BEST Classic Snickerdoodle Recipe - Creations by Kara (2024)

I’ve been making these easy snickerdoodle cookiessince I was a little girl, and although I’ve tried several other recipes, none of them beat this one! They are perfectly soft and chewy, and no one can resist that cinnamon sugar coating.

Whether you are looking for cookies to take to a potluck, cookies for your holiday trays, or just a great cookie recipe to fill your cookie jar, give these soft snickerdoodle cookies a try. They are guaranteed to be a hit!

EASY SNICKERDOODLES

You will find other recipes that call for browning the butter, chilling the dough, and adding extra ingredients. I even have a recipe for cinnamon chip snickerdoodles that are beyond yummy. But if you are looking for easy snickerdoodle cookies that taste amazing, you are in the right place! Why these easy snickerdoodles are the best:

• A blend of half butter and half margarine makes them amazing. Butter adds flavor and makes for crunchy edges. Margarine makes them extra soft.
• No chilling of the dough means that you can have cookies in your mouth in less than thirty minutes!
• Cream of tartar gives them that classic tangy flavor.
• A perfect blend of cinnamon and sugar makes a sweet, spicy, and crunchy exterior that can’t be beat.

HOW TO MAKE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

Ingredients needed:

• butter, softened to room temperature (I use salted butter.)
• margarine (Yes, the best snickerdoodles are made with half margarine and half butter. You can make them with all butter, but they won’t be quite as soft and chewy.)
• granulated sugar (Using all white cookies gives these cookies the traditional light color, and makes them a little more crispy than using a white/brown sugar combo.)
• eggs (I use large eggs.)
• all purpose flour
• cream of tartar (A must for traditional snickerdoodles!)
• baking soda
• salt
• sugar and cinnamon for rolling the cookie dough balls

1. PREP WORK: Soften the butter and margarine to room temperature. Mix together the cinnamon sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Line cookie sheets with silicone liners or spray with non stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. PREPARE DOUGH: Beat butter, margarine, and sugar in a large bowl; beat in eggs. Stir in dry ingredients.
3. FORM COOKIES: Roll cookie dough into balls. (I like to use a cookie scoop to ensure that the cookies are the same size.) Roll cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
4. BAKE: Place cookie dough balls on prepared pans about 1 1/2 – 2 inches apart. Bake at 375° for about 10 minutes. Let cool on pans for 3-5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Do you flatten snickerdoodles before baking?

Some snickerdoodle recipes call for flattening the dough before baking, but for these easy snickerdoodle cookies, they bake up perfectly without being flattened. As a bonus, they are ready to bake immediately, no need to chill the dough either! I know that despite what I said about cream of tartar, some of you are going to ask:

What is a substitute for cream of tartar in snickerdoodles?

There is not a perfect substitute for cream of tartar, but if you refuse to use it, there are a couple substitutes you can try. One is lemon juice, the other is baking powder.

BAKING POWDER: 1 teaspoon baking powder = 1/4 tsp soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, SO 4 teaspoons baking powder = 1 tsp baking soda + 2 teaspoons cream of tartar

You can only use baking powder as a substitution if your recipe also calls for baking soda. For these snickerdoodles, in place of the 2 tsp cream of tartar, you would omit both the cream of tartar and the baking soda and use 4 teaspoons of baking powder.

LEMON JUICE : Use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. So since this recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar, you would need to use 4 teaspoons of lemon juice. (I don’t recommend this method except in an emergency, because the extra liquid throws off the texture of the cookies.)

Note: As with most substitutions, your cookies will not be as good as if you follow the recipe. Of course, you can just eliminate the cream of tartar all together, and still have some pretty tasty cinnamon sugar cookies!

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER SNICKERDOODLES:

Snickerdoodles keep really well. Store them in an airtight container and they are good for up to a week. They also ship really well because there are no ingredients that can melt.

Want to freeze them? After they have cooled completely, place them in heavy duty ziplock freezer bags. They will last up to 6 months in the freezer. To serve, you can let them thaw at room temp, or heat them in the microwave for a few seconds.

TASTY RECIPES USING CINNAMON:

• Cinnamon Coffee Cake
• Roasted Cinnamon Almonds
• Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
• Cinnamon Butter

MORE HOMEMADE COOKIES:

• Orange Creamsicle Cookies
• Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Butter Cookies (with lemon cream cheese frosting)
• Edible Cookie Dough
• White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
• Iced Pumpkin Cookies
• Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
• Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

EASY SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

(originally posted Apr 30, 2012, updated October 2020)

If you are looking for the best snickerdoodle recipe that doesn’t call for any fancy steps, give these snickerdoodles a try. They are sure to become a staple at your house!