The moment this Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe hits the oven, that sweet, cinnamon sugar smell will fill your kitchen and make everything feel cozy. These aren’t your ordinary snickerdoodles though – they’re made with a special twist that makes them even better than the classic version!
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Snickerdoodles are right up there with my all-time favorite cookies—just behind a chewy chocolate chip cookie and the perfect frosted sugar cookie! There’s something truly irresistible about that tender, chewy inside paired with a crisp, cinnamon-sugar coating. It’s the perfect blend of soft and crunchy, with warm, cozy flavors that just feel like home.
I’ve found this recipe more than thirty years ago, and it’s become my absolute favorite for a couple of important reasons. First, it doesn’t use cream of tartar, which I find can give cookies a slightly metallic taste, I know it’s traditionally used in Snickerdoodles, but it just leaves me with a funny taste — maybe it’s just me?
Second, the addition of whole wheat flour not only makes these cookies a bit healthier but also contributes to their perfectly chewy texture. I also use all natural cane sugar, which has a more coarse grain, with a little more molasses still in the sugar, these two components only add to the cookies flavor and crunchy outside.
My snickerdoodle cookies recipe consistently turn out amazing, with that signature crackly top and soft, chewy center that every great snickerdoodle should have. Over the years, I’ve shared this recipe with countless friends and family members, and it always gets rave reviews and multiple requests for the recipe. Even non-snickerdoodle lovers love them — my husband being one of them!
In fact, when my sea level testers tried them, these are the comments I received.
“I served them to my bunco group and they got everyone reminiscing. Seems like everyone hasn’t made them in a long time! The ladies said that they were delicious!” ~ Susan, TFC Recipe Tester, Southeast
“Normally, I don’t like Snickerdoodles, but I loved these, even my daughter who also doesn’t like them, loved them!” ~ Dawn, TFC Recipe Tester, West Coast
What is a Snickerdoodle?
A snickerdoodle cookie is more than just a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. It’s has a distinctive crackling surface and uniquely chewy texture. While traditional recipes use cream of tartar to achieve this texture, my version gets its characteristic chewiness from the perfect blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flours.
Why is a Snickerdoodle called a Snickerdoodle?
The name “snickerdoodle” likely has German or Dutch origins, possibly derived from the German word “Schneckennudeln”, which is a type of cinnamon sugar German pastry. However, the origin of the word is not quite clear, so it could also be just a whimsically invented name, as many 19th-century New England cookies had fanciful names.
Whatever the origin, “snickerdoodle” has become synonymous with a cinnamon-sugar cookie with a unique flavor and a slightly crispy, chewy texture!
Snickerdoodle Ingredients
- Butter: I typically use salted butter when baking. If you use unsalted, increase the salt by ½ teaspoon.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works well, or all-natural cane sugar! Whatever you have on hand will work, with cane sugar adding a little more caramel flavor and crunch since it’s a coarser sugar!
- Eggs: You will need one whole egg and once extra egg white to help get the perfect texture. Make sure they are at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: For an added depth of flavor!
- Whole Wheat Flour: I use organic whole wheat flour to help get the perfect, chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor in these snickerdoodle cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour: Regular all-purpose flour will work well with the whole wheat flour!
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps to create that classic crackly texture on top and gives the cookies their lift.
- Salt: To balance out all the flavors. I typically use kosher salt, if using table salt, add a little less.
- Ground Cinnamon: Combined with some of the sugar, this will create the perfect cinnamon sugar topping on these snickerdoodles!
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to make Snickerdoodle Cookies
Step 1 – Cream Butter and Sugar
Preheat your oven to 400°F (205° C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl of bowl of a stand mixer, mix together (called creaming) the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes on medium speed.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt) and whisk to combine.
Step 2 – Finish the Cookie Dough
Scrape down sides of the bowl and then add the egg and egg white and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture in ¼ cup increments until it’s all incorporated.
Step 3 – Roll Dough in Cinnamon Sugar Topping
In a cereal bowl, combine the Cinnamon Sugar topping ingredients and stir to combine.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough, roll into rounds (about the size of walnuts) and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture, placing 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 4 – Bake
Bake at 400°F (205° C) for 8-10 minutes or until puffed and slightly golden. They will puff and flatten slightly as they bake, remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Success Tips for the Best Snickerdoodles
- Room temperature ingredients actually matter! Make sure your eggs are truly at room temperature for better incorporation. And if you forgot to take them out, no worries, just pop them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 5-7 minutes.
- Butter Softeness Matters: For the best results, avoid over-softening your butter. If it looks glossy or greasy, it’s too soft and can cause your cookies to spread too much while baking. Aim to take the butter out 30-60 minutes before baking, just enough to leave a slight indent when you press it gently.
- Don’t over bake the cookies. This is very important! For the absolute best snickerdoodle cookies, remove them from the oven when the edges are just set and slightly golden. They might look slightly underdone, but that is okay! They will set up on the baking sheet and continue baking. If your cookies are dry and not chewy, it is likely you overbaked them.
