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.
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. You also use it for the best flavor in maple pecan snickerdoodles. 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.
A medium cookie scoop is helpful to divide up the dough. Roll each dough ball in cinnamon sugar, and arrange on a lined baking sheet:
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!
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.
PrintSoft & 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 (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226g) 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:Â 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.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cream of Tartar:Â 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.
These are truly the BEST cookies I have ever had!! If I could marry these, let me tell you I WOULD!!
I’m wondering if I can use this recipe, drop the heat to 350 and make them giant snickerdoodles, like your giant chocolate chip cookies!
Hi Adrienne! We haven’t tested that, but please let us know if you do! You may also love our recipe for 1 Giant Snickerdoodle Cookie.
I certainly will! I saw the big cookie recipe but I need 15 of them so figured triple batching this one would be much simpler!
Made these tonight and they are delicious. I did exactly as the recipe said and they are so yummy. I think I made my balls a little too big because I didn’t quite get 24 but they are so good.
Very easy recipe to follow went together stiff as noted. Baking time was spot on as well as the finished product. 1st time I’ve ever had a snicker doodle. Not really impressed. Not as sweet as a sugar cookie but the taste was ok I guess. Not enough of cinnamon and something else….um…..flavor?! May try again ….may not. But I do love your recipes!!
I stand corrected!! I had made a couple of items for my new neighbor and his son when the son brought the plate back both said they loved snickerdoodles. THATS why I made them….for them. Just took them to both and they were head over heals delighted. Said I shouldn’t change a thing. To each his own. Thanks again for a delicious recipe.
I LOVE this recipe!!! I even took the liberty of modifying it in my own home to make both sugar cookies and a blackberry sugar cookie!! The cookies came out so nice and chewy. 10/10
What changes did you make for sugar cookies?
This is a perfect recipe! They baked beautifully and are wonderfully soft 5 days later. Very satisfying with coffee and tea.
I made these cookies according to the recipe this week and they were quite crumbly. Then I noticed the note about adding an extra large egg yolk instead of a large egg yolk. I didn’t have any large eggs so I added two large egg yolks instead of the extra large egg yolk suggested. The cookies turned out much better! I will make these again! Thank you!
This has become my go-to cookie recipe! I often add a few chocolate chips to it as well…just something my family and I like. It becomes a very snazzy chocolate chip cookie that way 😀
I always go straight to this website when I need something new to bake. The recipes always turn out great, and I love that ingredients are listed by weight! It makes everything much smoother.
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Cory! We’re thrilled your family has been enjoying this recipe.
I only have 1 stick of butter and want to make these immediately. What would you suggest to substitute for the other stick of butter ….. margarine or shortening? Thanks. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hi Betty, we don’t recommend swapping for either in this recipe. Best to wait until you can purchase another stick of butter!
I made these cookies over the weekend and they turned out absolutely great! I followed the recipe as instructed and added just a little bit more vanilla (1/4 tsp). My first batch I put right into the oven after making them and the cookies fell a little flat. So I refrigerated the dough for a couple hours and tried it again. It was seriously like magic. The next batch came out so fluffy. Highly recommend this tasty recipe!
They taste phenomenal, but came out flat! My snickerdoodles are about the thickness of any regular cookie. I followed instructions exactly and my elevation is only 750ft so I don’t think that could have affected it. How can I achieve the thickness shown in the photos?
My 12 year old daughter found this recipe and we made several batches to give out for the holidays. I am picky about cookies and usually opt for chocolate chip, but this recipe is a new staple in my personal recipe notebook, and I love everything about these cookies! The look, the texture, the smell, the taste… and they are just as good days later! We even made some by hand, some in the Cuisinart mixer, some with colder butter, some more or less mixed/ blended/ precisely measured, and they all turned out the same! Reminiscent of shortbread, these snickerdoodles have a surprising richness and density for how soft and thick they are. Finally, a snickerdoodle that not only meets, but exceeds expectations! Really good, go-to recipe with consistent, yummy results!! Thank you!!!
can you use salted butter?
Hi Beth, If using salted butter, reduce the added salt to 1/8 teaspoon.
Excellent recipe! I didn’t cool them on the cookie sheet, I carefully transferred them immediately to the cooling rack and they were just perfect.
