A lot of people think snickerdoodle cookies are boring, and I would have to disagree. These thick and soft snickerdoodle cookies are out of this world. They are incredibly soft, have the best cinnamon flavor, and come together in less than 30 minutes.
Why you will love these soft snickerdoodle cookies
- The texture. These cookies are SO soft. They have more of a cake-like texture, rather than a chewy texture. This is because we cream room temperature butter with the sugar, as opposed to using melted butter. The sugar cuts into the butter during the creaming process creating small pockets of air. This is what creates that cake-like texture and helps the structure of the cookie.
- No chill time. That's right, you heard me. These cookies require absolutely NO chill time. There is enough structure in the dough that you do not need to chill it. So you can have these babies in your tummy in a matter of 30 minutes. That's like, one episode of Seinfeld.
- Minimal ingredients. These cookies have a lot of things you probably already have in your kitchen pantry - butter, eggs, flour, sugar, etc., so it comes together super easy! There are no special ingredients you need to go on a hunt for in the grocery store.
Key ingredients
- All purpose flour: all purpose flour is the flour of choice for these cookies - it leads to the perfect soft and tender crumb.
- Leaveners: baking soda and cream of tartar are used to help the cookie puff up and rise.
- Fats: the key fats in this recipe are the butter and eggs. All of these ingredients add moisture which results in an incredibly soft cookie.
- Sugar: granulated sugar is used in these cookies - it adds sweetness, flavor and moisture. We also need granulated sugar for the cinnamon sugar that we roll the cookies in.
- Cinnamon: the star ingredient! Cinnamon is used in the cookie dough as well as in the sugar coating. It is absolutely necessary for a snickerdoodle cookie.
How to make soft snickerdoodle cookies
- Make the cookie dough. Beat together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat. Add the dry ingredients and beat until a dough forms.
- Scoop the dough. Scoop the dough into balls using a ¼ cup measuring cup (about 70 grams). These cookies will be thick and puffy.
- Roll in cinnamon sugar. Roll the scooped dough in the cinnamon sugar. Be generous! You want them to be fully coated.
- Bake. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes. 12 minutes will yield a softer, slightly underbaked cookie. 14 minutes will lead to a more thoroughly cooked, slightly crisp cookie.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container.
Commonly asked questions
Why did my cookies not spread?
The most common reason cookies do not spread like they should is due to over measuring the flour. A lot of people make the common mistake of dunking the measuring cup into the flour and scooping. Doing this packs down the flour in the measuring cup, which will lead to way more flour than you need. To properly measure flour, spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Or, and this is my preferred method, measure your flour using a kitchen scale! That will yield the most accurate results.
What is the purpose of the cream of tartar?
The cream of tartar helps activate the baking soda, creating those classic cracks we see in the tops of snickerdoodles. It also adds to the tanginess and chew of the cookie.
Why are my cookies tough and hard?
Tough and hard cookies can be the result of two things. The first thing is over-mixing the dough. Try your absolute best to not over-mix - stop mixing when the flour is JUST incorporated. No need to mix beyond that.
The second thing is over baking. Pull the cookies out of the oven when they still look slightly underbaked. The reason to do this is because the cookies will continue to bake while they are cooling. In fact, they technically are still baking until the cookies are COMPLETELY cool.
Can I make these smaller?
Can you? Yes. Should you? No. These cookies are meant to be super thick and soft. Measuring them using a ¼ cup measuring cup will yield just that.
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Thick and Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 ½ cups (313 grams) all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar
- ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until soft and fluffy.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until combined, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Do not over-mix.
- For the cinnamon sugar: combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
- These cookies will be large - use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop the dough (about 70 grams per cookie). Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar so they are evenly coated. Be generous with the coating!
- Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes. Baking for 12 minutes will yield a slightly underbaked, super soft, cookie. Baking for 14 minutes will yield a cookie that is more cooked through and crisper.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-6 days.
Notes
- If you only have salted butter, that works too! Just leave out the ¾ teaspoon of salt in the dry ingredients.
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
Dani Dick
This recipe is SO delicious! I’m planning to make another batch soon but was wondering if it would be possible to freeze the dough balls so I can pull a few out to bake fresh whenever I want a few? Would I freeze the balls before rolling in the cinnamon sugar and do that step whenever I’m baking them? Or do you think they would be fine to roll in the sugar and then freeze?
Jess Italiano
Thanks so much, Dani!! Yes, you can absolutely freeze them. I would say roll them into balls, then freeze, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar when you are ready to bake 🙂
Kelsey White
These were soo good! They were a big hit at my party!
Jess Italiano
Thanks so much Kelsey!