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 just made these, and they are amazing!
Oh that’s awesome to hear, thanks Jennifer!
oh I like it. i shability.
I was so excited to make these for my snickerdoodle loving roommate! Unfortunately when I got to the dough rolling part, the dough was still very sticky and not at all rollable… What did I do wrong? Double and triple checked recipe steps :(
Just add a little more flour, maybe 1/4 cup or so, just until it comes together. Easy fix.
That’s what I thought, thanks!!
Sorry, but these were flat as a pancake! I followed the recipe exactly as it was written. The dough chilled for 3 hours.
My tips for thick, puffy cookies are in this post. King Arthur Flour, Silpat, etc. https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/02/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Sorry they were flat for you.
They look great and I love cinnamon! My question may I use self raising flour ? Thank you
No, use all-purpose.
The flavor of these were amazing, but mine turned out flatter than pancakes! What did I do wrong? Followed the recipe to a tee….
Please see this post for (thick) cookie baking tips & tricks. Glad the flavor was amazing! Silpat KAF brand flour, etc. all important for thick cookies!
Fyi. Cream of tartar is not a leavener. It is an acid, and when used with baking soda you are essentially creating baking powder.
According to my research, here’s one site (of many) for example, that indicates that yes it is a leavening agent.
https://www.yrm.org/leaveningagents.htm
Great Snickerdoodle recipe! I subbed out the flour (since I’m gluten-free) with Namaste Perfect Flour Blend (same measurements) and they turned out delicious. My hubs loved them too! One problem was that we ate them all in a day…ha!
So happy to hear that they worked using Namaste GF! That’s awesome to hear and glad you loved them!
thank you for sharing Aleisha that you used the Namaste flour blend. I am new to gluten free and I am going to try it too :D
Outstanding yumminess – I put them in the freezer to cool for 30min as we couldn’t wait. Baked for 9 minutes and the centers were under baked..like way under baked. I will prob raise to 11 minutes, seeing as perhaps mine were not pressed down enough.
Ovens, baking time, material of the baking sheets, height of dough balls, etc. yes they all play a role in baking time and a minute or two here or there, it’s hard to always judge down to the exact letter. So yes, just bake until done based on your variables. Glad they were outstanding for you!!
These are classics. I would have to say these look like they stand up to the best categorization!!
Ohhh my goodness… Mrs Field’s… I couldn’t even stop by that corner of our mall! I’d want to get one of everything, and because I’m too indecisive, I usually would and then eat bites of everything until the entire dozen disappeared. You’re right, the snickerdoodles were beyond amazing! Nothing could ever quite compare. But since you’re the queen of cookies, I have no doubt that yours are even better!
Hi Averie, these look delectable. My boss’s fav cookie that I plan to bake for him for his b/day on Wed. I have the cookie balls all rolled and coated and chilling in my cooler. I know they will be rock hard by tomorrow night when I plan to bake them – shall I let them rest at room temp for a bit before baking or is it okay to bake them straight from the fridge? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
I would just take them out of the fridge and set them on the counter, preheat your oven for about 20 minutes, then bake. That should be about perfect! :) You have an extremely lucky boss and hope everyone enjoys these!
Made these today and they are DELCIOUS. Next time I will double, maybe triple, the recipe as it makes a small batch. :) they weren’t as puffy as the photos, so I won’t push them down. Thanks for a great recipe!
Glad you liked them enough to possibly even triple the batch! That’s great to hear!
These ARE the best snickerdoodles. EVER. My husband says so :). But honestly, these are AMAZING. I didn’t refrigerate the dough because I have an impatient husband (okay, I’m impatient when snickerdoodles are involved too) and mine did not flatten too much at all and turned out absolutely perfect and just like your pictures. I don’t like crunchy cookies, only super super soft and chewy. These are it. Thank you so much Averie! Also, I subbed coconut oil for butter and it works out perfect! :)
Glad to hear that subbing coconut oil for butter and not chilling the dough still worked out great for you! So happy you’re both pleased and that you think these are the best, too! :)
I quadrupled the recipe so my kids could take them to school and share. The container came home completely empty and my kids said even the kids who don’t like snickerdoodles devoured them! They were AMAZING!! I did have one issue though. As I was baking the last couple of batches they began to spread out and were quite flat. I did have a casserole in the oven with them at that time so maybe that had something to do with it?? Thanks for this delicious recipe, it’s my new go-to :-)
did you leave the dough on the counter as you baked the cookies? your batter probably warmed up a bit as you baked your cookies, causing them to spread more than the first few. next time, put the dough back in the fridge as each batch bakes!
Great advice, Danielle.
Another reader mentioned that making sure to keep dough refrigerated between batches is key and also that casserole could have been emitting steam and that could have adversely effected the cookies. I find if I am really particular about how I need the cookies to look, I only bake 1 tray at a time, period. Even 2 trays at a time, meh, neither tray looks ‘perfect’. Glad that they were devoured but all the kids!
I would always make snickerdoodles in high school and then stopped – what happened? Let’s bring them back!