Learn how to make the best snickerdoodle cookies with this easy recipe. These retro cinnamon sugar cookies are made with baking soda and cream of tartar, giving them a slight tang that balances the sweet cinnamon sugar coating.
This retro snickerdoodle cookie recipe was adapted from my mom's recipe for "Best-ever cookies," but make no mistake, these are classic snickerdoodle cookies. If you love these, but want a chocolate version, try these chocolate snickerdoodle cookies made with cocoa powder.
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Ingredients
The beauty of these cinnamon sugar cookies is that you likely have everything you need in your pantry!
- butter—this recipe calls for unsalted butter. If using salted butter, add less salt to the cookie dough.
- sugar—you can use white granulated sugar or light brown sugar in the cookie dough. I prefer brown sugar to add a little flavour and also soften the texture a bit.
- eggs—I always bake with large eggs. If you use a different size, this may have an impact on the texture, spread, and appearance of these cookies
- flour—I bake with bleached all-purpose flour. Unbleached should also work too.
- leavening—we are using baking soda, not baking powder here. Read about the difference between baking soda and baking powder if you aren't sure.
- acid—cream of tartar gives these cookies a tangy taste but also reacts with the baking soda to cause the cookies to puff up as they bake
- cinnamon sugar—you can use store-bought or homemade cinnamon sugar
Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
A simple recipe like this has only a few substitutions and variations possible. Here are some changes to consider:
- Chocolate - check out this chocolate snickerdoodle recipe for a version with cocoa powder
- Cardamom - I love to replace the cinnamon sugar with homemade cardamom sugar, also adding cardamom to the cookie dough
- Ginger - my mom put ground ginger in the cookie dough, but it is optional. For more flavour, you could also add ginger to the sugar coating before baking!
- Salt—my mom didn't add salt to this recipe, but if you would like to, add up to ¼ teaspoon (1.25 mL) of Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount to avoid making the cookies too salty.
- Snickerdoodles without cream of tartar—if you prefer to use baking powder instead of the cream of tartar plus baking soda, omit the two ingredients and replace them with 1.5 teaspoons (7.5 mL) baking powder.
With any change to a recipe, you may have to do some testing to achieve the desired results.
How To Make Snickerdoodles
This recipe is so easy and doesn't require any chilling time, so you can make the sugar cookie dough and bake it right away!
Step 1—Start by combining the butter and sugar (image 1) and mixing until creamy and well mixed before adding the egg and vanilla (image 2). Then add the flour mixed with the leavening and cream of tartar (image 3) and stir until the mixture clumps together to form a cookie dough (image 4).
Step 2—I use a ¾ ounce scoop to portion out the dough, rolling it between the palms of my hands to smooth it before rolling it in cinnamon sugar (image 4). Place the cinnamon sugar cookies on a sheet pan, spacing them out. I can fit 8 per half sheet pan (image 5), then bake until the edges are set and the cookies have puffed. They will sink a little as they cool if you don't overbake them (image 6).
Hint: I prefer to bake these cookies just enough that the edges are set, but slightly underbaked so that the centres collapse as they cool. If you prefer a puffy more baked cookie, bake them an extra minute to preserve their puffy shape.
Storage
Store homemade snickerdoodle cookies in an airtight container for up to a week in a cool, dry place.
Top Tip
Don't overcrowd the baking sheet. I like to place eight scoops of cookie dough per half sheet pan so that the cookies bake evenly, without spreading too much and without baking into each other. This way, you will get perfectly-shaped cookies every time!
Snickerdoodle Cookie Baking FAQs
Snickerdoodles are a classic sugar cookie flavoured with cinnamon. Regular sugar cookies are usually rolled in granulated sugar, whereas snickerdoodle cookies are rolled in cinnamon sugar to create a flavourful cinnamon coating on the outside of the cookie.
You can make snickerdoodles without cream of tartar. Check out my chocolate snickerdoodle recipe to see how the cream of tartar changes the texture of the cookies. If you don't want to use baking soda and cream of tartar, omit the two and replace them with 1.5 teaspoons (7/5 mL) of baking powder.
You can buy cinnamon sugar already made at grocery stores, but you can also make cinnamon sugar at home by combining ground cinnamon with granulated sugar.
More Drop Cookie Recipes
Drop cookies are quick to make. It's always a good idea to have a container of them in the cupboard. Here are a few more drop cookie recipes to try:
If you tried this recipe for snickerdoodle cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
- 5 mL cream of tartar
- 5 mL ground ginger
- 2.5 mL baking soda
- 170 grams unsalted butter softened
- 200 grams light brown sugar
- 1 large egg(s)
- 5 mL pure vanilla extract
- 50 grams cinnamon sugar have extra on hand in case you need more than this!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line three half sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside for later.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, ginger, and baking soda.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar, mixing until light, fluffy, and evenly mixed.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix them in really well.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir them in on low until you form a cookie dough.
- Portion out the dough into 30 gram scoops, rolling them between the palms of your hands to smooth them out.
- Roll each scoop of dough in cinnamon sugar to completely coat it, then place them on a prepared sheet pan (8 per pan maximum).
- Bake each sheet pan for about 10–12 minutes until puffed and the edges are set. Let cool before serving.
Notes
- For a chocolate version - check out this chocolate snickerdoodle recipe for a version with cocoa powder
- Want to use cardamom? I love to replace the cinnamon sugar with homemade cardamom sugar, also adding cardamom to the cookie dough
- More ginger flavour - my mom put ground ginger in the cookie dough, but it is optional. For more flavour, you could also add ginger to the sugar coating before baking!
- Salt—my mom didn't add salt to this recipe, but if you would like to, add up to ¼ teaspoon (1.25 mL) of Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount to avoid making the cookies too salty.
- Snickerdoodles without cream of tartar—if you prefer to use baking powder instead of the cream of tartar plus baking soda, omit the two ingredients and replace them with 1.5 teaspoons (7.5 mL).
- Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.
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