I’ve been making these easy snickerdoodle cookies since I was a little girl, and although I’ve tried several other recipes, none of them beat this one! They are perfectly soft and chewy, and no one can resist that cinnamon sugar coating.
Whether you are looking for cookies to take to a potluck, cookies for your holiday trays, or just a great cookie recipe to fill your cookie jar, give these soft snickerdoodle cookies a try. They are guaranteed to be a hit!
A snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie that is rolled in cinnamon sugar. They have a crackly top, and a soft and chewy interior. They are thought to have originated in Germany or New England, and they are a popular cookie in the United States.
One thing sets snickerdoodles apart from other cookies, and that is the addition of cream of tartar to the dough. In addition to helping the cookies rise, it adds a slight tang to the cookie. If you omit the cream of tartar, you are not making snickerdoodles, you are making sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. Still tasty, but not the same.
EASY SNICKERDOODLES
You will find other recipes that call for browning the butter, chilling the dough, and adding extra ingredients. I even have a recipe for cinnamon chip snickerdoodles that are beyond yummy. But if you are looking for easy snickerdoodle cookies that taste amazing, you are in the right place! Why these easy snickerdoodles are the best:
- A blend of half butter and half margarine makes them amazing. Butter adds flavor and makes for crunchy edges. Margarine makes them extra soft.
- No chilling of the dough means that you can have cookies in your mouth in less than thirty minutes!
- Cream of tartar gives them that classic tangy flavor.
- A perfect blend of cinnamon and sugar makes a sweet, spicy, and crunchy exterior that can’t be beat.
HOW TO MAKE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
Ingredients needed:
- butter, softened to room temperature (I use salted butter.)
- margarine (Yes, the best snickerdoodles are made with half margarine and half butter. You can make them with all butter, but they won’t be quite as soft and chewy.)
- granulated sugar (Using all white cookies gives these cookies the traditional light color, and makes them a little more crispy than using a white/brown sugar combo.)
- eggs (I use large eggs.)
- all purpose flour
- cream of tartar (A must for traditional snickerdoodles!)
- baking soda
- salt
- sugar and cinnamon for rolling the cookie dough balls
- PREP WORK: Soften the butter and margarine to room temperature. Mix together the cinnamon sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Line cookie sheets with silicone liners or spray with non stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- PREPARE DOUGH: Beat butter, margarine, and sugar in a large bowl; beat in eggs. Stir in dry ingredients.
- FORM COOKIES: Roll cookie dough into balls. (I like to use a cookie scoop to ensure that the cookies are the same size.) Roll cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- BAKE: Place cookie dough balls on prepared pans about 1 1/2 – 2 inches apart. Bake at 375° for about 10 minutes. Let cool on pans for 3-5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Do you flatten snickerdoodles before baking?
Some snickerdoodle recipes call for flattening the dough before baking, but for these easy snickerdoodle cookies, they bake up perfectly without being flattened. As a bonus, they are ready to bake immediately, no need to chill the dough either! I know that despite what I said about cream of tartar, some of you are going to ask:
What is a substitute for cream of tartar in snickerdoodles?
There is not a perfect substitute for cream of tartar, but if you refuse to use it, there are a couple substitutes you can try. One is lemon juice, the other is baking powder.
BAKING POWDER: 1 teaspoon baking powder = 1/4 tsp soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, SO 4 teaspoons baking powder = 1 tsp baking soda + 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
You can only use baking powder as a substitution if your recipe also calls for baking soda. For these snickerdoodles, in place of the 2 tsp cream of tartar, you would omit both the cream of tartar and the baking soda and use 4 teaspoons of baking powder.
LEMON JUICE : Use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. So since this recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar, you would need to use 4 teaspoons of lemon juice. (I don’t recommend this method except in an emergency, because the extra liquid throws off the texture of the cookies.)
Note: As with most substitutions, your cookies will not be as good as if you follow the recipe. Of course, you can just eliminate the cream of tartar all together, and still have some pretty tasty cinnamon sugar cookies!
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER SNICKERDOODLES:
Snickerdoodles keep really well. Store them in an airtight container and they are good for up to a week. They also ship really well because there are no ingredients that can melt.
Want to freeze them? After they have cooled completely, place them in heavy duty ziplock freezer bags. They will last up to 6 months in the freezer. To serve, you can let them thaw at room temp, or heat them in the microwave for a few seconds.
TASTY RECIPES USING CINNAMON:
MORE HOMEMADE COOKIES:
- Orange Creamsicle Cookies
- Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Butter Cookies (with lemon cream cheese frosting)
- Edible Cookie Dough
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Iced Pumpkin Cookies
- Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
EASY SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
Easy Snickerdoodle Recipe
Soft and chewy cookies with a slight tang, rolled in cinnamon sugar. A favorite classic cookie everyone loves!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup margarine, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Topping:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Line baking sheets with silicone liners, or spray with non stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer till light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs till well combined.
- Whisk together flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt in a small bowl.
- Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture till dough is well combined.
- Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
- Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Place on prepared baking sheets about 2" apart. Bake at 375° for about 10 minutes.
- Let cool for a couple of minutes on the pan before removing to cooling racks.
Notes
-These really are best with half butter/half margarine, but you can use all of one if you prefer.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
36Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 129Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 76mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g
(originally posted Apr 30, 2012, updated October 2020)
If you are looking for the best snickerdoodle recipe that doesn’t call for any fancy steps, give these snickerdoodles a try. They are sure to become a staple at your house!
These cookies are amazing! Just finished backing and they’re wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe! š š
So glad you enjoyed them Samara!
So, I just made these. They taste amazing & I don’t usually enjoy snickerdoodles. The only problem: they turned out more like snickerpuffs than a cookie. Any suggestions?
Hmm. I live at a high altitude, so I usually have the opposite problem! To make a puffy cookie more flat, you can try a few things. 1- Use a little less flour. 2-Use butter instead of margarine. Margarine and shortening make puffier cookies. 3-Don’t chill the dough. Chilled dough doesn’t spread as fast in the oven, so the cookies will be puffier in the end.
Hope that helps!
my grandma says that cloves are the “snicker” part of snickerdoodles..
I tried this recipe today and it’s great! Simple and delicious – definitely the kind of cookie to make on a chilly Saturday afternoon to go with hot cocoa. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you liked them Lydia! Cookies and cocoa sound so good right now! š
During the winter holidays I add a teaspoon (or so) of rum or bourbon in the dough & add nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar rolling mix, gives them a whole different incredible holiday flavor.