The short answer: This snickerdoodle recipe makes soft, chewy cinnamon sugar cookies with crackly tops. Cream 1 cup of butter with 1½ cups of sugar, beat in 2 eggs, then mix in 2¾ cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar and bake at 375°F for 9 to 11 minutes.
Our picks for snickerdoodle recipe
Printables
Family Recipe Binder
Section dividers, four recipe page layouts with room for the family story, 4x6 and 3x5 cards and a conversion chart - print it or type into the fillable version.
Printables
Christmas Budget & Gift Planner
Set a budget for every person, log each purchase, and watch what's left - plus printable gift, card, menu and to-do pages.
Save 38%Bundles
Holiday Season Bundle
Plan Christmas, save for it all year, and host without the January money hangover.
Below are the exact amounts, what cream of tartar does, bake times, fixes and storage.
Snickerdoodles are on our cookie tray every year because they need no icing and everyone, kids included, can help roll the dough in cinnamon sugar.
Snickerdoodle ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter | 1 cup (2 sticks) | Softened, still cool to the touch |
| Granulated sugar | 1½ cups | Plus ¼ cup for rolling |
| Large eggs | 2 | Room temperature |
| Vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon | |
| All-purpose flour | 2¾ cups | Spoon into the cup and level |
| Cream of tartar | 2 teaspoons | The key to the tang and chew |
| Baking soda | 1 teaspoon | |
| Salt | ¼ teaspoon | |
| Ground cinnamon | 1 tablespoon | Mixed with the ¼ cup rolling sugar |
How to make snickerdoodles, step by step
- Cream the butter and sugar. Beat 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat in one egg at a time.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and mix on low until just combined.
- Chill. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes so it's easy to roll and doesn't spread.
- Roll in cinnamon sugar. Scoop 1½-tablespoon balls and roll each one in the cinnamon sugar until coated.
- Bake. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined pan and bake at 375°F for 9 to 11 minutes.
- Cool on the pan. Let them rest 5 minutes so the soft centers set, then move to a rack.
Fixes for common snickerdoodle problems
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Flat cookies | Warm dough or melted butter | Chill 30 minutes; use cool, soft butter |
| Cakey and puffy | Too much flour or baking powder swap | Spoon and level flour; use cream of tartar |
| Hard, dry cookies | Overbaked | Pull them while centers still look soft |
| Coating slides off | Dough too cold and dry | Let balls sit 2 minutes before rolling |
| No crackle on top | Dough too stiff | Measure flour carefully; don't overmix |
How much cinnamon sugar to coat snickerdoodles
The coating is 4 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon by volume: ¼ cup of sugar to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, because ¼ cup is 4 tablespoons. Scale it with the dough.
| Dough | Rolling sugar | Ground cinnamon | Cookies (1½-tablespoon balls) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 batch | ¼ cup | 1 tablespoon | about 30 |
| 1½ batches | 6 tablespoons | 1½ tablespoons | about 45 |
| Double batch | ½ cup | 2 tablespoons | about 60 |
Stir the mixture with a fork in a shallow bowl so it is evenly speckled. For a stronger cinnamon crust, go up to 1½ tablespoons of cinnamon per ¼ cup of sugar. Any leftover coating keeps in a jar for your next batch, or for toast.
Snickerdoodle variations
- Brown butter: brown the butter, cool it until firm, then cream as usual.
- Pumpkin spice: swap half the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice in the coating. For a fall cookie with chocolate, bake our soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
- Eggnog: add ¼ teaspoon nutmeg to the dough and the coating.
- Snickerdoodle bars: press the dough into a 9-by-13-inch pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake 20 to 25 minutes.
Pair them with sugar cookies and thumbprint cookies for an easy holiday tray, or see our full list of Christmas cookies. For more variety, add buttery spritz cookies or chewy molasses cookies. Peanut butter fans can add our peanut butter cookie recipe, fork marks and all.
