4.84 from 6 votes

Fluffy Snickerdoodles

ByKristy Richardson September 12, 2022October 9, 2024 UpdatedOctober 9, 2024

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Sweet, fluffy snickerdoodles melt in your mouth for the perfect treat. This classic cinnamon sugar cookie is a delicious dessert any day of the week!

Stack snickerdoodle cookies with a bite missing from the top cookie from an angle on a white counter.

Table of Contents

Why We Love Snickerdoodles

Chewy Cookie– These cookies are soft, pillowy, chewy snickerdoodles!
Sweet Cinnamon Sugar Taste – Warm cinnamon and sweet sugar make the ultimate classic snickerdoodle cookie that goes great with a glass of milk.
Great For Any Time– Snickerdoodles are just as perfect for the holidays and potlucks as they are to make just because.

If you like cookie recipes, try out these Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies, Buttery Toffee Cookies with Chocolate Chips, or M&M Cookie Bars for more sweet cookie ideas. Or for another sweet twist, try my Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, yum!

Ingredients For Snickerdoodles

Ingredients for snickerdoodle cookies on a counter in bowls from overhead with labels.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.

butter – unsalted, softened to room temperature
brown sugar
granulated white sugar divided
eggs
vanilla extract
all-purpose flour
baking soda
cream of tartar
salt
cinnamon

If you like snickerdoodles, you should try my sweet snickerdoodle bread and enjoy a slice for breakfast or dessert!

How To Make Snickerdoodles

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl cream together butter, brown sugar, and one cup of granulated sugar until smooth with an electric mixer.

Butter and sugar creamed together in the bowl of a stand mixer from overhead on a counter with beaten egg and vanilla in bowls nearby on the table.

Crack the eggs and place eggs in a small bowl, then beat with a fork. Add egg, vanilla and to the butter mixture and mix with an electric mixer until combined.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, then mix well.

Flour in a large mixing bowl with other dry ingredients in small bowls nearby on a counter from overhead.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients half at a time. Mix until just combined and a ball of dough forms with no loose flour. Chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Half dry ingredients being mixed into wet ingredients in a stand mixer bowl from overhead with the other half of the dry ingredients, cinnamon and sugar in bowls nearby on the counter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together ¼ cup sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl.
Scoop about two tablespoons of dough into cookie dough balls and roll lightly with your hands. Roll each cookie dough in the bowl of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, covering the outside of the cookie well. I like to roll each dough ball twice through the cinnamon sugar mixture to ensure it’s fully coated. If this is your first time making this recipe I high recommend double rolling cookie balls.

Rolling snickerdoodle dough in cinnamon sugar from the side with a pan with more doughballs and cookie scoop full of dough nearby on the counter.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until gooey. It is better to underbake these cookies slightly than to overbake as they will continue to firm up after baking. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle cookies baked on a pan lined with brown parchment on a counter from overhead with cinnamon sugar and a towel nearby.

What Does Cream of Tartar Do In Snickerdoodles?

Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their distinctive slightly tangy taste. Without it, the cookies will taste more like a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. You’ll still have buttery cookies with lots of cinnamon sugar flavor, but it won’t have quite the same taste.

Using cream of tartar also makes the inside of the cookie a little bit more tender. Cream of tartar is frequently added to cookies to give a softer, more tender crumb. I added cream of tartar to my soft lemon sugar cookies and it makes them melt in your mouth!

Snickerdoodle cookies on a plate piled high from overhead with cinnamon, more cookies, a napkin and milk on the counter nearby.

What Can I Substitute for Cream of Tartar?

I highly recommend keeping the cream of tartar in the recipe. It’s totally worth it to have both the flavor and the chewy texture for the best snickerdoodle cookies.

If you don’t have cream of tartar and you are really stuck and can’t get to the store, here’s how you substitute: Swap 3 teaspoons of baking powder for all of the baking soda and all of the cream of tartar.

The finished cookies will be more like a cinnamon sugar cookie taste to them. The finished cookie won’t have that tang that snickerdoodles have, and they won’t be as soft but it will still be delicious cookies.

Do I Have To Chill The Dough?

Chilling a cookie dough allows the butter a little time to solidify which can keep the cookies from spreading as much. The chill time also allows the sugar to absorb some of the liquid in the cookie dough which both makes the flavor more delicious and also keeps the cookies from spreading as much.

For this cookie we are aiming for a soft, chewy cookie instead of a crispy cookie. Chilling the dough for just thirty minutes will help promote the finished cookie to be thicker, chewy cookies instead of a thinner, flat cookies.

How Long Do Snickerdoodles Last?

Expect these cookies will last for about three to four days on the counter when stored in an airtight container.

Can You Freeze Snickerdoodles?

These snickerdoodle cookies do freeze after baking. Expect they will taste best when eaten within two to three months after freezing.

You can also freeze the cookie dough but I recommend portioning out the dough balls, rolling them in the cinnamon sugar, and then freezing on a cookie sheet before placing in a freezer bag. The dough is much easier to separate to bake. Baking will only take an extra or minute or two from the freezer.