The best soft, chewy, and thick Snickerdoodle Recipe, with tender centers and perfectly crisp edges!
author’s note
Soft, Chewy, Perfect Snickerdoodles Every Single Time!
Snickerdoodles have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. They were one of the first recipes I ever shared here because I’ve truly been making them my whole life.
After years of making them for every event and family get-together, I can honestly say I’ve never had a Snickerdoodle better than this version. They’re thick and chewy with the softest center and those crisp cinnamon edges that make them irresistible.
My brother-in-law is a Snickerdoodle superfan, and this is his all-time favorite cookie. He requests a batch every time he visits, and he swears these are the best he’s ever had. I have to agree. This is the recipe I’m proudest to share.
Snickerdoodle Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Butter | Opt for unsalted for better salt control. |
| Sugar | A mix of white and brown sugar gives the best sweetness. |
| Egg + Egg Yolk | Adds richness and keeps the cookies soft. |
| Vanilla Extract | Boosts overall flavor. |
| Flour | Measure carefully for the right consistency. |
| Cream of Tartar | Gives the classic tang and helps the dough set. |
| Baking Soda | Helps the cookies rise. |
| Cinnamon | Adds warm flavor in both the dough and the coating. |
Quick Tip
My favorite way to bake? Simply use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients in grams. It eliminates guesswork that can come with less precise measuring using cups.
Featured Comment
I rarely review/leave comments, but I felt compelled to with this recipe.
I have searched high and low for THE snickerdoodle recipe. The recipe that creates soft, but slightly crisp and moist, but not underbaked snickerdoodles. This is that recipe. I will never make any other snickerdoodle recipe again!
Thank you for sharing!
– Kate
How To Make This Snickerdoodle Recipe (Tips)
- Butter: Hot butter leads to greasy cookies. Melt it fully, then let it cool to room temp.
- Chill the dough: This keeps the cookies thick with chewy centers.
- Roll tall cookie dough balls: Taller shapes spread into the perfect thickness.
- Generously coat in cinnamon sugar: More coating means better caramelized edges.
- Slightly underbake: Bake on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. The centers should look soft when you pull them out; they finish cooking on the tray.
- Shape while warm: Press the edges inward with a spatula for perfectly round cookies.
Storage
- Store Snickerdoodle recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- Freeze dough balls, place them on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a sealed container or freezer bag. Bake straight from the freezer as needed, adding extra a few extra minutes to the baking process.
Variations
Love this Snickerdoodle Recipe? Try my Pumpkin Snickerdoodles or Caramel Snickerdoodles!
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Snickerdoodle Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Food scale optional, but recommended!
- Sheet pan (15" x 10")
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3/4 cups flour see note 1
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, then let cool to room temperature. Ensure it’s not hot to avoid greasy cookies.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, mix melted and cooled butter with granulated and brown sugar until well emulsified. Add whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined, ensuring there are no streaks of flour. Avoid overmixing. Cover dough tightly and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir together cinnamon sugar coating ingredients in a small bowl.
- Portion dough into 45-gram balls (2 packed tablespoons) and shape them into tall balls. Roll dough balls generously in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Return shaped dough balls to the fridge for 15–20 minutes or until they firm up.
- Place dough balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat with ample spacing (about 6 at a time); bake 9–12 minutes. Avoid overbaking; slight under-baking is ideal! After baking, if any cookies have uneven edges, gently press them inward with a metal spatula. Remove tray from oven and let cookies rest on the sheet 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Snickerdoodle Recipe FAQs
Yes, up to 72 hours. Keep covered in the fridge and bake as needed.
No, not for this recipe. The cookies spread too much without it.
Yes. Everything doubles cleanly.
Too much flour or overbaking. Use a scale and watch the bake time closely.
Just as described. Perfect instructions and great results. New favorite recipe. Brought them to a barbecue for dessert and they were gone before I placed them on the table. It was all about dessert first!!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Maria! 🙂
I love this recipe, highly recommended, I made these when I first started out baking back in 2017, this became one of my most popular recipes around friends and family members. If anyone is wondering I have chilled this longer than an hour before, still taste really good. Thank you, for giving me my now go to snickerdoodle recipe!
So glad to hear it!! Thank you so much Sabrina 🙂
Hi there!
My dough towers keep falling over in the oven. Do you have any tips to avoid this?
Hey! Gently press down the cook dough “tower” so the base is slightly wider than the top but still cylindrical!
Omg – I made these for Christmas and what a hit!!! Was told they were the best Snickerdoodles ever tasted. Thank you!!!
Yay! I am thrilled to hear this! Thanks Sonya! 🙂
Can the cookies be frozen, or just the dough
I recommend the dough. The cookies can be frozen but they do lose a bit of texture and flavor when thawed; still good though!
If you freeze the dough what is the best way to get them ready to bake?
Just bake them from frozen; adding 1-3 minutes!
This has become my go to snickerdoodle recipe! Love it and so easy, definitely a crowd pleaser! 🙂
So glad to hear it! 🙂
I would love to bake these and send them out as part of a care package. Any tips on hope to keep them moist and last longer than 2-3 days? It would take about 2 days priority mail to get there. Can I stick a piece of bread in the container?
Wow these were great! Turned out amazing! I bake a lot and love to find new recipes. Went through set-by-set instructions ( including room temperate eggs and butter, with one separate age yolk, and rolled skinny shaped dough) it was perfect!! Thank you my whole family loved them. This is going in the recipe book.
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Absolutely the best ever! Everyone from work loved these! I cant wait to make them again.
So thrilled to hear that!! Thanks for the comment Suzie 🙂
I’ve never made these but they are my husband’s favorite from childhood. He’s diabetic but this year we decided to make them so he could share them with the grandkids. He helped me make them, we had an assembly line going!! He took a bite of one, still slightly warm, his eyes lit up and he looked at me and said “Wonderful!” I asked if they reminded him of Grandma’s and he said it did and that it’s a great cookie. I am telling you his opinion because I have a gluten allergy and can’t eat them but I can bake them with his help, that’s even better!! Thanks for a great cookie recipe and all the great tips!
Thanks so much for sharing Vickie! It made my day to hear 🙂 So happy these cookies were a hit! Merry Christmas!