Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles. These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish!
Snickerdoodles are a timeless classic, just like a good batch of chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter cookies. Like drop sugar cookies wrapped in a cinnamon sugar hug, these irresistible cookies never go out of style. My recipe yields the softest and thickest snickerdoodles you’ll ever taste. I like to call them snickerdoodle pillows because they are perfectly fat and puffy! Much too often you’re left with flat, crispy, and thin cookies. The only remedy is to submerge them in a tall glass of milk. But what about starting out with a kitchen tested recipe for soft-baked snickerdoodles? You’ve come to the right place. 🙂
How to Make Soft Snickerdoodles
How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft? The secret’s in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don’t use shortening here; you’ll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie. Take them out of the oven after about 10-11 minutes. This will keep the interior of the cookie soft and chewy.
These snickerdoodle cookies aced the true “soft test” meaning they remained soft on day 2! In fact, they were still soft on day 4. (And I’m surprised there are any leftover by that point, but I was trying to make a point!) Since they remain so soft, snickerdoodles are the perfect cookie for gift-giving. I know there are many snickerdoodle lovers out there!
Why is Cream of Tartar in Snickerdoodles?
Instead of baking powder, use cream of tartar and baking soda in snickerdoodles. Sure, you could use 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of the cream of tartar + baking soda, but then you won’t really have a snickerdoodle. Cream of tartar adds a unique tangy flavor to the cookie, which sets it apart from sugar cookies and makes it a classic snickerdoodle. We use it for the best flavor in maple pecan snickerdoodles also. It’s absolutely delicious!
No Cookie Dough Chilling!
Great news! You can skip the cookie dough chilling step with this snickerdoodle recipe. There’s enough flour in this cookie dough to create a strong and sturdy cookie without the crutch of chilling the dough first. There’s also no fancy-pants ingredients required. These snickerdoodles are EASY. Shortbread cookies are another easy no chill recipe to keep in your back pocket.
If you’re looking for other snickerdoodle favorites, here are my pumpkin snickerdoodles and peanut butter snickerdoodles. And are you craving cake? Here’s my snickerdoodle cake & swirled snickerdoodle cupcakes recipes.
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Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 26-28 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles. These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish! No dough chilling required.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/3 cup (267g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies). Set aside.
- Make the topping: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Make the cookies: Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough will be thick.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of cookie dough each. I recommend this cookie scoop. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired. Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies remain soft & fresh for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
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. Make sure that you let it come to room temperature 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. You can freeze the cookie dough balls with the cinnamon sugar coating or without, but I recommend freezing without the topping. When you are ready to bake, remove the balls from the freezer, let sit for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll into topping. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is required for this recipe. Please see the text of the post for more information.
- Extra Egg Yolk: To bring this dough together so it isn’t quite as crumbly use 1 large egg, plus 1 extra large egg yolk. I’ve been doing this recently and the snickerdoodles taste even softer, moister, and richer.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: snickerdoodles
Hi Sally, I have made these cookies several times and they are definitely a family favorite. Having 7 grandchildren, the 30 cookies don’t last the weekend. Thank you and your team for all your efforts and such great recipes!!
★★★★★
These are ridiculously delicious and easy to prepare. I made them while talking on the phone and even distracted they came out great! This recipe is a keeper!
This is a great recipe! I have always liked the snickerdoodle flavor but don’t like crunchy cookies. This takes care of that. I made the recipe as is, and it was perfect! Might only use 1/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon to roll them in, since I had plenty left over.
Perfectly soft and delicious! My whole family loved them, and I’m always happy with recipes that don’t require chilling the dough. It was my first time making Snickerdoodles and they turned out perfectly! Whenever I am thinking about trying a new recipe, I know Sally’s recipes won’t let me down.
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Would love to press a Brachs Chocolate Star into cookie. Think it would stick? Should I add the star before baking?? This is a perfect cookie thanks
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Hi Marie! We would add the chocolate after baking, like we do with peanut butter blossoms.
I’ve made these before years ago and they are great. This time they came out thin. Any idea why? Still great though.
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Hi Mdominic, this post on how to prevent cookies from spreading will be helpful for troubleshooting. So glad these are a favorite for you!
