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Close-up of soft, chewy cookies showing their crackled tops.

Snickerdoodles

Classic snickerdoodles made with butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and cinnamon. Soft, chewy centers with crisp, cinnamon-sugar exteriors. A nostalgic cookie favorite.
Servings

Ingredients

  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • cups granulated sugar divided (plus more if needed)
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon plus more if needed

Instructions
 

Prepare the dry ingredients:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the unsalted butter and 1½ cups of sugar. Cream on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary to ensure even mixing.

Incorporate the eggs:

  1. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed until fully combined—about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, if needed.

Combine wet and dry ingredients:

  1. Add the dry flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until the dough forms and ingredients are fully incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Avoid overmixing.

Chill the dough:

  1. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight to allow the dough to firm and the flavors to meld.

Preheat the oven and prepare baking sheets:

  1. Adjust oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Form and coat the dough balls:

  1. If the dough was refrigerated overnight, allow it to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before shaping. In a shallow bowl, mix the remaining ¼ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it between moistened palms to form a ball approximately 1½ inches in diameter. Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies:

  1. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. The cookies should be set in the center and display slight cracking on top.

Cool the cookies:

  1. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

To prepare gluten-free snickerdoodles, substitute the all-purpose flour with a certified 1:1 gluten-free baking flour that includes xanthan gum or a similar binding agent. Due to the altered absorbency of gluten-free flour, the dough may require a slightly longer chilling period to firm properly. Ensure all other ingredients (particularly baking soda and cream of tartar) are gluten-free certified to avoid cross-contamination.
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