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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These are the BEST cookies! A little too easy though, I end up making them all the time ?
Glad they’re an easy (and frequent) favorite!
These were amazing. I’ve never used a snicker doodle recipe with brown sugar in the south before, but this will be my go-to recipe from now on. I spent the weekend mixing up four different types of your cookies and freezing the dough balls: these, the oatmeal M&M cookies, the Andes mint ones, and the funfetti cookies. They all turned out wonderfully, thanks so much! One question: would you consider including weight measurements in addition to volumetric measurements?
Thanks for trying four of my recipes over the weekend, wow you were busy! I love that you have a frozen stash now to bake off when you’re ready – bet you’re excited about that!
Great to hear my ‘doodles will be your go-to now!
Meant to say “with brown sugar in the DOUGH”! Auto-correct, man.
I knew what you meant :)
Made these last night and they came out perfect !!! Loved that they are fluffy , soft and chewy and the taste was amazing,Will definitely be making these again and again lol.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that they’ll be on repeat!
If I make the dough then freeze it, how long should I let the dough thaw before baking it?
You don’t really have to wait to thaw it – you can bake straight from freezer to oven. Possibly may need to add 1-2 mins to baking time but just keep an eye on them. Enjoy!
I use coconut oil in this recipe instead of butter in order to make it dairy free, they turned out great! I’m in snicker doodle heaven!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you with the coconut oil!
Do I need to use those specific brands??
No you can use the brands you’re comfortable with, but when I call out a brand by name in a post, it’s because it works for me or I am partial to it.
Averie, best cookies ever, “da bomb” as my daughter said!! But cinnamon sugar didn’t stick. Any tips? Thank you, your website is our go-to.
Thanks for the compliments! I would just really ROLL and re-ROLL in the cinnamon-sugar. I double-dip so to speak, about 5-10 mins apart, and that seems to work well.
Right! Thanks for the reply:) it worked fine with cooking a little longer or thawing out till slightly chill. I’ll try that brand of flour if I can find it!
I thought my comment didn’t go through cause of my mobile browser so I commented twice. Oops, my bad!
Glad that cooking a bit longer did the trick! That flour is sold at all major US grocery stores. It’s the best!
How long will I need to thaw the dough for after taking out from the freezer?
My batch turned out undercooked in the middle and biscuit-like at the edges for the ones out of the freezer, but perfectly fine for the ones out of the fridge.
Also, is the the type of flour responsible for the colour of the snickerdoodles? The ones in the picture look so fluffy and white! Mine are on the yellow side.
How long will depend on how warm the room is. I’m not sure. Just allow it to come to a chilled temp, just like I replied already. Baking isn’t always an exact science and you have to experiment.
I use King Arthur All-Purpose flour and swear by it. And yes, the brand of flour will effect the shade.
I made a batch of these and stored the dough in the fridge, then later shifted them to the freezer. When I baked them after taking the dough out from the fridge, they turned out nicely. When I baked the dough after taking out from the freezer, they turned out a little more undercooked in the middle. The baking durations were the same. How long should I thaw the snickerdoodles before baking?
Either thaw to chilled room temp, i.e. the same temp they’d be if they came from the freezer. Or, just bake a few extra minutes if the dough is frozen. Common sense that you’d need to bake a bit longer with frozen dough than with fridge dough, right :)
I made these cookies last week and they turned out flat… Not super flat like if they weren’t refrigerated, just not pillowie. And they were still the best snickerdoodles I’ve ever had lol but then I made them again this morning and the ONLY thing I did different was the way I shaped the dough balls. I just pushed the balls so the bottom flattened & they turned out perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad they’re the best you’ve ever had! And yes, sometimes the exact way you shape the dough will effect the outcome so a little experimentation is needed. Glad everything worked out great!
Hi Averie! Happy New Year! My daughter asked me to snickerdoodle cookies for her birthday treat. Boy, did these ever turn out wonderful. My son isn’t even a big cinnamon fan and he inhaled one while it was still warm. My husband and daughter said they were so yummy and taste just like mini donuts from the Stampede! We didn’t need to refrigerate the dough, and they came out just like your photos. Thanks so much for an awesome recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! And glad that even the non-cinnamon fan got into them :)
Thank you for this great snickerdoodle recipe, Averie! I made these to include in holiday cookie bags for my coworkers and they were a big hit. I couldn’t resist eating a few when they were fresh out of the oven (quality control). I know that the recipes on your blog will be tasty and straightforward to make! Happy holidays to you and your family!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And what a nice compliment to say that my recipes are tasty and straightforward! As a blogger, those are my two biggest personal goals when I develop recipes!
In the process of making these, and I was not able to roll the dough into balls because the dough is too sticky. I hope that’s normal and they will turn out in the end. I just spooned the dough onto plates and it is now chilling.
Well, these cookies turned out soft and fluffy but they don’t have enough cinnamon and sugar coating. I’m not sure where I went wrong. Everything else about them is perfect but that. I followed the recipe to the T, I chilled them for almost 2hrs, and then I more than dredged them. I skimmed through a lot of the comments and I don’t see anything about this issue. After you dredge them do you pour a little on the top too? It seemed once they were chilled the sugar mixture didn’t want to stick as well….other than that they were great. I will certainly make again.
I dredge, and then repeat, repeat, repeat….I just really go nuts with the sugar and that does the trick. Just use way more than you think you need given everything you said and I’m sure you’ll be thrilled!
I’ve made these and love them! I’m going to add some chopped up snickers to them for Christmas. This year we are making dough that needs to go in the fridge ahead of time and putting it in the freezer. Has anybody put the balls of dough in the freezer?
Just pull them out of the freezer, bake for maybe 1-2 extra minutes since the dough is rock hard, and enjoy with the Snickers!