I was so happy to see that my snickerdoodles were thick and fluffy and yet tender to eat! I thank you for sharing this recipe. The next time I make this recipe, I am going to add a little bit more sugar because they just didn’t taste as sweet as what I’m used to. They were still very tasty, though!
★★★★
exactly the taste i’ve been craving!! perfect recipe i doubled it so i’d have enough for my family & to take to work, and it turned out amazing. only thing i’d do differently would be making less of the topping, definitely didn’t need a fully doubled amount
★★★★★
Love these! I made them on a snow day, and they were favorites of my family. Love that the dough doesn’t have to chill. These have become a go-to.
★★★★★
These were delicious! They have a great soft texture, wonderful flavor, and packaged up easily for a care package.
I found it easiest to add extra cinnamon sugar to the top while it was still in the bowl of topping, then I lifted it carefully onto the cookie sheet with the extra sugar on top. I used salted butter, so I decreased the salt I used to 1/8 teaspoon. I might try 1/4 teaspoon salt with the salted butter next time.
I had a fair amount of cinnamon-sugar topping left over when I was done making the cookies. I used that, along with the leftover egg white, to make a different recipe, “Applesauce Oatmeal Bread” on the King Arthur Baking Company web site. I used the cinnamon sugar for part of the sugar called for, and the egg white + 2 extra tablespoons of applesauce in place of one of the eggs. It worked well – sharing in case it helps anyone!
★★★★★
Can I double this recipe?
Hi Patty, you can double this cookie recipe. Enjoy!
Perfect! Soft and easy to make. Wish I could post a photo!
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I love your cookie recipes and this one has to be the favorite! So soft and yummy! I don’t have a hand mixer or any sort of mixing too lol . I’m in limbo at the moment with half my things in a storage unit. However, I use my blender on low for the wet ingredients scraping down the sides etc and then using my hands for mixing in a bowl with the dry ingredients. It seems to work out well- I just make sure not to over mix. For anyone who may be without a mixer (sad-day I know)
This was my first time making snicker doodles and the results were excellent. I loved my aunt’s cookies as a child, but it’s been a long time. These took me back! Thanks, Sally!
★★★★★
I have made these cookies for my mother in law and she says they are the best she’s ever had!
I even messed up the eggs.
★★★★★
I’ve been looking for the perfect snickerdoodle recipe
and this is it !!!
what do you do if your dough is crumbly and you all ready added an extra egg yolk?
Hi Melissa, After you mix the wet and dry ingredients together the dough may seem dry and crumbly. But when you roll them into balls they will come together and bake up soft and fluffy. If your cookies seem way too dry, check how you are measuring your flour. Always spoon and level instead of scooping so that you don’t end up with too much.
These are really delicious! Easy to make and doubles beautifully to feed a crowd. Thank you for the go-to recipe.
★★★★★
This recipe was spot on! I made a double batch.
★★★★★
Made exactly to directions. Came out wonderful and three others wanted the recipe. Thanks for your experiments!
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By far everyone’s favorite cookie every single time I make it – thanks Sally!
Quick question – last 2 times I’ve made these, the dough is extremely crumbly. I’ve had to add in sightly melted butter (1/2 tablespoon) and knead with my hands to get it to come together. No deviation in ingredients and I use room temp butter per Sally’s quick microwave tip.
What am I doing wrong? Please help!
How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Hi Trina 🙂 I was more careful during my flour spoon & leveling, went much slower adding the dry to wet, and mixed longer – and it worked!!!
You guys are the best!
Thank you so much!
Made these over and over again- always perfect! They’re so quick to stir together and roll out! Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
I found it very hard to mix in the end. My arms are sore, just from holding the mixer steady! Do you recommend using a standupixer for this, because 10 minutes prep time turned into 30, with batter flying everywhere!
Hi Remona, I made this recipe with a hand mixer, and I noticed that dough kept getting stuck in the beaters. I stopped often to free the dough from the beaters using a rubber spatula; that helped me mix it up. Luckily I was using a very large bowl, which probably helped avoid the dough flying that you experienced!
I don’t have unsalted butter, should I adjust the amount of salt added?
If using salted butter, reduce the added salt to 1/8 teaspoon. Hope this recipe is a hit for you!
Easy to make. Absolutely delicious….soft and chewy….they don’t last long when I make them. I have shared this recipe with many of my friends. Greatly appreciate the tips and tricks as well 🙂
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