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Snickerdoodle Cookie Storage
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-5 days, or in the fridge up to one week.
Snickerdoodles freeze great! Store cooled cookies in freezer baggies or an airtight container. I like to wrap 2 together in plastic wrap, freeze in freezer baggies. Pop them into lunch boxes and they’ll be thawed by lunchtime! They may be frozen up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Balls! Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flash freeze for 30-60 minutes. Once firm, transfer cookie dough balls to a freezer baggie or airtight container and freeze up to 3 months.
To bake; place desired number of cookie dough balls on parchment lined baking sheet and allow to come to room temperature while you preheat your oven to 400°F (205° C). Bake as directed possibly adding a minute or two, but watch closely.
How to Freshen Up Stale Snickerdoodles
- Microwave: Place a cookie on a microwave-safe plate and heat for about 5-10 seconds. This will make it soft and slightly warm, as if it just came out of the oven.
- Oven: Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C), place the cookies on a baking sheet, and warm for about 5-7 minutes. This method works well if you’re refreshing a larger batch.
- Add Moisture: To keep snickerdoodles soft during storage, place a slice of bread or a few marshmallows in the container. They’ll help retain moisture, keeping the cookies fresh for a longer time.
High Altitude Adjustments for Snickerdoodles
This has been my snickerdoodle cookie recipe for more than 30 years and the beauty of it is, only slight changes are needed. They bake up beautifully every time!
- Altitudes above 3500 feet, reduce sugar to 1 ⅓ cups.
- Bake on the lower end of the recommended time; edges should be set while centers remain soft.
- For altitudes above 7,500 feet, add 2 teaspoons of water and 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour to the dough and reduce the sugar to 1 ¼ – 1 ⅓ cups.
- Begin checking cookies around 7 minutes.
Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe FAQs
While both cookies start with a similar butter and sugar base, snickerdoodles are different from sugar cookies in a few ways. First, snickerdoodles are always rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking, giving them their signature spiced coating. Second, traditional snickerdoodles have a characteristic tangy flavor and chewy texture (usually from cream of tartar, though this recipe achieves it through whole wheat flour). Finally, snickerdoodles typically have a crackled surface and chewy interior, while sugar cookies tend to be more uniformly textured.
Dry snickerdoodles usually result from overbaking, using too much flour, or overmixing the cookie dough after you add the flour. Be sure to measure your flour correctly by spooning the flour into the measuring cup and then leveling it off. After adding the flour to the cookie dough, mix until just combined. And finally, make sure you don’t overbake the cookies!
Yes! Snickerdoodles should be soft and slightly puffy when they come out of the oven. They’ll look barely set in the middle and will continue to set up as they cool. If you wait until they look completely done in the oven, they’ll end up over baked and dry. They will unpuff as they cool, giving them their characteristic “wrinkly” tops.
I always look at the edge of the cookies to know if they are done. The edges will be set and slightly golden. The middles will look puffy and underdone, but will set up nicely once you take them out of the oven!
Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles a chewy texture and slightly tangy flavor. Omitting it can throw things off a little, so to get that same flavor and texture, my snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar uses whole wheat flour and the right amount of baking powder to ensure they still have that perfect texture!
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Snickerdoodles Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature, see note 1
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar see note 2, reduce to 1 ⅓ cups for high altitude (see notes)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg white room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour I use unbleached
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt Increase by ½ teaspoon if using unsalted butter
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar or ¼ cup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (205° C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the sugar (1 ½ cups*) and 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (called creaming) until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes on medium speed.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour (1 ¼ cups), whole wheat flour (1 ½ cups), baking soda (1 tsp), and ¼ teaspoon salt) and whisk to combine.
- Scrape down sides of the bowl and then add the 1 egg, 1 egg white and 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture in ¼ cup increments until it’s all incorporated.
- In a small bowl, combine the Cinnamon Sugar topping ingredients and stir to combine.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough, roll into rounds (about the size of walnuts) and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture, placing 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 400°F (205° C) for 8-10 minutes or until puffed and slightly golden. They will puff and flatten slightly as they bake, remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Notes
- I usually use salted butter for my baking, but I increase the salt to ½ teaspoon if I use unsalted butter. Room temperature should be about 30-60 minutes on the counter, it shouldn’t look greasy or super soft, just soft enough that when you press your finger it indents slightly.
- I use all-natural cane sugar for my baking, you may use white granuldated sugar as well. When creaming cane sugar with butter, cream 1-2 minutes longer to make sure you incorporate that coarser grain.
- Altitudes above 3500 feet, reduce sugar to 1 ⅓ cups.
- Bake on the lower end of the recommended time; edges should be set while centers remain soft.
- For altitudes above 7,500 feet, add 2 teaspoons of water and 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour to the dough and reduce the sugar to 1 ¼ – 1 ⅓ cups.
- Begin checking cookies around 7 minutes.
Nutrition
Susan Brandenburg
These are delicious! The cane sugar for rolling makes a big difference. Tastes better than you remember!
Thank you so much Susan!!! So appreciate your sweet words!! And I agree!!