These chocolate snickerdoodles are everything you adore about the original, but richer, fudgier, and rolled in cinnamon sugar that caramelizes into the most irresistible crackly coating. Think: brownie meets snickerdoodle. Yes, they’re as good as they sound!
My love for snickerdoodles runs deep. I mean, what’s not to love? They’re simply soft, puffy, tangy, cinnamon-sugary perfection. From my recipe for classic soft and thick snickerdoodles to fun variations like peanut butter snickerdoodles or these reader-favorite white chocolate snickerdoodle blondies… I even have a recipe for a showstopper of a snickerdoodle cake!
Today, we’re giving the beloved cinnamon-sugar cookie a chocolatey twist.
These chocolate snickerdoodles bake up thick and soft with chewy edges, crackled tops, and centers that stay rich and fudgy for days. They’re not cakey or crisp—think plush chocolate cookie with that unmistakable snickerdoodle tang.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Snickerdoodles
- Simple, straightforward baking ingredients
- Soft, thick, and chewy
- Deep cocoa flavor without being overly rich
- Crackly cinnamon-sugar exterior (the best part!)
What Makes a Snickerdoodle a Snickerdoodle?
Cream of tartar! It’s the magic ingredient that gives snickerdoodles their signature tang and that pillowy-soft texture. If you skip it, you’ll just have a cinnamon-sugar-rolled chocolate cookie—still good, but not a true snickerdoodle.
Cream of tartar, when combined with baking soda, creates a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide, helping the cookies rise and contributing to a crackly surface. Cream of tartar also interferes with sugar crystallization, resulting in a chewier cookie instead of a crispier one. Science!
Grab These Ingredients:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best for these cookies.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. We need the cocoa powder’s acidity to react with the cream of tartar and baking soda.
- Cream of Tartar: See above for info on this snickerdoodle must-have!
- Baking Soda: To help the cookies rise and spread.
- Cinnamon: A little in the dough and a little more mixed with granulated sugar for coating the cookies… it’s just the right amount to add warmth and coziness, but not overpower.
- Salt: For flavor balance.
- Butter: Start with proper room-temperature butter.
- Sugar: We are sweetening today’s cookies with both granulated and brown sugar.
- Eggs: Add richness and bind ingredients together.
- Vanilla: Essential for flavor in most cookie recipes!
Success Tip: Chill the Cookie Dough
This chocolate snickerdoodle dough needs to chill for at least 2 hours before you can shape and bake the cookies.
Chilling the dough is essential here. It firms up the butter so the cookies hold their shape, deepens the chocolate flavor, and helps the cookies puff up in the oven, and then deflate a bit as they cool. This process helps create those signature cracks on the surface of each cookie.
Once the dough has firmed up, use a medium cookie scoop to shape 1.5-Tablespoon portions of dough, roll into balls, and roll them in cinnamon-sugar to coat.
These chocolate snickerdoodles take everything nostalgic and comforting about the original and give it a rich, fudgy upgrade. They’re simple, crowd-pleasing, and the kind of cookie that disappears from the cooling rack fast. So, you may want to go ahead and double the batch!
Cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodles their signature tang and soft texture. Without it, these will still be tasty chocolate cookies, but they won’t have that classic snickerdoodle flavor. I don’t recommend leaving it out.
Cracks usually come from a well-chilled dough, properly preheated oven, and a long enough bake time. If the dough is too warm or overmixed, the cookies may spread more and crack less. Additionally, if the cookies are under-baked, they won’t puff up as much. You want them to be puffy coming out of the oven, so they deflate a bit as they cool.
You can, but keep in mind it will make the cookies heavier and slightly less “snickerdoodle-like.” If you do add them, I’d stick to mini chocolate chips and use no more than 3/4 cup, or around 130g.
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Soft & Chewy Chocolate Snickerdoodles
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Yield: 28-32 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft, thick, and fudgy chocolate snickerdoodles rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked until crackly on the outside and irresistibly chewy inside. Everything you love about classic snickerdoodles, with a rich chocolate twist.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 and 2/3 cups (333g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and combined, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until incorporated and combined. The dough will be thick.
- Cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, let the dough sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before scooping and rolling, as it will be quite firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Make the topping: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Scoop and roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of cookie dough each. Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar topping. Arrange 2–3 inches apart on the lined baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are set but the centers look puffy, about 13–15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cookies will slightly deflate as they cool; that’s completely normal and expected.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are a few options here! First, you can prepare the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let the dough sit out at room temperature for about 20 minutes before rolling and baking the cookies. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls. Roll the dough into balls then freeze the balls for up to 2–3 months. I recommend freezing without the topping. When you are ready to bake, remove the balls from the freezer, let sit for 30 minutes, preheat the oven, then roll into topping. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Can I Skip the Cream of Tartar? Cream of tartar is what gives snickerdoodles their signature tang and soft texture. Without it, these will still be tasty chocolate cookies, but they won’t have that classic snickerdoodle flavor. I don’t recommend leaving it out.
- Why Didn’t My Cookies Crack On Top? Cracks usually come from a well-chilled dough, properly preheated oven, and a long enough bake time. If the dough is too warm or overmixed, the cookies may spread more and crack less. Additionally, if the cookies are under-baked, they won’t puff up as much. You want them to be puffy coming out of the oven, so they deflate a bit as they cool.
- Can I Add Chocolate Chips? You can, but keep in mind it will make the cookies heavier and slightly less “snickerdoodle-like.” If you do add them, I’d stick to mini chocolate chips and use no more than 3/4 cup, or around 130g. Add them when you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
