The BEST Snickerdoodles Recipe — Soft, pillowy puffs that are so irresistible! The closest recipe to Mrs. Fields snickerdoodles that you’ll find!
Easy Snickerdoodle Recipe
A good snickerdoodle is hard to come by, but this recipe is my favorite. Soft, slightly chewy, pillowy little puffs of goodness that I can’t stay away from.
I’ve always loved snickerdoodles, and in high school and college used to work at a mall three stores down from Mrs. Fields. That was dangerous because it fueled my snickerdoodle habit with extreme ease. The snickerdoodles are as close to the Mrs. Fields recipe (my personal gold standard) that I’ve been able to replicate at home.
These homemade snickerdoodle cookies are slightly chewy around the edges with soft, pillowy centers. They’re buttery with a light cinnamon-sugar coating. Not too heavy, just classic snickerdoodle. If you’re a cinnamon fiend, I recommend making my Soft and Chewy Cinnamon Chip Snickerdoodles instead.
They’re everything I want in a classic snickerdoodle cookie and my family agreed by eating the whole batch on the afternoon I made them. I sent a dozen cookies with them to the beach for the afternoon somewhat expecting they’d come back with a few left over. That was clearly foolish thinking.
This my new favorite snickerdoodle recipe I’ve tried. Just like Mrs. Fields!
What’s in These Chewy Snickerdoodles?
For this homemade snickerdoodles cookie recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Cream of tartar
- Salt
- Cinnamon
How to Make Snickerdoodles
Don’t let the tasty cinnamon sugar coating fool you into thinking homemade snickerdoodles are hard to make. These cookies are actually one of the easiest I’ve ever made!
To make these chewy snickerdoodles, you’ll first need to cream together the butter and sugars until the mixture is light any fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients.
Scoop the cookie dough into balls and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to five days. Once the cookie dough has chilled, roll each ball into the cinnamon sugar before baking.
You’ll know your cookies are ready to come out of the oven when the edges are set and the tops have just set. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes before serving with a big glass of milk.
Do I Have to Use Cream of Tartar?
Cream of tartar (sold in the spice aisle) is the leavener that gives the cookies lift, lightness, provides the classic snickerdoodle flavor, and it’s key for this recipe. Don’t skip it or you won’t end up with the best snickerdoodles.
If you don’t have cream of tartar on hand but want to make snickerdoodles immediately, try my White Chocolate Snickerdoodles or my Chewy Sugar-Doodle Vanilla Cookies instead.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Very easily, yes! You’ll need to use multiple baking sheets though since you don’t want to crowd the cookies.
Can I Prep These Cookies in Advance?
Yes, you can scoop and freeze the cookie dough balls for up to four months. You’ll want to bake the dough from frozen (do not thaw) and you’ll likely need to add a couple minutes to the bake time.
Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?
Yes, you MUST chill the dough before baking so your cookies bake up thick and full. Unchilled dough will result in cookies that are prone to spreading and they’ll be much thinner, and flatter.
How to Store Snickerdoodles
These soft snickerdoodles will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Tips for the Best Snickerdoodles
I used a 2-inch cookie scoop to form these cookies (about 2 heaping tablespoons). You’re welcome to make larger cookies, but if you do that you’ll need to add a couple minutes to the bake time.
When making this chewy snickerdoodle recipe, I underbake them by a minute or two to ensure the centers are extra soft. Underbaking also helps the cookies stay softer and fresher over time, but you can bake longer if you prefer more well-done or firmer cookies.
Lastly, feel free to add more or less cinnamon to the cinnamon-sugar coating to suit your preferences. I like my snickerdoodles to have a good amount of cinnamon flavor on them, but I know not everyone likes it as much as I do!
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The Best Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
For Rolling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop or your hands, form approximately 14 equal-sized mounds of dough (2 heaping tablespoons each), roll into balls, and flatten slightly.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and stir to combine.
- Dredge each mound of dough through cinnamon-sugar.
- Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake for soft, pillowy cookies. For firmer cookies, bake a minute or two longer. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made these Sunday night for the third year in a row. Not sure what I did differently this gear, maybe leaving the dough in the fridge for a little longer than usual. All I know is they came out like little cinnamon pieces of heaven!! Every time I make these my boyfriend asks for more, I wish it made more cookies per batch (though I guess I could just double the recipe, right?) Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thanks for the five star review and glad they turned out even better than you remember! And yes you can easily double the recipe if you need more.
