The best soft, chewy, and thick Snickerdoodle Recipe, with tender centers and perfectly crisp edges!
author’s note
Soft, Chewy, Perfect Snickerdoodles Every Single Time!
Snickerdoodles have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. They were one of the first recipes I ever shared here because I’ve truly been making them my whole life.
After years of making them for every event and family get-together, I can honestly say I’ve never had a Snickerdoodle better than this version. They’re thick and chewy with the softest center and those crisp cinnamon edges that make them irresistible.
My brother-in-law is a Snickerdoodle superfan, and this is his all-time favorite cookie. He requests a batch every time he visits, and he swears these are the best he’s ever had. I have to agree. This is the recipe I’m proudest to share.
Snickerdoodle Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Butter | Opt for unsalted for better salt control. |
| Sugar | A mix of white and brown sugar gives the best sweetness. |
| Egg + Egg Yolk | Adds richness and keeps the cookies soft. |
| Vanilla Extract | Boosts overall flavor. |
| Flour | Measure carefully for the right consistency. |
| Cream of Tartar | Gives the classic tang and helps the dough set. |
| Baking Soda | Helps the cookies rise. |
| Cinnamon | Adds warm flavor in both the dough and the coating. |
Quick Tip
My favorite way to bake? Simply use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients in grams. It eliminates guesswork that can come with less precise measuring using cups.
Featured Comment
I rarely review/leave comments, but I felt compelled to with this recipe.
I have searched high and low for THE snickerdoodle recipe. The recipe that creates soft, but slightly crisp and moist, but not underbaked snickerdoodles. This is that recipe. I will never make any other snickerdoodle recipe again!
Thank you for sharing!
– Kate
How To Make This Snickerdoodle Recipe (Tips)
- Butter: Hot butter leads to greasy cookies. Melt it fully, then let it cool to room temp.
- Chill the dough: This keeps the cookies thick with chewy centers.
- Roll tall cookie dough balls: Taller shapes spread into the perfect thickness.
- Generously coat in cinnamon sugar: More coating means better caramelized edges.
- Slightly underbake: Bake on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. The centers should look soft when you pull them out; they finish cooking on the tray.
- Shape while warm: Press the edges inward with a spatula for perfectly round cookies.
Storage
- Store Snickerdoodle recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Freeze dough balls, place them on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a sealed container or freezer bag. Bake straight from the freezer as needed, adding extra a few extra minutes to the baking process.
Variations
Love this Snickerdoodle Recipe? Try my Pumpkin Snickerdoodles or Caramel Snickerdoodles!
More Delicious Cookies:
Snickerdoodle Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Food scale optional, but recommended!
- Sheet pan (15" x 10")
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3/4 cups flour see note 1
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, then let cool to room temperature. Ensure it’s not hot to avoid greasy cookies.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, mix melted and cooled butter with granulated and brown sugar until well emulsified. Add whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined, ensuring there are no streaks of flour. Avoid overmixing. Cover dough tightly and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir together cinnamon sugar coating ingredients in a small bowl.
- Portion dough into 45-gram balls (2 packed tablespoons) and shape them into tall balls. Roll dough balls generously in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Return shaped dough balls to the fridge for 15–20 minutes or until they firm up.
- Place dough balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat with ample spacing (about 6 at a time); bake 9–12 minutes. Avoid overbaking; slight under-baking is ideal! After baking, if any cookies have uneven edges, gently press them inward with a metal spatula. Remove tray from oven and let cookies rest on the sheet 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Snickerdoodle Recipe FAQs
Yes, up to 72 hours. Keep covered in the fridge and bake as needed.
No, not for this recipe. The cookies spread too much without it.
Yes. Everything doubles cleanly.
Too much flour or overbaking. Use a scale and watch the bake time closely.
I am trying to do this for the first time and it was fine at the beginning of the rolling in to balls and then the dough became too sticky that I just had an attempted ball of dough stuck to my hands. Can you please help me figure out what I did wrong?
It’s likely the dough is just sitting out too long (in perhaps a warmer environment) and the heat from your hands are melting the butter! I’d suggest rolling the dough in batches and keeping the rest of the dough in the fridge. You’ll also probably want to return your dough balls to the fridge (before baking) depending upon your home’s temperature.
can I use brown butter?
Yes, this recipe works with brown butter! They’ll likely need an extra 20 minutes or so for the chilling time though!
We love this recipe! My kids ask me to make these snickerdoodles all the time. I recently found out I can’t eat lactose anymore so I tried the recipe tonight with coconut oil instead of butter. It solidified a little more, so probably doesn’t need as much refrigerating as the original recipe. I had to cook them longer and they didn’t spread out as much. But they taste basically the same! What a great surprise! I’m so glad I can eat these snickerdoodles again because I love them as much as my kids do. Thanks for the great recipe and the cooking tips!
Oh yay!! I’m thrilled to hear these worked out for you without dairy 🙂 So glad they were a hit! Thanks for the comment!
Tried baking for the first time ever and decided to make these for a school project. I have to say I’m very impressed with this recipe. So simple and easy, nothing was too difficult, yet so tasty and delicious! Definitely gonna make this again!
Love hearing that!! 🙂 So happy these were a hit and worked for the school project! Thanks Lisa!
I almost never comment on website, but I had to. These are the BEST snickerdoodles I have ever made. I followed your ingredient and chilling directions exactly and baked for about 12 minutes. They are soft, moist, and chewy in the middle. Me and my husband just devoured too many to count. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Yay!! I’m so thrilled to hear you loved these Jen 🙂 Thank you for your kind comment!
I am so not a fan of snickerdoodles but my husband loves them. They are fabulous!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment Linda 🙂
The dough was way too sticky to roll into a ball. The cookies came out like biscuits and the flavor was alright
Sorry you didn’t love this recipe! If you’re looking for trouble shooting: Did you chill the dough? They shouldn’t be too sticky after being chilled. Also for the cookies to end up like biscuits, the flour may have been over measured or the cookies over-baked.
Followed this to the mark – have a Wolf oven – 9-11 minutes at 1.7 ounces are underbaked – had to waste a dozen. The recipe also only makes about 16 at that weight (my digital scale is new). Trusting my instincts on what’s left not to undertake these – flavor is excellent.
Hey Tyler; do you have your oven calibrated? Definitely feel free to bake longer as desired; we love them slightly underbaked best!
Same experience! They were huge. I’m trying them halved in size. Flavor is excellent, though.
The recipe sounds great. I read through the comments hoping to find someone saying something about baking these at high altitude. I just make some chocolate chip cookies and had to add 1 extra cup of flour. Baking cookies at 5200 ft is sometimes challenging. Do you have any words of wisdom? Or, do I just add more flour until I get a certain consistency with the dough?
So sorry to not be of more help Rosann, but I don’t have a whole lot of experience with high altitude baking. Hopefully someone else can chime in here! As far as dough consistency, it’s a tacky, slightly wet dough before being chilled.
Hi! So excited to try this recipe! Is it ok to chill them 4 hours instead of 1? I have to run out and come back.
That’s totally fine! 🙂