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Made your Snickerdoodles today, after my son requested Snickerdoodles be shipped to him for his 22nd birthday. Your Snickerdoodles are AWESOME! Your recipe is now my “go to” Snickerdoodles recipe. Thanks!
I made these for an “afternoon tea” party, and they were honestly the best cookies I have ever made! They looked EXACTLY like the ones in the pictures, which almost never happens for me, yet the recipe was so easy and fast. I am in awe of cream of tartar’s (and your) magic powers. 🙂
This has become my sister’s go-to snickerdoodle recipe. Thanks for posting!