This is my favorite  Snickerdoodle Cookies recipe that results in soft and chewy cookies! These get RAVE reviews every time and they are so easy to make.  

I love this recipe, but if your interested in even EASIER snickerdoodle recipe you’ve got to check out my Snickerdoodle Bars!  Just like these Chocolate Chip Cookies Bars, they are baked in a 9×13 inch pan, so there’s no rolling and baking individual batches of cookies.

Snickerdoodle cookies on a wire cooling rack.

There’s a time and a place for fancy Turtle Thumbprint Cookies or Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies, but everyone loves some good old fashioned Snickerdoodles!  This is such a classic cookie, and I like them super soft and chewy, so that’s what you’ll get with this recipe!

Why I love this recipe:

  1. Simple ingredients. The ingredients for these snickerdoodles are ones I always have on hand, and they only take a few minutes to make.
  2. Cream of tarter.  Cream of tarter is important in this recipe because  it helps distinguish the taste between a butter cookie and a snickerdoodle and helps with that nice chewy texture.
  3. Thick and chewy. Snickerdoodles are one of those cookies that I only like when they’re homemade. When you buy them from the store they’re always flat and crunchy, which I hate! I love them thicker, with a tiny bit of crisp on the outside and a super soft and chewy inside. I’m here to tell ya, this recipe is a WINNER!

A stack of 5 snickerdoodles and another propped on the side.

How to make snickerdoodles:

1. Cream.  Start by creaming the butter, shortening, and sugar.

2. Add eggs. Next mix in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3. Add the dry ingredients.  Stir until combined.

Two process photos for making snickerdoodle cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

4. Shape into balls.

5. Roll in cinnamon sugar. Gently roll the snickerdoodle dough ball in cinnamon and sugar until coated on all sides.

6. Bake.

A pan of cookie dough balls and a bowl with a few of the balls rolled in cinnamon sugar to make snickerdoodles.

Pro Tips:

Grease hands. The snickerdoodle dough can be sticky and tough to handle.  I like to grease my hands with cooking spray so they are easier to handle.

Refrigerate. Also, after you have rolled one tray of snickerdoodles, place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.  This will make it easier to roll them in cinnamon and sugar before baking!

Storing and Freezing Instructions:

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.  They also freezer really nicely.  Allow them to cool completely and place them in a freezer safe bag for 2-3 months.

A snickerdoodle cookie with a bite taken out of it.

 Consider trying these popular cookie recipes:

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Recipe

A stack of 5 snickerdoodles and another propped on the side.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 8 minutes
Total 23 minutes
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Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Cream together butter, shortening, and 1 ½ cups sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
  • Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and stir until combined. 
  • Shape dough by spoonfuls into balls. I grease my hands with cooking spray since the dough is slightly sticky. I also like to put one finished tray of rolled cookies in the fridge while I"m rolling the second. Then when you're ready to roll them in cinnamon and sugar they are easier to handle.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the 4 tablespoons granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place dough about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake 8 to 9 minutes (don't over bake!) Remove immediately (and carefully, with a good spatula!) from baking sheets onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Storing and Freezing Instructions:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. 
To freeze the cookie dough, form dough balls and roll them in cinnamon sugar. Place cookie dough balls in a freezer safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Bake from frozen for 2 to 3 minutes longer than recipe states.
To freeze baked cookies, allow them to cool completely and place them in an air-tight freezer safe container for 2-3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 110mgPotassium: 62mgSugar: 14gVitamin A: 140IUCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.8mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram with #TastesBetterFromScratch!

I originally shared this recipe in August 2016. Updated December 2019 with process photos and tips. 

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

The BEST soft and chewy Snickerdoodles! These get RAVE reviews every time I make them! | Tastes Better From Scratch

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. I always get rave reviews when I make these cookies!!
    Question: can I make the dough and store in fridge until the next day?

