• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • ALL RECIPES
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Pumpkin Recipes
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
Self Proclaimed Foodie
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT ME
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT ME
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Snickerdoodle Cookies

    Published: March 25, 2018 · Updated: March 20, 2020 · By: Krissy · 8 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Snickerdoodle Cookies are super soft cookies filled with sugar, spice, and everything nice!

    They are a classic favorite and you won't be able to stop at just one. The sweet cinnamon flavor is too hard to resist. This recipe tells you step by step how to make the very best snickerdoodles!

    snickerdoodle cookies

    Snickerdoodle Cookies are everyone's favorites. Well, they're one of my favorites, but my Faithful Chocolate Chip Cookies can't take second place to anything.

    This soft snickerdoodle recipe creates cookies that completely melt in your mouth. There are a few tricks you'll need to follow to ensure that they turn out soft and not crispy. They're fantastic cookies to make for your family or to share with friends!

    Did you know...

    A snickerdoodle is similar to a sugar cookie but there are a few distinctions. First, a snickerdoodle is always coated in cinnamon and sugar. That wonderful cinnamon spice flavor is basically synonymous with these cookies. Second, although they taste similar to a sugar cookie, their texture is different.

    Sugar cookies are generally more dense whereas a snickerdoodle is more light and airy.

    The most notable distinction that sets snickerdoodles apart from other cookies is that the leavening agent partially comes from cream of tartar.

    So where did they originate?

    I did some poking around online and there are two schools of thought on how snickerdoodles came to be.

    According to The Joy of Cooking, snickerdoodles originated in Germany. This offered etymology tracing the snickerdoodle back to the German word schneckennudeln. "Schnecke" means "snail" in German, and could be the root of the mysterious snickerdoodle. "shnecke" was also a German name for a cinnamon pinwheel that resembles snails.

    Snickerdoodles have also been traced back to New England, or colonial America. I read that the snickerdoodle, a simple cinnamon-spiced cookie, was an early entry into the American cookie spectrum, along with such treats as jumbles, plunkets and cry babies. Have you ever heard of such treats? Me neither.

    snickerdoodle recipe

    How to make snickerdoodle cookies:

    • Just as with most cookies, you mix the wet ingredients and then add in the dry ingredients. The trick is to use your handy dandy stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer so that you incorporate air into the recipe, making it light and fluffy. Be sure not to over mix!
    • Next you'll drop rolled balls of dough into a bag of cinnamon and sugar. I find it easiest to use a cookie scoop so that you get the same size cookie each time.
    • Place these cinnamon and sugar coated dough balls onto your baking sheet. I always bake with a silpat or parchment paper.
    • This is one of the few recipes where I didn't give a time range. I seriously found that 8 minutes yielded the most perfectly soft snickerdoodle cookie. They will most likely look under cooked, but just let them sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after you take them out of the oven. If you do this, they will continue cooking without getting too brown. This is how you get super soft cookies.

    No cream of tartar on hand?

    You may not have cream of tartar in your pantry. It's usually something you bought 10 years ago for that one recipe and never used again.

    That was me, however I ran out of cream of tartar while I was making these cookies. Over the course of those 10 years, I must have made more than a few recipes because that teeny tiny little container of cream of tartar finally went empty.

    Not to worry!

    You can actually use lemon juice interchangeably with cream of tartar. I was worried my cookies would taste like lemon, but they didn't.

    This recipe calls for two teaspoons of cream of tartar. I actually used one teaspoon of cream of tartar and one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Worked like a charm!

    snickerdoodles
    snickerdoodle

    Snickerdoodle Cookies

    Snickerdoodle Cookies are super soft cookies filled with sugar, spice, and everything nice! They are a classic favorite and you won't be able to stop at just one. The sweet cinnamon flavor is too hard to resist. This recipe tells you step by step how to make the very best snickerdoodles!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 8 minutes
    Total Time: 33 minutes
    Hover to scale: 36 cookies
    Chef: Krissy Allori

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup butter (softened)
    • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
    • 2 eggs (slightly beaten)
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
    • Cream butter and 1 ½ cups sugar together in a stand mixer until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. 
    • In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir just to combine, scraping as needed.
    • Combine remaining sugar with the pumpkin pie spice in a plastic bag.
    • Use a medium cookie scoop and shape dough into balls. Drop each ball into the sugar spice mixture and then set on the baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
    • Bake 8 minutes in preheated oven. Allow to cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
    • Store in airtight container.

    Notes

    You can substitute cream of tartar with lemon juice, if needed or desired

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Serving: 36g | Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 44mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.5mg
    SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTERSign up to have my recipes emailed to you. Free!
    « Creamy Mushroom Chicken Florentine
    Hidden Cauliflower Mac and Cheese »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Monique

      April 07, 2020 at 4:47 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Your tip on leaving the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes made for perfect cookies! Thank you

      Reply
    2. Mary Kay Holland

      November 12, 2019 at 10:35 pm

      Hi, I’m so glad I found your site! These
      Snickerdoodles are coated in sugar and pumpkin pie spice, not sugar and cinnamon?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Krissy

        November 19, 2019 at 10:09 am

        Yep! I just love pumpkin pie spice so much and use it instead of cinnamon almost all the time.

        Reply
    3. Renee

      June 06, 2019 at 1:29 pm

      5 stars
      Snickerdoodles are the best! I really appreciate your tip about using lemon if you are low on Cream of Tartar. I'm sure that will come in handy in the future!

      Reply
    4. Patty

      June 06, 2019 at 1:12 pm

      5 stars
      I am really excited to try your recipe! I was planning on baking a batch of cookies this weekend and definitely going to make these! I love soft snickerdoodle cookies!

      Reply
    5. Bintu

      June 06, 2019 at 12:40 pm

      5 stars
      Cinnamon is one of my favourite flavours! These cookies sound totally delicious.

      Reply
    6. Jenni LeBaron

      June 06, 2019 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      You can't beat a fresh stack of warm cookies right out of the oven. It's been so long since I've had a snickerdoodle, but I love them. These look perfect!

      Reply
    7. Tara

      June 06, 2019 at 11:50 am

      5 stars
      One of my favorites! Yours look perfect! I love how you included the history as well.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Krissy

    A close up of a woman

    I love to create the BEST versions of your favorite recipes. If you love to cook, love to eat, or just have a deep appreciation for good food, you're in the right place! Stick around... I have hundreds of recipes for you to make. more about me...

    SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter

    Strawberry Recipes!

    • How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
    • Old Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream
    • Classic Strawberry Shortcake
    • Strawberry Pretzel Salad {Strawberry Pretzel Dessert}
    online publications that have featured self proclaimed foodie

    Most Popular Recipes

    • Salmon Patties (Salmon Cakes)
    • Granny's Monkey Bread Recipe
    • Beef and Noodles
    • Cajun Shrimp Pasta
    • Country Sausage Gravy
    • Absolutely Perfect Filet Mignon
    • Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce {Easy 4 Ingredient Recipe + Video}
    • Granny's Classic Meatloaf Recipe

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    Contact

    Privacy Policy

    Nutrition Disclaimer

    Check Out Ten Acre Baker

    Meet Krissy

    Social

    Pinterest

    Facebook

    Instagram

    You Tube

    Sign Up for free emails

    Recipes

    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks
    • Appetizers

    Self Proclaimed Foodie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

    COPYRIGHT © 2022 SELF PROCLAIMED FOODIE®