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.
This is by far the best snickerdoodle recipe I have ever tasted! It has so much tangy cinnamon flavor to it and the texture was spot on. I did have to chill for closer to 2 hours but maybe my kitchen was quite warm when I made the dough. Yum thank you!
So, so happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment and review Stephanie 🙂
I made these last year for a party and they were a huge hit! Would it be possible to make the dough ahead of time and freeze it to speed up prep? If so, how would you recommend thawing?
Hi!!
Absolutely love these cookies!!!
Just one question. Can the recipe be doubled without changing the taste/texture? Or would you suggest making just one batch at a time?
Thanks!!!
Thank you!! I personally would just make two batches 🙂 Enjoy!
The recipe was a great one. My wife and I absolutely loved the cookies! I’ve never made snickerdoodles until now, but I will definitely do it again.
So happy to hear these were enjoyed 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Can this recipe be adopted to make a pumpkin spice flavor? Do you recomme d adding more flour to account for the extra moisture?
Thanks
Hey Lisa!! Try out these 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi
Am about to try and make these but need a recipe clarification about the eggs. In ingredients you say 2 eggs separated than in directions you say 1 whole egg and 1 yolk.In my mind a whole egg is yolk and white ? Am I wrong?
Also being diabetic I want to substitute white sugar for raw sugar granules which I have been doing for awhile. Will this affect the outcome other than sweetness?
Thanks
1 egg and 1 egg yolk for the recipe 🙂 I haven’t personally tried that so I really couldn’t say; however baking is very particular so any change could throw off results. Sorry, I wish I had more experience with raw sugar granules and could help more.
Thanks. Will let you know about the raw sugar granules. Planning on making them tomorrow.
Chelsea, my coworkers went wild over these thank you. I’ve seen a few others comment about this. I believe the 1.7oz weight measurement may not be correct. A 1.7oz ball is huge which is why it’s taking folks longer to bake, and while the recipe says it yields 28, at 1.7oz it only yields in the high teens. I split my dough into 28 even balls and the weight of each was actually 1.17. Just a thought!
Yay!! So happy to hear these were a huge hit 🙂 Thank you so much for the comment Nat!! I am going to check the weight again this weekend, I’m guessing you’re right 🙂 Thank you!!
Chelsea, my coworkers went wild over these thank you. I’ve seen a few others comment about this. I believe the 1.7oz weight measurement may not be correct. A 1.7oz ball is huge which is why it’s taking folks longer to bake, and while the recipe says it yields 28, at 1.7oz it only yields in the high teens. I split my dough into 28 even balls and the weight of each was actually 1.17. Just a thought!
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!
Yay!! So thrilled these were a hit, thanks for the comment and review Kate 🙂
I tried these, and they were delicious! I melted the butter ~90-95% because I didn’t care too much, then I cooked for 15 minutes instead of 11 because they still looked really undercooked. The 15 minutes gave them a crisper outside/edges and a chewy inside, and they’re amazing! 🙂 Thank you.
So happy to hear it; thanks for the comment Clare! 🙂