  2. Thank you so much for the “Pro Tips”. Love these cookies, but hated the sticky dough & mess of rolling in the sugar & cinnamon. Followed your tips & it worked wonderfully! Thank you so much & Merry Christmas!

  3. 5 stars
    These were a hit and so tasty and chewy and easy to make. My little one didn’t want to stop eating them and I won’t say how many he ate either. Thank you for this recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    These are amazing! I’ve always loved snickerdoodles but never tried making them. This recipe is so easy and they came out great, soft and chewy just as I like them.

  5. 5 stars
    These were incredible, and were the only snickerdoodles I’ve ever made that came out SO soft! My brother confessed to eating six in one day. Will definitely be making again!

  6. 5 stars
    These were the best cookies ever!! The batter was not at all sticky for me! I’m 11, but I love to bake! Tastesbetterfromscratch never fails me. Even my sister who doesn’t like snickerdoodles was eating a bunch of these at a time. The perfect texture, crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!

  7. 5 stars
    I made these with my granddaughter and they were so simple and quick. We had a great time and they are delicious. Good luck with the batch lasting 3 days!

  8. I have no doubt these would have been good but they didn’t turn out so great. Does the use of unsalted butter matter? They were a bit bland. In addition they stayed in a ball shape and did not flatten out like a typical cookie might.
    I’ll eat them with a cup of coffee but I am wondering what adjustments need to be made before I make them again.

  9. 5 stars
    I made these on Christmas for dinner at my inlaws. My sister in law said it was the best snickerdoodles she has ever had. I love that your recipes have made me so popular at gatherings!

  10. I do love this recipe … I add French vanilla pudding to make it soft and chewy and it keeps a lasting chew to it . I also find that refrigerating the dough helps to keep the rise to the cookie and doesn’t spread when in the oven as much from being at room temp

  11. 5 stars
    Sounds AMAZING! But I have a question? Do you have to use shortening? Can something else replace the shortening? Thank you 🙂

      1. I was wondering that too. Like, could I use Coconut oil rather than shortening? It has the same consistency, so I would think that it would work just as well…? Also, what would the cookie consistency be like if I used butter rather than shortening??

        1. I have never tried with coconut oil so I can’t say for sure. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

  12. 5 stars
    My mom’s recipe was lost and yours was just as tasty! Thanks for enough cinnamon and sugar to roll the cookies into! Great job.

  13. Hub I baked these for the first time. I used all butter and they were the BOMB! My husband loved them and my friend said they’re wonderful. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    1. Hi Vanessa, you could but it will change the texture of the cookies–it’s what helps to make them tender and tall.

  14. 5 stars
    My husband said, “whatever recipe you’re using, keep baking them because these are delicious!” 🙂 Everyone loved them! Thank you!!!

  15. 5 stars
    Snickerdoodles are my boyfriends favorite cookies. I surprised him one day and brought these to him. He told me they are the best Snickerdoodle cookies he has ever had. I will continue to use this recipe! They were simple to make and taste amazing!

  16. 5 stars
    I love this recipe, and even though I’m just twelve, I make it at least once a month! I actually make it without cream of tarter, and instead of rolling it in sugar and cinnamon, I roll it in powdered sugar. Either way, they are delicious! ?!

    1. Well done Lily! How fun that you love to bake, and I love your idea of rolling them in powdered sugar 🙂

  17. 5 stars
    I had binge watched hours of the Great British Bake Off and really wanted to bake something! Found this recipe! These cookies were the first thing I EVER baked from scratch! I shared them with lots of friends and coworkers and they all said they thought they were store bought!!

  18. 5 stars
    I love this recipe! I didn’t have any shortening so I used another half cup of butter and ran short of flour and had to use half a cup of almond flour but they turned out great. I don’t know if it was my substitutions or a lower oven power but I had better results leaving my cookies in an extra three minutes. I like my snickerdoodles to be a bit crispier than most other types of cookies. After the first batch, the one that I baked for 8 minutes, had sat a while on the hot cookie sheet they were fine. I highly recommend this recipe! I’ve never made snickerdoodle cookies before and now I can’t wait to make this again!!

