Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

This snickerdoodle cookie recipe has to be one of my favorites! It is beyond easy to make, even for a novice baker and they are a crowd pleaser. 

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I’m not entirely sure where this snickerdoodle cookie recipe came from, but I’m thinking it was from an aunt. I remember making them with her years ago, and it is a tradition I’ve continued for many years, especially after I got married to my husband, Nathan. 

These snickerdoodle cookies are soft, buttery, chewy, and covered in cinnamon and sugar. What isn’t amazing about that?! 

What Are Snickerdoodles?

Snickerdoodles are very similar to sugar cookies but not quite the same thing. Cream of Tartar being a primary ingredient in snickerdoodles helps to prevent the development of sugar crystals found in traditional sugar cookies. 

This gives snickerdoodles a soft and pillowy texture where sugar cookies are almost crunchy. Snickerdoodles are rolled in cinnamon and sugar before baking, where sugar cookies are frosted after baking. 

Given how much I love a good sugar cookie, it is no surprise that this snickerdoodle cookie recipe has been my go-to for as long as I can remember! They also remind me of elephant ears that you get at the fair. You know the fried dough that is tossed in cinnamon and sugar at the end? If you like those, you will love this recipe! 

Snickerdoodle Cookie Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature

¾ cup white sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

1 egg, plus 1 yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon & Sugar Mixture

¼ cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set it aside for later. 

In a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until it has a light and fluffy consistency. This should take about 2-3 minutes, approximately. Note, if your butter is not room temperature, the sugar will not be incorporated correctly. Do this at a medium speed. 

Add in the remaining ingredients except for the flour. Continue mixing for 1-2 minutes, scraping the side of the mixing bowl with a spatula, as needed. 

Turn the mixer to a low speed and add in the flour, mixing until it is just combined. This shouldn’t take long. Be careful about over-mixing at this point! 

In a separate mixing bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar mixture together until it is well-combined. 

Portion about the dough and roll into a ball. You can eyeball it, just make sure they are similar sized dough balls. Or use a cookie scoop or a scale and measure by weight. If the dough balls are not the same size, they will not cook evenly. 

Roll each cookie into the cinnamon sugar mixture until well coated. 

Grab the cookie sheet you prepared earlier and place cookies about 2 inches apart. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes and turn the cookie sheet halfway through baking. 

Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for about 3-4 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Freeze Them For Later!

I love that this snickerdoodle cookie dough can easily be frozen for up to three months. It is so easy to make a couple of batches for later, so if friends stop by, I can easily give them a delicious cookie. This makes it look like I’ve already been baking that day. But the reality is, I just like to be prepared. 

Simply follow the snickerdoodle cookie recipe to the point where you roll the dough in cinnamon and sugar. Then line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, place the cookies here and pop them into the freezer for about 4-6 hours. Once they are firm, they can be transferred to a Ziplock freezer bag and stored for up to three months. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Because both ovens and freezers all work a bit differently, you’ll want to do a test batch. Start checking your cookies at the 11 minute mark, and then note the cook time on the freezer bags for later! It may take more or less time, the first test-batch will be the experiment to find that perfect cooking time when frozen. 

Have Single-Serve Cookies! 

If you follow the directions above for freezing this snickerdoodle cookie dough, you’ve got single-serve cookies ready to go! Simply grab one or two dough balls, bake and enjoy. 

I’m not even going to lie, I literally freeze these cookies for that reason alone. They’re great for unexpected guests. But I secretly eat them at 3am when I’m working and no one is around to see me. The only one around to judge me is my cat, Tigger. 

Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe Notes 

To avoid a flat cookie, make sure your cookie sheets are room temperature. Do not immediately re-use the cookie sheet for the next batch. I’ve done this myself, and the cookies are not pretty! Don’t make the same mistake I have. 

I’ve heard some people say this recipe turns out salty, and if you are salt-sensitive, be sure to use an unsalted butter in this snickerdoodle cookie recipe. 

If you use a silicone baking mat instead of parchment paper, the baking temperature and cooking time may vary. I would recommend increasing the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and going for a full 15 minutes, as the silicone mats can make a difference. If you use a silicone baking mat, please let me know in the comments how they turned out! 

Discussion

Have you tried making this delicious snickerdoodle cookie recipe? What are your favorite cookies? Tell me about your experience in the comments! 

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