Throwing it back to my childhood favorite today with these snickerdoodle cookies!Â
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
Remember back in the old days when you'd be in a carpool with a bunch of your friends to after school activities? OMG those were the best. I remember each day it would be a different mom driving us to and from tennis and whoever drove was in charge of snacks. And there were some moms that were better at snacks than others. I mean, don't get me wrong, everyone brought us food and fed us before tennis practice, but only one mom made homemade snickerdoodle cookies on the regular to bring for the drive. And she was 1000% my favorite. I mean, you can really compare hummus and veggies with snickerdoodle cookies. It's just no competition.
The car would smell like freshly baked cookies every time she would pick us up and you knew it was going to be the best ride to tennis. Her snickerdoodles were super soft (as they should be) and perfectly crusted with a cinnamon sugar coating. OMG the memories!!
It's been a minute since I stocked snickerdoodles in the house but now I'm back on track and living my best life! You're going to need these this weekend. There's something about cinnamon sugar desserts that is just the best. Recipe below... and if you're in the mood for more snickerdoodle inspired treats - here you go! Snickerdoodle Blondies and Snickerdoodle S'mookies!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Unsalted Butter
- Sugar
- Large Eggs
- All Purpose Flour
- Cream of Tartar
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookies
Step 1: Cream together the butter and 1 ½ cups sugar in a stand mixer until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: Add the eggs, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
Step 3: Add the flour, cream of tartar, salt and baking soda and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Step 4: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop out 2 tablespoons worth of dough and roll the dough into a ball and roll into the sugar.
Step 5: Place the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 12 per sheet, and bake for 9-10 minutes until the edges are just slightly golden brown and the center is still a bit soft.
Step 6: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Repeat this process for the remaining dough.
How to Store Snickerdoodle Cookies
You can store these at room temperature in an airtight container and they will stay fresh for about a week. My family would freeze them and that way they stay fresh for way longer. Just take one out an hour before you want to eat it and wait for it to come to room temperature.
How to Freeze Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough
Follow the recipe to prepare the dough. Then portion it into 2 tablespoon scoops onto a baking sheet and freeze till completely frozen. You can, then, transfer the frozen balls into a zip-top bag to save space in the freezer. When ready to bake, let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes before baking at the same time and temp listed in the Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe below.
Tips & Tricks
Cookies are perfect for freezing for later! I even eat them straight from the freezer...
FAQs
What does refrigerating cookie dough do?
Refrigerating the cookie dough allows the dry ingredients to absorb the moisture from the wet ingredients, hydrating the cookie dough and intensifying the flavors in the process. Chilling also prevents your cookies from spreading as much while baking, yielding chewier, thicker, and more golden cookies.
What makes a cookie a snickerdoodle cookie?
A snickerdoodle cookie is rolled in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before baking. They are also distinct from sugar cookies in that they are rolled into balls as opposed to cut using cookie cutters.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups sugar divided
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and 1 ½ cups sugar in a stand mixer until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, cream of tartar, salt and baking soda and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Combine the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop out 2 tablespoons worth of dough and roll the dough into a ball and roll into the sugar. Place the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 12 per sheet, and bake for 9-10 minutes until the edges are just slightly golden brown and the center is still a bit soft.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Repeat this process for the remaining dough.
Hi Gaby! Just made the dough and put it in the fridge. If I plan on freezing some of the dough should I do it with or without the cinnamon sugar outside part? Thinking I can freeze it as a "log" or make individual cookies, roll them in the cinnamon sugar and freeze them as individual cookies. Let me know your thoughts 🙂 Had some of the batter already and can't waitttt!
add the sugar once you're ready to bake!!!
Perfectly delicious!
Can the snickerdoodle dough stay in the refrigerator overnight, or longer without making a difference in the baked result?
absolutely!!
These look amazing! Planning on making these today, but we only have salted butter. Will that make a difference?
that's totally fine!
Can we skip the cream of tartar? Not willing to brave a grocery store.
sure can - just will be a slightly different consistency
Hi Gaby
I love snickerdoodles cookies! Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ll be making these soon!
Have a great weekend.
Lucy
One of my favorites!!
Can you use baking powder in place of the baking soda and cream of tartar in this recipe?
Haven't tried that so I can't say for certain!
Why is the cream of tarter used?
It's a stabilizer!
Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so yum!
I made these yesterday to take to a friend’s house, and they were SO good. I absolutely love snickerdoodles, and these were some of the best I’ve ever had. Thanks for the recipe!
LOVE IT! XOXO
Do they have a strong cinnamon taste
they def have a snickerdoodle taste! but you could halve the cinnamon if you don't want to taste it as much
Will the dugh freeze?
absolutely!
What a great memory!! I love snickerdoodles too!!
These look so amazing! How many cookies does this recipe make? Thank you!
3-4 dozen
Got this recipe many years ago (30) from a co-worker only she used crisco (yuck).
Much to my surprise they were absolutely delicious. The only drawback is that I can’t lick the beaters