Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
These snickerdoodles are soft and chewy inside, with a crisp, cinnamon sugar top that cracks a little. They are so good they belong on every holiday baking list...
- Prep
- 15 mins
- Cook
- 10 mins
- Total
- 25 mins
- Makes
- 24 cookies
These Classic Snickerdoodle Cookies are soft and chewy inside, with a crisp, cinnamon sugar top that cracks a little. They are so good they belong on every holiday baking list!
Why You'll Love These Snickerdoodles
- The recipe makes roughly two dozen cookies.
- They are soft and chewy in the center, thanks to the cream of tartar!
- No dough chilling is needed! That is a relief when so many holiday cookies call for that step.
- Crispy, cinnamon sugar-coated outsides with a crackly finish. So good!
- They make a wonderful addition to any holiday cookie box!
This snickerdoodle recipe has been on my list to share for quite some time now. It is a truly delicious classic cookie, and you can now find it in my recipe box!
What Does a Snickerdoodle Taste Like?
Snickerdoodles taste a lot like sugar cookies, but instead of being rolled in plain granulated sugar, they are rolled in a cinnamon sugar mixture. The tops end up with a nice crispy, crackly finish.
They have just the right taste and texture for a cookie!
What Goes Into Them?
To make these classic snickerdoodle cookies, you will need all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, vegetable shortening, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and an egg.
For the cinnamon sugar mixture, you will need granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. That is all! I like using Vietnamese ground cinnamon, which is a little stronger but sweeter than regular ground cinnamon. Use whatever you have on hand, though!
How to Make Snickerdoodles
Here is a quick overview of how to make these snickerdoodle cookies. For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
Make the cinnamon sugar. You only need a small bowl and a whisk or fork to mix it. I usually make a batch to keep on hand for other recipes, like my chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake.
Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
If you are measuring your ingredients, note the extra 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
Mix the wet ingredients. A hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment works. You will need vegetable shortening, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and 1 large egg.
You can use all unsalted butter or all vegetable shortening (butter-flavored or regular) instead of a mix of both.
Scoop and shape. I used a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop for this step, then rolled each dough ball briefly in my hands to make it smooth.
I suggest scooping and shaping the dough into 1 inch balls first, then coating them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Bake, then cool. The recommended baking time for these classic snickerdoodle cookies is 8-10 minutes at 350ºF. For a softer, chewier cookie, take them out at the earlier time. They may look slightly underbaked in the center, but they will keep baking as they cool. For reference, I took mine out at the 8-minute mark.
They will be puffy when they come out of the oven, then flatten as they cool.
The snickerdoodles should be soft and chewy in the center, with a crispy, crackly cinnamon sugar outside.
For perfectly round snickerdoodles, check out my salted brownie cookies recipe!
The Best Baking Tools
Here are the recommended baking tools for this snickerdoodle recipe.
More Holiday Cookies to Enjoy!
Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
These snickerdoodles are soft and chewy inside, with a crisp, cinnamon sugar top that cracks a little. They are so good they belong on every holiday baking list!
- Prep
- 15 mins
- Cook
- 10 mins
- Total
- 25 mins
- Makes
- 24 cookies
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Snickerdoodle Cookies
- 1 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
Method
- In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. Set it aside.
- Set your oven rack to the 2nd or 3rd position from the bottom (just above the middle), preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the vegetable shortening, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and egg together on medium-high speed.
- Add the whisked dry mixture and mix until just combined.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon, shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then place them on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350ºF. The cookies will puff up in the oven and flatten as they cool. For a softer, chewier cookie, take them out on the early side. They should be golden brown around the edges but still look slightly underbaked in the center.
- Move the cookies to a cooling rack or cookie sheet to cool completely. Keep a slice of bread in the airtight container with the cookies to keep them soft.
Baker’s notes
- You can use 1/2 cup unsalted butter or 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (butter-flavored or regular) in place of the 1/4 cup of each shown above in the recipe. For a softer, chewier cookie, take them out at the earlier baking time. They may look slightly underbaked in the center, but they will keep baking as they cool. For reference, I took mine out at the 8-minute mark. Recipe adapted from A Recipe Sampler by St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church.
