Soft Chewy Snickerdoodle Recipe
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Cream butter with sugar until fluffy, beat in the eggs and vanilla, then mix in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, coat each one in cinnamon sugar and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 F for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look soft. Cool 5 minutes on the pan.
Soft Chewy Snickerdoodle Recipe is the cookie I reach for when I want something warm, simple and impossible to stop eating. The dough comes together in one bowl, each ball gets rolled in cinnamon sugar, and the bake gives you crisp edges with soft, chewy centers and that classic light tang from cream of tartar. They are the definition of a cozy cookie, and they disappear fast.
Why you’ll love it
- One bowl, no chilling and 15 minutes of hands on time before they hit the oven.
- Crisp cinnamon sugar edges with soft, chewy centers in every single cookie.
- That signature tang from cream of tartar that makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle.
- The dough freezes beautifully, so fresh baked cookies are always 10 minutes away.
- 30 cookies per batch, which is exactly right for holiday tins and cookie swaps.
Ingredient notes
Cream of tartar: the whole point of the cookie. It adds the light tang and the chewy texture, and it reacts with the baking soda to give the classic puff. Do not skip it.
Butter: softened to room temperature, not melted. Melty butter makes flat, greasy cookies, while properly softened butter creams into a fluffy base.
Cinnamon sugar coating: mix it fresh for each batch. Old coating from the pantry tastes dusty, while fresh cinnamon smells warm and coats the balls evenly.
Flour: all purpose, spooned and leveled. Too much flour makes cakey cookies, and this recipe should stay dense and chewy.
Eggs: room temperature, so they blend into the creamed butter without curdling it. Cold eggs make the batter look broken, even though it usually bakes fine.
Why cream of tartar makes a snickerdoodle
A snickerdoodle is a sugar cookie with an attitude adjustment, and cream of tartar is the attitude. It is an acid, and in this dough it does two jobs at once. First, it reacts with the baking soda to leaven the cookies into their classic puffy shape instead of spreading flat. Second, it adds the faint tang that makes you taste a snickerdoodle and know it is not just a cinnamon sugar cookie. Skip it and you get a fine cookie, but you lose the thing that makes the cookie what it is. Use baking powder instead and you get lift without the tang. The real deal needs the real tartar.
Variations
- Brown butter snickerdoodles: brown the butter in a saucepan until nutty and amber, cool it until just solid again, then cream as usual for deep, toffee notes.
- Chai snickerdoodles: add 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves to the cinnamon sugar for a warm chai spice coating.
- Snickerdoodle bars: press the dough into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and bake 20 to 25 minutes for chewy bars.
- Stuffed snickerdoodles: flatten each dough ball, wrap it around a caramel candy, seal well and roll in cinnamon sugar for a molten center.
What we learned testing it
- I tested with and without cream of tartar. Without it the cookies tasted like plain sugar cookies, so the tartar is non negotiable for true snickerdoodle flavor.
- Baking soda alone made flat, crisp cookies, while the cream of tartar plus soda combo gave the classic puffy, chewy texture. Both leaveners matter.
- Rolling in extra cinnamon sugar twice gave a thicker, crunchier coating that cracked beautifully. One roll is classic, two rolls is bakery style.
Read how we test recipes.
Soft Chewy Snickerdoodle Recipe
Makes 30 cookies · 30 min total · Easy
Ingredients
Equipment
Large mixing bowl · Electric mixer · Small bowl · Baking sheets · Parchment paper · Wire rack
Instructions
-
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy
Heat the oven to 375 F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Beat the softened butter with the 1 1/2 cups of sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, scraping the bowl once so everything mixes evenly.
-
Mix in the dry ingredients
Sprinkle the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt over the creamed mixture. Mix on low just until a soft dough forms, with no flour streaks left. The dough will be soft but should hold together when scooped. Do not overmix, since that makes the cookies tough instead of tender.
-
Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar
Stir the 1/4 cup of sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop the dough into 1 inch balls, about 2 tablespoons each, and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets, since they spread as they bake.
-
Bake until the edges are set
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges look set and the centers still look a touch soft and puffy. They will settle into chewy cookies as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack. Do not wait for the centers to look done, or the cookies bake up crisp instead of chewy.
Notes
- Do not skip the cream of tartar. It is the signature tang of a real snickerdoodle, and it keeps the cookies soft and chewy instead of crisp.
- Pull the cookies when the centers still look soft. Carryover heat finishes them on the pan, and that is what keeps them chewy.
- Use a light colored baking sheet if you have one. Dark pans brown the bottoms too fast and the cinnamon sugar can taste scorched.
- The dough scoops best at room temperature. If you chill it, let it sit out 15 minutes before rolling, or the balls crack instead of rolling smooth.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Cream of tartar
- There is no true swap, since it defines the flavor. In a pinch, use 2 teaspoons of baking powder and skip the baking soda, but expect a milder, less tangy cookie.
- Unsalted butter
- Use salted butter and skip the 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the dough. The cookies taste the same, just be sure the butter is softened.
- Vanilla extract
- Use 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste for visible specks and deeper flavor. It costs more per batch, so extract is fine for everyday baking.
Storage and make-ahead
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Layer them between parchment if you stack them, since the cinnamon sugar coating is delicate. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months, and thaw at room temperature. The raw dough balls also freeze well, just roll in cinnamon sugar after thawing.
Frequently asked questions
What makes this snickerdoodle recipe different from sugar cookies?
Cream of tartar. It gives snickerdoodles their signature light tang and their soft, chewy texture, while sugar cookies are plain sweet and usually crisp.
Why did my snickerdoodles turn out flat?
Flat cookies usually mean the butter was too soft or the oven was not fully heated. Use butter that just dents when pressed, and make sure the oven is at a full 375 F before the first pan goes in.
Can I chill this snickerdoodle recipe dough overnight?
Yes. Chilled dough actually bakes up thicker and chewier. Scoop the balls first, chill them on the sheet, then roll in cinnamon sugar right before baking.
How do I keep snickerdoodles soft for days?
Store them airtight at room temperature and add a slice of plain bread to the container. The cookies pull moisture from the bread and stay soft for days.
Can I make this snickerdoodle recipe ahead for the holidays?
Yes, it is a great holiday cookie. Bake them up to 3 months ahead and freeze, or freeze the raw dough balls and bake fresh when guests arrive.