Baking a double batch for a cookie exchange
Double every ingredient, chill the dough, and bake one pan at a time on the center rack so every cookie bakes evenly. A double batch makes about 60 cookies, enough for most cookie exchanges with a few left for home. Let the pans cool between batches so the next cookies don't spread. For another cookie on the tray, use our shortbread cookie recipe to plan a separate batch.
Baking and gifting tips
- Don't taste the raw dough. The USDA's guide to shell eggs explains why eggs should be cooked before they're eaten.
- Label gift tins. The FDA's food allergy guide lists wheat, milk and eggs among the major food allergens, and this dough has all three.
- Bake once, give many times: one batch fills about 5 small tins of 6 cookies for a Christmas cookie box.
Storing snickerdoodles
| Where | How long | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | About 5 days | Airtight container, fully cooled |
| Freezer (baked) | Up to 3 months | Thaw in the sealed container |
| Freezer (dough balls) | Up to 3 months | Coat in cinnamon sugar right before baking |
Plan your holiday baking
- Family Recipe Binder, $6.99. Keep this recipe with your favorite variations and baking notes.
- Christmas Budget & Gift Planner, $4.99. Plan who gets a cookie tin and keep the baking budget in check.
- Holiday Season Bundle, $15.99 (regularly $25.94 for the six items bought separately). Gift planning, meal planning and cleaning in one set.
Browse the Holiday shop.
Keep every family recipe in one binder
Section dividers, four recipe page layouts with room for the family story, 4x6 and 3x5 cards and a conversion chart - print it or type into the fillable version.
$6.99 · Instant download. Print at home or fill it in on screen. Or browse the full Home & Organizing collection.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a snickerdoodle different from a sugar cookie? A snickerdoodle is rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking and made with cream of tartar, which gives it a slight tang and a soft, chewy, crackled texture. A sugar cookie has no cinnamon coating and is usually rolled and cut into shapes.
Do you need cream of tartar for snickerdoodles? Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their classic tang and chewy texture. If you don't have it, replace the cream of tartar and baking soda with 2 teaspoons of baking powder; the cookies will still taste good but will be a little puffier and less tangy.
Why are my snickerdoodles flat? Flat snickerdoodles usually come from butter that was too soft or melted, dough that wasn't chilled, or a warm baking sheet. Chill the dough for 30 minutes and scoop it onto a cool pan.
How long do you bake snickerdoodles? Bake snickerdoodles at 375°F for about 9 to 11 minutes. Take them out when the edges are set and the centers still look puffy and slightly underdone; they settle and finish setting on the pan.
How do you keep snickerdoodles soft? Underbake them slightly, then store them in an airtight container once they're completely cool. Adding a slice of bread to the container helps keep them soft for several days.
What is the cinnamon sugar ratio for snickerdoodles? Use about ¼ cup of granulated sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon. That's enough to roll a full batch of about 30 cookies.
Can you freeze snickerdoodle dough? Yes, you can freeze snickerdoodle dough. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray, then store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Roll the frozen balls in cinnamon sugar and bake them a minute or two longer.
How long do snickerdoodles last? Snickerdoodles keep about 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Are snickerdoodles good for cookie exchanges? Yes, snickerdoodles are good for cookie exchanges. Snickerdoodles travel well, don't need icing and stay soft for days, so they're one of the easiest cookies to bake in big batches for a cookie exchange or holiday tin.
How many snickerdoodles does one batch make? One batch with 2¾ cups of flour makes about 30 cookies when you use a 1½-tablespoon scoop.
How many snickerdoodles does one batch make? One batch of this snickerdoodle recipe makes about 30 cookies when you scoop 1½-tablespoon balls, and a double batch makes about 60. Use ¼ cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon for the coating of each single batch.
Free printable
Save the family favorites: get the free recipe book pages
Printable recipe pages and a recipe request card to send to relatives, so the dishes everyone loves end up in one book. You'll also get our weekly HomeBase email with easy meal planning ideas and family recipe tips.
Sources
- FDA: Food allergies, what you need to know fda.gov
- USDA FSIS: Shell eggs from farm to table fsis.usda.gov