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This easy Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe is the perfect addition to your holiday baking! It’s the most simple recipe ever and requires NO chilling at all.
What’s to love
- Quick and easy. This recipe uses pantry staples you likely already have at home – budget friendly and easy! And it goes from mixing bowl to oven without having to wait for your dough to chill.
- Tweaks that make a difference. A few simple tweaks make these the best Snickerdoodles ever – brown sugar adds softness, and the cinnamon in the dough adds extra flavor!
- Better cinnamon sugar coating. You’ll dip the cookies into cinnamon sugar both before and after baking, for those perfect sparkly tops and the best taste!
Soft and pillowy with an extra generous amount of cinnamon sugar – these really are the best Snickerdoodle cookies!
Printable recipe
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
To roll:
- 3-6 tablespoons sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
Tips
- Cream of tartar: This is what makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle. If you don’t have it and are absolutely set on making snickerdoodle cookies, try using 3 teaspoons of baking powder to replace the cream of tartar and the baking soda.
- The dough bakes best at room temperature. You want the Snickerdoodle cookies to spread during baking, so the dough should be baked at room temperature. If you still need to chill it because you’re making it ahead, you may need to gently push the cookies down with the bottom of a drinking glass right after baking to help flatten them out.
- Double dip: Just like the best Snowball cookies need a double-dip in powdered sugar, double-dipping snickerdoodles in cinnamon sugar makes them extra-special. The outside gets even crunchier, and there’s a lot more cinnamon flavor. If you don’t want to bother, you can skip the second dip.
Instructions
- Prep:Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets. Get your ingredients ready.
- Combine dry ingredients:Place all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside.2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Cream butter and sugar:Place the butter and both sugars in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer until fluffy.1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add eggs:Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until JUST combined.Note: Don’t overbeat the eggs, mix them in for 10-15 seconds and call it a day – otherwise your cookies will be too puffy and taste too eggy2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Make cookie dough:Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until a sticky cookie dough forms.
- Shape cookies:Roll the dough into 1 inch balls (about 1 heaping teaspoon of dough each). Mix the sugar and cinnamon for rolling, and roll the dough balls in it.3-6 tablespoons sugar, 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
- Bake:Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake in single batches (only one baking sheet in the oven at a time!) for 8-10 minutes.Note: Don't overbake the cookies – bake them until just lightly browned and very soft when you take them out of the oven. Overbaked snickerdoodles get rock-solid and lose their delicious soft center.
- Second dip:Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then dip in the cinnamon sugar again.
- Cool:Place the cookies on a cooling rack to cool completely. Store on the counter in an airtight container or cookie tin. They are best eaten within 5-7 days.
Video
Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies
make your kitchen smell like home?Snickerdoodle FAQs
Yes, absolutely!
To freeze unbaked cookies:
Roll the dough into balls (do not dip in sugar!) and freeze them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer to freezer bags labelled with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 2 months).
To bake, let the dough balls sit on a plate for 30 minutes, then roll in cinnamon sugar and bake as directed in the recipe.
To freeze baked cookies:
Freeze the cookies in freezer-friendly containers. Separate layers with wax paper.
To thaw, leave them on a cooling rack at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Roll in cinnamon sugar again to make them look pretty and fresh.
Yes, but if you prefer to bake with margarine, please use stick margarine intended for baking. NOT buttery spread or any other product that’s intended for spreading on bread.
Light brown sugar adds softness and flavor, but feel free to replace it with white sugar if you don’t have any brown sugar on hand. The taste and texture will be a little different, but still good.
You technically can, but it changes the cookies.
The Cream of Tartar is a raising agent, it adds a tart flavor and it keeps the cookies soft on the inside.
If you absolutely want Snickerdoodles but don’t have cream of tartar, you can try using 3 teaspoons of baking powder to replace the cream of tartar AND the baking soda.
It won’t give you the same old fashioned taste, but still a great cookie. You can also try adding ½ – 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the dough to add that tartness.
Perfect to serve with
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Recipe first published on 12/11/2018. Updated on 12/12/2020 and again on 12/21/2025 with new photos and better text. The recipe has stayed the same.
Denise says
Cookies were pretty simple to make. They were absolutely the best Snickerdoodle cookie ever!!!! Soft, chewy and oh so delicious!!!
Liz says
This recipe is perfection! I made a batch this evening and they are a hit with my family. Thank you!
Robin says
These are by far the best snickerdoodle cookies I’ve ever had.! And I’ve had a couple in my day! lol