This recipe was very easy to prepare. My daughter and I enjoyed making it together.
Thank you!
Glad you and your daughter enjoyed making these together!
Omg these are delish I make them at least once a week and bake for friends and they love it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you make them at least once a week!
This is my favorite cookie recipe and has become our Christmas tradition to bake on Christmas Eve for the family & Santa. I usually make the dough the day of but wanted to know if you ever froze the already portioned dough balls? If so how far ahead could I make them?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is your favorite cookie recipe!
Re freezing the balls in advance and then baking the day of, totally fine. Freeze for up to 3-4 months before baking. No need to thaw in advance, just roll in cinn-sugar, and bake a couple extra minutes. Works perfectly.
It may not be the best, but it would be hard to have a cookoff with my grandmother’s. She died in 1962 at the age of 94. So I will only say that these Snickerdoodles are definitely the next best–and I have tried a bunch of them. They are everything you can hope for, with the added advantage of making them, oven-ready, up to 5 days in advance. WOW!
Thanks for saying that you think they are next best behind your grandmother’s. Grandma recipes are always hard to beat :)
I have almost no experience with baking and did not even own a hand mixer until I decided to make these to bring to my family’s thanksgiving dinner. They turned out perfectly when I followed the recipe exactly. Everyone was asking me for the recipe and asking how I got the right texture and how I got the cinnamon sugar coating so even.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I will be using it again for sure. I am excited to try some of your other recipes, too :).
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad these were a huge hit! Now that you own a handmixer, you can make more cookies 🍪
These are the absolute BEST snickerdoodle cookies ev.er!!! I keep going back to this recipe. It is equally company–and– rainy Saturday cookie and coffee worthy!
Thanks for the five star review and glad you think these are the best snickerdoodles ever!
Howdy :) I have a quick question I’d like to make these today – my hubby and his crew have to work unexpectedly this weekend and I wanted to make a double batch of these for them to snack on. I would consider myself a novice baker when it comes to cookies but I do have a KitchenAid stand mixer that I use for bread often (so I do have/use King Arthur flour & swear by it!), My question is about the butter – I only have salted butter on hand & I would like to if you think that will adversely affect the recipe in any way? I definitely would not add any additional salt to the recipe since I’d be using salted butter (which I saw you had as optional). Thoughts? Thanks :)
Salted butter is probably fine and correct, don’t add any additional salt.
Wonderful – thank you so much for the quick reply. Snickerdoodles are my hubby’s favorite cookie and I’m looking forward to trying your recipe today. :)
They came out soft and delicious. Had a little crisp to the outside but we’re soft on the inside.
Glad they came out deliciously for you!
Hello! I’ve been using this recipe for a couple years and LOVE it! I recently moved to high altitude and wondered if you had any suggestions for how to still make them the same. Everything I’ve baked since moving is a little bit different than at a lower altitude. Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are a favorite. I would just google about altitude baking and see what the common things you need to change or do are. I don’t live at altitude so it’s not something I research much. Good luck!
Just wanted to drop by to say that I made these last night and they are amazing!! Will definitely be making them again soon!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you will be making them again!
They came out great. The only thing is, mine looked like yours when they came out of the oven but sort of got flat after the 10 minutes resting period on the baking sheet. Any idea what i might of done wrong?
That is normal for cookies, especially snickerdoodles. King Arthur brand flour is my go-to for baking. So much better for baking than other brands and I find it really helps add structure to my baked goods. That may help with your deflation issues. Also you could try to bake for 1 extra minute, that could possibly help too.
If I don’t have King Arthur’s flour can I substitute it for bread flour to keep the puffiness?
I think bread flour will work fine.
If I wanted to make these slightly larger and use a 1/4c of dough per cookie, do you think just adjusting the baking time would work? Or should I adjust the temp as well?
Just the time, not the temp. A few minutes longer should do the trick.
Hello. I have made these cookies quite a few times now, but the last two times I have made them, they seem to sticky and wet to roll properly. I quadruple checked the ingredients and I know I followed to a T. What would make the cookies difficult to roll into balls and very sticky?
Thank you ahead of time!!
Doug
Sometimes when the weather is warmer or there is more humidity in the air, you may need just a touch more flour than you would when it’s drier. Adding a bit of extra flour will probably do the trick in this case.
Hey Averie,
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