Snickerdoodle Cookies
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If you are looking for a GREAT Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe, go no further. These Snickerdoodles are easy to make, so soft & chewy, and so delicious. I am even going to show you how to make them ahead to freeze!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- The recipe is well tested. I’ve been making these for over 12 years now and they are perfect.
- They are easy. The ingredients are simple and making them is a breeze.
- Kids love to help. There is a step where they are tossed in cinnamon sugar that kids love to help with.
- You can make the dough in advance and refrigerate or freeze it.
Serve these cookies up at a holiday meal or place them on a Charcuterie Board. They’d also pair nicely with our Instant Pot Chili, Chicken Taco Soup, and hot chocolate!
Ingredients
The ingredients are very simple. Here is what you’ll need:
How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookies
Here is a quick overview of how to make Snickerdoodle cookies. Detailed steps can be found in the recipe card.
- Make the cookie dough.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll dough into a small ball and then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake.
Snickerdoodle Pro Tips
- This is a great recipe to make with kids. Not only does it come together fast, but they love to help roll the dough into balls and coat them with cinnamon sugar.
- Error on undercooking the cookies. For me, 12 minutes is PERFECT. Not one minute over, not one minute under. To obtain that desired chewiness you want in a Snickerdoodle, you simply cannot overcook them.
- Double the recipe and freeze some of the dough for later. It’s easy to double the dough and your future self will be glad you have them prepped and ready to go in the freezer.
How to Freeze Snickerdoodle Cookies
To Freeze:
Assemble the dough, roll them in the cinnamon sugar, and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, move the dough balls to an airtight container.
To Prepare:
Let the dough thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes on a baking sheet and then bake them as directed.
FAQs
Cream of tartar adds a unique tangy flavor to the cookie, which sets it apart from a regular sugar cookie. It’s absolutely delicious and pretty essential to making a Snickerdoodle.
Yes, you can make cookie dough in advance and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Most cookies are often best stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Use layers of parchment paper if you need to layer the cookies.
Yes! We have written a whole post about it: How to freeze cookie dough
Yes, baked cookies can be frozen for up to three months.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
If you like these cookies, try one of our other yummy recipes.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Snickerdoodle Cookies
These snickerdoodles are always a favorite with their soft, chewy middle and the delicious cinnamon sugar mixture on the outside.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (for rolling):
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- In large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle attachment) to beat together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir just until combined and it forms a dough. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- In a shallow dish, stir together the sugar and cinnamon mixture (for rolling).
- For each cookie, scoop a small amount of dough out and roll into a ball. (You’re aiming for the size of a walnut or a little smaller.) Roll cookies into cinnamon sugar mixture until coated and place on the sheet pan. The cookies will flatten out while they bake, so make sure to leave a little room between them. (You may have to bake two batches depending on the size of your sheet pan.)
- Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes (don’t overcook them). The cookies will seem a bit undercooked, but they will continue to “carry-over cook” after they are removed from the oven. Let the cookies sit on the pan for 5-10 minutes until they firm up a bit and then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.
Freeze For Later: Assemble the dough, roll them in the cinnamon sugar, and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, move the dough balls to an airtight container. (Alternately, you can bake, cool, and freeze these.)
Prepare From Frozen: Let the dough thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes on a baking sheet and then bake them as directed. (Or, if you froze the fully baked cookie, thaw for a few minutes on the counter or warm for a few seconds in the microwave.)
Notes/Tips
- The best way to soften butter is to let it sit at room temperature for an hour or so.
- Remove cookies before they look fully cooked. They taste better this way!
- Thawing cookie dough in the fridge is preferable so the dough stays chilled.
- Let kids help with tossing the dough in cinnamon sugar. They love this step.
- We love eating these with Homemade Hot Chocolate on snow days!
Soft and chewy. Delicious!
Thanks for leaving a review Cheri! Hope you have a great holiday season.
Is there a substitute for cream of tartar?
That’s a good question. I’ve only made them with that ingredient. But, your question got me curious, so I did some research. According to an article on Healthline, “If your recipe contains both baking soda and cream of tartar, you can easily substitute with baking powder instead. This is because baking powder is made up of sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) and tartaric acid. You can use 1.5 teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder to replace 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) of cream of tartar.” https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cream-of-tartar-substitutes#baking-powder
Can these cookies be frozen? If I don’t want to use all the batter, can it keep in the refrig and if yes, for how long?
Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Donna. You can freeze these cookies before or after baking. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for 2-4 days generally. To Freeze before baked: Assemble the dough, roll them in the cinnamon sugar, and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, move the dough balls to an airtight container. To Prepare: Let the dough thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes on a baking sheet and then bake them as directed.
A constant favorite in our home! Seriously, my husband regularly request these cookies!
these are amazing!!!