Baking

Snickerdoodle Cookies (Soft, Chewy, Rolled in Cinnamon Sugar)

2 min

Cream the butter and sugar a full three minutes here, until the mixture pales and lightens. That cream of tartar in the dough is what gives a snickerdoodle its tang and the slightly chewy pull a plain sugar cookie never has. Roll the balls in cinnamon sugar before they bake, not after, so the coating bakes into the surface and the tops crackle. Pull them when the edges are just set and the centers still look a touch underdone.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

The name itself is the fun part, and nobody really agrees where it came from. The favorite story traces it to 19th-century German and Dutch immigrant baking in New England, possibly a corruption of the German "Schneckennudeln," a cinnamon-roll-ish pastry, though plenty of people think it's just a nonsense word in the tradition of old New England cookie names. Either way the cream-of-tartar version showed up in American cookbooks well over a century ago and stuck around.

Snickerdoodles are cookie jar royalty. Soft. Chewy. Buttery. Rolled in cinnamon sugar. That signature crackly top. One batch. Gone in a day. Make two.

Preheat & Prep

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment.

Cream Butter & Sugar

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.

Mix Dry

Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to wet mixture. Mix until just combined.

Coat & Bake

Mix coating ingredients. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar.

Place on baking sheets (2 inches apart). Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set and tops are crackly.

Cool & Serve

Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve with a tall glass of milk.

Summary

Prep Time: 15 min | Bake Time: 12 min | Total: 27 min

Yield: 24-30 cookies | Difficulty: Easy

Storage Notes

Airtight container: 1 week at room temperature. Freeze dough balls: 3 months. Bake from frozen (add 2-3 minutes). These cookies stay soft for days. No refrigeration needed.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

15 min

Cook

12 min

Total

27 min

Yield

24-30 cookies

Makes 24-30 cookies.

For the Dough:

1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2¾ cups (345g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1
Preheat & Prep. Preheat & Prep. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment. 2 2
2
Cream Butter & Sugar. Cream Butter & Sugar. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. 3 3
3
Mix Dry. Mix Dry. Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to wet mixture. Mix until just combined. 4 4
4
Coat & Bake. Coat & Bake. Mix coating ingredients. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar. Place on baking sheets (2 inches apart). Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set and tops are crackly. 5 5
5
Cool & Serve. Cool & Serve. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve with a tall glass of milk

Swaps & Substitutions

Cream of tartar → the dough's signature tang depends on it; in a pinch, swap the cream of tartar and baking soda for 2 tsp baking powder, but you'll lose some of the chew and the cookie reads more like a sugar cookie
Unsalted butter → if you only have salted, cut the added salt down to about a pinch
Dairy-free → a good plant butter stick (not a soft tub spread) works; chill the dough 30 minutes since plant butters go soft fast
Gluten-free → a 1:1 GF flour blend with xanthan gum holds up well; the cookies spread a touch more, so chill the dough first
Granulated sugar in the dough → light brown sugar works for a softer, slightly caramel cookie, but keep the coating white sugar so the cinnamon shows
Vanilla extract → almond extract at half the amount is a nice change, or skip it; the cinnamon carries plenty of flavor

Questions & Answers

Why didn't my snickerdoodles crackle on top?

Usually the butter was too warm or over-creamed, so the dough spread before it could crack. Make sure the butter is softened but still cool to the touch, and if your kitchen is warm, chill the rolled balls for 20 minutes before baking.

Can I make the dough ahead?

Yes. The dough keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Roll the chilled balls in cinnamon sugar right before baking, and add a minute or two to the bake time since they go in cold.

Mine came out cakey instead of chewy. What happened?

Most likely too much flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping, or weigh it (345g). Overbaking does it too, so pull them while the centers still look soft.

Do I really need cream of tartar?

It's what makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle. It gives the tang and reacts with the baking soda for that chewy texture. You can substitute baking powder, but the result tastes more like a cinnamon sugar cookie.

How do I store them and keep them soft?

Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Dropping a slice of sandwich bread in the container helps them stay soft; the cookies pull moisture from the bread.