Snickerdoodle Cookies

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Snickerdoodle cookies are the classic everyone loves! Crisp with cinnamon and sugar on the outside and soft on the inside, snickerdoodles are sure to be a staple for your cookie jar.

Snickerdoodles are some of my favorite cookies.

While I don’t turn down a chocolate chip cookie and enjoy pistachio shortbread with tea, there’s just something about chewy snickerdoodle cookies that makes me feel like a kid again!

It’s probably because I grew up eating a lot of cinnamon sugar toast, a breakfast my kids love as well. And who can resist a sweet, fragrant cookie?

What are snickerdoodles?

Snickerdoodles are sugar cookies that are formed into a ball and rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mixture before baking.

They’ve been around in the United States since the 1800s. It started off as a bar cookie, but as the years went on it gained even more popularity as the traditional round shape we know and love.

Everyone has their own favorite snickerdoodle cookie. Whether they like them soft and puffy or chewy and flatter, these cookies will be around for many more years to come!

What is cream of tartar?

You’ll notice that snickerdoodle cookies call for cream of tartar. I also use this ingredient in my Mexican hot chocolate cookies.

Cream of tartar is actually a byproduct from winemaking, and can be used for baking or cleaning, just like baking soda!

Cream of tartar helps cookies get their signature chewy texture, while also acting as a leavener.

If you don’t have cream of tartar on hand, you can swap in baking powder, or use 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice for every ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar. For this recipe, you’ll need 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, which would equal 4 teaspoons white vinegar.

How to make this snickerdoodles cookie recipe

Whipping up a batch of snickerdoodles is a cinch! My kids love to help out with making these, so take the opportunity to get little hands involved.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. I like to line my baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup, but you can bake the cookies directly on the pans if you like.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then, beat in eggs.

In another bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Make sure to measure your flour by spooning it into the cup, then leveling — not by directly scooping the measuring cup into the flour.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until it is all incorporated. It shouldn’t be too wet or too dry, but form into balls easily.

Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Set up an assembly line area with your bowl, the small bowl of cinnamon sugar, and your baking sheets.

Scoop dough into balls. I use a medium cookie scoop, but you can use two spoons. 

Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar to coat all over. Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, leaving space in between each one. I put 12 cookies per sheet.

Once your sheets are full, bake for 10-12 minutes. They’ll be slightly puffy when you remove them from the oven, but will deflate while cooling.

Freezing cookie dough

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies, so if you don’t want that many cookies right now, I recommend freezing the dough.

To freeze, line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.

Then, scoop and roll the cookie dough as usual. Place the coated cookie dough balls on the baking sheet. You can place them close together in order to fit as many balls as possible onto one sheet.

Place the filled pan into the freezer. Freeze the dough balls until solid, at least two hours.

Then, transfer the frozen cookie dough to a labeled freezer bag.

When you’re ready to enjoy, simply bake the cookies from frozen. They’ll need just a couple of minutes more in the oven.

Recipe suggestions

These snickerdoodle cookies are great as they are, but sometimes I can’t resist changing them up a little! Try one of these alterations:

• Use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon with the rolling sugar. Or, try with ground cardamom.
• Add chocolate chips or butterscotch chips.
• Dunk half the cookie in melted almond bark for a chocolate or vanilla coating.
• Sprinkle on another layer of cinnamon sugar just as you remove the cookies from the oven.
• Use some of the cookies to make a crumble for snickerdoodle cake, or cinnamon coffee cake.

I know you’ll love these snickerdoodle cookies. Make them for a picnic, a party, or any day of the week!