While these taste good mine look nothing like the pictures. They flattened out, are very pale and have big cracks. They look like molasses crinkle cookies just paler. I mean, I’m still going to eat every last one (ha!) but I wanted a thick, pillowy snickerdoodle.
I’ve made these cookies twice now and they come out perfect!! I bake them at 10 minutes and leave them on the baking sheet for another 10 minutes before putting on a cooling rack, just like instructed. BUT…the next day they seem a little dry, not too much but nothing like they were on that first day. Am I doing something wrong…adding too much flour or leaving them on the baking sheet too long? Or are they suppose to be that way the next day? Thank you.
Hi Amanda, are you covering the cookies? Make sure you store them covered. What always helps– and this sounds crazy but it works– is storing the cookies in a large container with a piece of bread. The cookies absorb the bread’s moisture and remain extra soft.
I always use the bread trick with my snickerdoodles. Works every time!
Made 4.5 dozen my husband ate .5 overnight! I think they are a hit! Easy and quick recipe.
Can you substitute applesauce in this recipe for the egg?
Hi Angie, We haven’t tested this recipe with applesauce or any egg substitutes but let us know if you try anything. Here are all of our egg free recipes if you are interested!
What a huge disappointment. I got them baked & had one & it was bland. I got thinking about how we made them years ago & remembered the NUTMEG was missing! I can’t believe nutmeg makes that big of a difference. Next batch I’ll remember that. You should correct the recipe!
I disagree. I bake these annually and everyone loves them. For us the cinnamon and the cream of tartar are the necessary flavors and they aren’t remotely bland. If you like nutmeg, you should add it, but there is no reason to “correct” the recipe – it is correct as is.
Hi! Can I substitute some of the granulated sugar with light brown sugar?
Hi Polina, We haven’t tested these cookies with brown sugar but you can certainly try it. Let us know how they turn out!
I’m planning to bake this recipe for next week. Can i double the recipe for this one?
You can double this recipe. Enjoy!
I’ve made these in the past and they are wonderful. I wanted to make these for thanksgiving but I need to make it gluten free due to celiac. Is it safe to assume I can use gluten free flour, or almond flour to make these?
Hi Michael, We have not tested these with gluten free flour. If you would like to try it you can try an all purpose 1:1 gluten free flour, we don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different properties. Let us know if you try!
My very first attempt at making Snickerdoodles. Made these yesterday with our three grandsons (ages 6, 8, & 10) and we had so much fun. All of the hints you provide helped make this success – so thank you for that! With younger grandchildren I plan to make dough ahead and let them help form into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar.
Amazing cookies. These are my son’s favorite cookies, and this is the best recipe I’ve ever tried. Thank you so much!
Sally,
I haven’t made these yet, but I’m concerned about the softness of these cookies. I only like chewy cookies, and I’m afraid with all this talk about soft that they’ll be cakey. It’s been my experience that soft and chewy in the same cookie is a very hard thing to pull off–almost always the chewiness gets the short end of the stick. QUESTION: DOES SOFT HERE MEAN CAKEY? Thank you.
Hi Tom, these aren’t cake-style cookies. They’re chewy cookies that are very soft.
OMG! These are the absolute BEST snickerdoodles EVER! My family loves this recipe. I use 2 eggs, a touch more cream of tartar and leave them extra puffy. What a cookie!!
My grandma loved them! I’m fifteen and don’t bake much but these are really really good!
Hi Sally. Can you tell me how to make these snickerdoodles into chocolate snickerdoodles.
Thanks!
Hi Lor, We haven’t tested a chocolate version of this cookie, but you can add 1-1.5 cups of chocolate chips into this cookie dough after you combine the wet and dry ingredients without making any other changes. Let us know if you try anything!
Just tried these! Fantastic recipe. The cookies were so soft. Very delicious, quick and easy to do.
i love these cookies
I was searching for a quick cookie recipe and came across your blog. The snickerdoodles inspired me. And I must say that this was absolutely wonderful. I am a ripe ol age of 62 and have done a lot of baking in my day. Snickerdoodles are one of my favorites. And your recipe tops any of my old recipes for this cookie. It was easy to make and they baked up perfectly. And they were gone before the morning. My boys are raving about these cookies and they will be a favorite in our household. Thank you