  19. 4 stars
    My friends and sister loved the cookies. They stayed fresh for a long time. I thought the cookies were too sweet, but everyone else loved them. Thanks for the recipe.

  20. 5 stars
    When I was little, my Mom bought me a cookie recipe book. The page with these on it was well worn. I decided to make them to day and looked up the recipe on line. There were many but none like these. I remember the cream of tartar. This recipe is the exact same one I lived as a kid. They were perfect. Best ever Snickerdoodles.

  21. 5 stars
    Holy Christmas cookie! These are AMAZING! Followed recipe exactly, and came out with THE BEST SNICKERDOODLE cookies I’ve ever eaten. Well done ma’am.

  22. 5 stars
    This was my first time making these and I have to say that I totally have my Mom beat on this cookie. They came out perfect, slightly crunchy on the outside and soft & chewy on the inside. I made 3 batches and with my cookie scoop it made 10 dozen cookies. Thanks for the recipe!

  23. Is there any way to make these if you don’t have the cream of tarter? I’ve looked up substitutions online and they say to use lemon juice or white vinegar. Or to use baking POWDER in place of the cream of tarter and baking soda. Any suggestions? Thanks

    1. Hi Elizabeth, I wouldn’t recommend substituting the cream of tarter….it’s really a must in snickerdoodles for the flavor. Hope you get a chance to try them! 🙂

  24. Hi I’m going to make these for Christmas but I wanted to know if I can freeze them after I bake them so they taste fresh?
    Thanks!

  25. 5 stars
    Just made these and they are perfect!!! So easy and so delicious! It was a cold snowy day here which always puts me in a baking mood, I was glad I came across this recipe! My kids love them too!

    1. Thanks so much for sharing Brianna! Hope you get to try some of my other cookie recipes–especially during the cold season 😉

  26. You wrote the 1.5 cups was the granulated sugar and the 4 tablespoons was the white sugar and then in the directions you switched the sugars around with the other measurements, which is right?

    1. Hi Flo, I am sorry if the recipe seemed confusing, I have updated it to be more clear. The 4 tablespoons sugar is combined with the cinnamon and is used to roll the dough balls in! I hope they turned out well for you!

  27. 5 stars
    These are so good and easy to make. This is the first time I have made cookies that were not a Pinterest fail! ☺
    Thank you!

  28. I’m wondering why all snickerdoodle recipes have cream of tarter in them. Every time I’ve ever made snickerdoodles, they get very hard after they cool. I always thought it must be because of the cream of tarter. I would love to make these for an upcoming birthday party. Will these cookies STAY soft and chewy?

    1. Hi Janie, the cream of tarter is traditional in snickerdoodles to give the cookies that unique “tang” taste and to keep them soft and pillowy. Snickerdoodles will harden after they bake, that’s why it’s very important not to overbake them, as I’ve stated in the directions–over-baking is how you end up with hard cookies. They may not look “done” when you pull them out of the oven at 8 minutes, but after they cool they will be perfect!

  29. 4 stars
    Thanks for the recipe. I didn’t have shortening so i used butter, they came out great. They made 3 1/2 dozen for me using a one inch scoop.

    1. Hi Taylor, yes you can definitely do that! Just make sure that you let the dough come to room temperature before rolling and baking the cookies.

  30. These are INCREDIBLE. I just double the ingredients and made over 50 cookies for Christmas gifts. They cook perfectly. Thank you so much for this recipe!

  31. What has happened with your website that you can not print the recipes without an ad coming up in the middle of the recipe? Then it takes 2 pages to print rather than 1? Crazy!

    1. Hi Karla, I am so sorry about that! I am working with my ad company to remove that asap. It should be fixed TODAY! Thanks for bringing this to my attention!