Easy Snickerdoodle Recipe and 4 Baking Tips
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 13, 2024 • 3 min read
For perfectly chewy cookies redolent with warm cinnamon flavor, add this easy snickerdoodle recipe to your permanent cookie rotation.
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What Are Snickerdoodles?
Snickerdoodles are chewy sugar cookies distinguished by a fine coating of cinnamon sugar. Like sugar cookies or chocolate chip cookies, a basic snickerdoodle contains unsalted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, flour, salt, and a leavening agent, like baking soda, cream of tartar, or baking powder.
Snickerdoodles are an example of a drop cookie, a term applied to cookie recipes where bakers “drop” cookie dough from a spoon or cookie scoop onto a baking sheet rather than roll it out or cut it into specific shapes.
4 Tips for Making Snickerdoodles
Here’s how to make the best snickerdoodle cookies:
- 1. Use brown sugar for cookies with crispy edges and buttery, chewy centers. Brown sugar, made with molasses, brings extra moisture and a deeper, more complex sweetness to snickerdoodle cookie dough. To guarantee a soft, chewy texture, take the cookies out of the oven just as they turn dry and golden brown around the edges, usually around ten minutes. (For crispier cookies, use lower-moisture white sugar, and bake them a few minutes longer.)
- 2. Skip the cream of tartar. Most snickerdoodle cookie recipes include a somewhat unusual ingredient: cream of tartar. Cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) is an acidic compound that grapes produce as they ferment. It’s okay if you don’t have any on hand—baking powder provides the same leavening effect, and you won’t notice cream of tartar’s slightly tangy flavor in the finished cookies anyway.
- 3. Make ice cream sandwiches. Chewy snickerdoodle cookies are ideal for dessert sandwiches: the cinnamon is a natural complement to vanilla ice cream, and the cookies are sturdy enough to accommodate it. Learn how to make your own with this easy ice cream sandwich recipe.
- 4. Store in an airtight container. Keep snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Freeze preportioned dough in the freezer for up to six months for more extended storage. Thaw the frozen dough balls slightly and roll them in cinnamon sugar when you’re ready to bake.
Classic Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe
makes
About 24 cookiesprep time
10 mintotal time
22 mincook time
12 minIngredients
Note: The total time does not include 30 minutes of inactive time.
- 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Alternatively, add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and cream them with a hand mixer.
- 2
Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- 3
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- 4
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined.
- 5
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the dough to an airtight container. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- 6
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- 7
In a medium bowl, whisk together the white sugar and cinnamon.
- 8
Use a medium cookie scoop (a little over a tablespoon) to portion the cookie dough into balls.
- 9
Roll each cookie dough ball between your palms till smooth. Place the dough balls in the bowl of cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- 10
Shake the bowl to coat the dough ball, then place it onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
- 11
Bake the cookies until the edges are golden brown and centers have puffed up, about 10–11 minutes.
- 12
Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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