Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles
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The ultimate soft and thick snickerdoodle recipe! These bakery-style snickerdoodles are super soft on the inside with a slight crisp and crunch on the outside from the cinnamon sugar, they are absolutely amazing. Even though they are shareable size, you will want one all to yourself!
Is there anything more comforting than a thick, soft, irresistible snickerdoodle cookie? They bring back so many memories!
These homemade cookies are even better than the ones from your childhood. They’re big, bakery-style cookies that are pillowy soft with a delicious cinnamon-sugar coating.
The best part is these thick snickerdoodle cookies only take about 30 minutes, start to finish — no chill time required. Serve them warm, straight from the oven with a tall, cold glass of milk.
Craving even more cookies? These Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies really hit the spot when you’re in the mood for a classic with loads of peanut butter flavor. For the holidays, you can’t beat Classic Christmas Sugar Cookies. They make wonderful homemade gifts for neighbors! Kids and adults alike love these blue jumbo Cookie Monster Cookies with everything you could possibly want in a cookie.
Ingredients
This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour— This type of flour gives cookies the perfect texture and density.
- Cream of tartar— I use cream of tartar to add a tiny bit of tanginess and to work with the baking soda as a leavening agent to create soft and pillow cookies, just like I do for my Soft Christmas Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles.
- Baking soda— Baking soda reacts with the cream of tartar and works as a leavener.
- Salt— A bit of salt helps balance the flavors and brings out the sweetness of the cookies.
- Butter— Make sure the butter is unsalted and softened to room temperature. Softening it makes it so much easier to cream with sugar.
- Sugar— Granulated sugar sweetens these soft snickerdoodles just the right amount.
- Eggs— Add eggs to cookie dough to help give the cookies structure (binding the ingredients together) as well as protein to make them nice and chewy.
- Vanilla extract— Deepen that sweet flavor with some pure vanilla extract!
- Cinnamon— The cookies are rolled in cinnamon sugar for that classic snickerdoodle topping.
Equipment You’ll Need to Make Soft Snickerdoodles
Soft-baked snickerdoodles are just a few steps away! Here’s what you’ll need to make this snickerdoodle cookie recipe:
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Measuring cups & measuring spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Wire rack
How to Make This Soft and Thick Snickerdoodle Recipe
This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, and set them aside.
Step 2: Grab a large bowl, and stir together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside.
Step 3: Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes.
Step 4: Add eggs, one at a time, mixing completely before adding another. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Step 5: Add the flour mixture in three batches. Make sure you mix in each batch all the way before adding more flour. You need to do this so you don’t get flour all over your kitchen countertops! Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 6: Grab a medium bowl, and stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the coating.
Step 7: Separate the cookie dough into 12 even portions. Roll each portion into a smooth ball, then roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until well-coated. Place them on the cookie sheet, six inches apart. They will spread quite a bit — they’re jumbo cookies, after all — so you will have to bake them in batches.
Step 8: Press down on the cookie dough balls gently to flatten them out to large flat circles.
Step 9: Bake the cookies for 14-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. The snickerdoodles should appear dry in the center but still be slightly puffed.
Step 10: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these chewy snickerdoodles with a tall glass of milk or a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Apple cider pairs beautifully with them too. You could also sandwich vanilla ice cream between two cookies to make a snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich! Or how about marshmallow cream between two cookies to make a snickerdoodle whoopie pie?
Storage and Freezing
Cover snickerdoodles with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze cookies in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
Jumbo Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Did you forget to soften your butter? Add some hot water to a bowl, and cover it, allowing it to sit for a few minutes. Dump the water, add the butter, and cover again to soften the butter quickly (via Food Network).
- I recommend following this recipe exactly for the best snickerdoodles. But if you don’t have access to cream of tartar, you can try using baking powder in a pinch. You’ll need 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder for every 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, according to Healthline. You’ll have to leave out the baking soda if you’re replacing the cream of tartar with baking powder.
- You can make your snickerdoodle cookies smaller, but the cooking time will vary.
- Looking for a shortcut? Try my Snickredoodle cake mix cookie recipe.
Additions and Variations
I think the classic snickerdoodle cookies are the best snickerdoodle cookies, but if you want to add a little something extra to your cookies, here are some scrumptious ideas.
Try chocolate chips. Melty chocolate chips paired with delicious cinnamon flavor? Yes, please!
Swap for maple extract. Instead of vanilla extract, use maple extract. It’ll taste like autumn in cookie form.
Brown the butter. Instead of adding regular softened butter, brown your butter first by melting and cooking it just until it turns brown. It’ll give the snickerdoodle cookies a delicious hint of nutty flavor. You’ll have to let the butter cool before creaming it with the sugar, though.
Add cocoa powder. Swap out a bit of the flour with cocoa powder to make a chocolate version. They’ll taste like cinnamon hot chocolate.
Mix in white chocolate chips. The flavors of snickerdoodles go wonderfully with white chocolate.
Sub a portion of the brown sugar for the granulated sugar. It’ll give the cookies a deeper molasses flavor, which is absolutely delicious for a cinnamon cookie.
Add more cinnamon. To amp up the cinnamon flavor in the large cookies, add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon right into the cookie dough itself.
Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe FAQ
If they’re hard soon after baking, you may have added too much flour or sugar. However, if you’re trying to keep them from getting hard while storing them, keep them at room temperature in an airtight container with a piece of white bread. The white bread helps keep the cookies soft.
The cream of tartar is essential for getting that slight tangy flavor. It also helps with leavening.
One key to fluffier cookies is to avoid using melted butter in the cookie dough. You want it to be softened, but not melted, because you don’t want it to cook before the rest of the ingredients. Though this recipe doesn’t require chilling, you can chill the dough to prevent the cookies from spreading too thin and going flat.
They’ve probably been overcooked. It’s important to take cookies out of the oven while they still need to cook a bit, which continues while they sit on the baking sheet.
More Yummy Christmas Cookie Recipes
Snickerdoodles make perfect holiday cookies. Here are some other delicious cookies your friends and family will love!
- Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles
- Grinch Cookies
- Christmas Shortbread Cookies
- Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Soft Frosted Christmas Cookies
Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
For the coating:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing fully before adding the next. Add the vanilla extract, and mix it in.
- In three batches, add the flour mixture, making sure it mixes in all the way before adding the next batch. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the coating.
- Portion the cookie dough into 12 even-sized portions. Roll them into a smooth ball, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture until well-coated. Place them on the baking sheets, 6 inches apart. (They will spread quite a bit, so you will have to bake in batches.)
- Gently press down on the cookie dough balls and flatten them out into large, flat circles.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. The cookies should appear dry in the center but still be slightly puffed.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the sheet trays before transferring them to a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
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