The BEST Snickerdoodle Recipe
This is the BEST snickerdoodle recipe you’ll ever find! Slightly thick, super chewy, and loaded with cinnamon-sugar… a holiday classic!
Snickerdoodles are one of THE quintessential holiday cookies. Every Christmas cookie plate deserves to have a spot reserved for these slightly tangy, cinnamon-sugar laden classic cookies. Most recipes out there are pretty standard, and I made a version years ago that was pretty good, but I felt like there was room for improvement to take them to next-level great.
Say hello to my new, all-time favorite snickerdoodle recipe. The very best of the best.
With only a few tiny tweaks to the ingredients, the cookies went from pretty good to oh-my-gosh-I-might-eat-them-all. Success!
I am an unabashed lover of chewy cookies; do not come to me with crisp, crunchy cookies unless they are biscotti or pizzelle. I will skip dessert before I eat a crunchy cookie, so it goes without saying that these are super chewy snickerdoodles.
I began researching new snickerdoodle recipes a month or so ago and many of the recipes I found had very similar ingredient ratios, but when I checked out Cook’s Illustrated, I saw one major difference that I hadn’t seen in other recipes… instead of using only butter, half of the butter was replaced with shortening. AHA! This keeps the cookies from spreading, and ensures that they have a nice thickness to them, while still keeping that buttery flavor. Adding in the shortening and reducing the flour slightly was a winning combination and I have officially ended my search for a good snickerdoodle recipe.
Now, something crazy totally happened. I recently started using Silpat liners on a regular basis instead of parchment paper. When I made these cookies, half of them were baked on sheets with parchment and the other half were baked on Silpat. Without an ounce of doubt, the ones that were baked on Silpats turned out exponentially prettier than the ones baked on parchment. They were slightly thicker, had a perfect crackle around the edges, and looked like snickerdoodle perfection. It didn’t appear to alter the taste at all – they all tasted exactly the same, but boy were those Silpat ones gorgeous! (All of the ones pictured here are the Silpat ones.)
If you’re looking for an easy snickerdoodle recipe that’s soft, chewy, and loaded with a cinnamon-sugar coating, then look no further. I served these up at a recent Sunday dinners and everyone agreed that they were the best they’d ever tasted.
If You Like This Snickerdoodle Recipe, Try These:
- Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
- Snickerdoodle Fudge
- Snickerdoodle Blondies
- Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddies
- Snickerdoodle Biscotti
ENJOY!
One year ago: How to Make Sugared Cranberries
Two years ago: Homemade Marshmallows
Six years ago: Eggnog Fudge
Seven years ago: Homemade Peanut Brittle
Watch How to Make The Best Snickerdoodles
The BEST Snickerdoodle Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 2½ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (102.5 g) vegetable shortening
- 1½ cups (300 g) sugar
- 2 eggs
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give dough final stir by hand to ensure that no flour pockets remain.
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the coating in a small bowl or shallow dish. Working with 2 tablespoons dough at a time (or using a medium cookie scoop), roll into balls, then roll in cinnamon-sugar to coat. Arrange the cookies 8 per sheet and bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until the edges are just set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft, puffy and cracked (the cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone), 8 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can bet stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Raw cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month; bake frozen cookies in 300-degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
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These are some products I used to create today’s recipe:
KitchenAid Stand Mixer / Half Sheet Pan / Silpat / Measuring Spoons / Medium Cookie Scoop
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I’m a cookie snob and snickerdoodles are one of my favs. These were perfect!
Hi there. It’s been a bit since I last dropped you a line. About a month ago, my granddaughter, asked me if I knew how to make snickerdoodles. Of course I answered “Yes”. Because I knew someone who would know how to make them. You. Thank you very much Well I;ve made them three times now. My grandson, took some to school and shared with his little friends. They said they were the best cookies they had ever had. I now have a rep as the best cookie makin” grandma. So now it is my son’s birthday. My granddaugter says that her daddy never liked any thing as much as he liked the snickerdoodles So, do I know how to make snickerdoodle cupcakes. I say Yes! Hoping my secret guru baker has already tackled this baking challenge. Well not to my surprise, but yes she has! So anyway, I’ll be baking them in a little while. I’ll let you know how it all turns out. Take care.
Best!!
Really good cookies. Thank you for the recipe!
I used ‘butter flavor’ shortening, (I’m sure regular would have been good too?) which gave them a very buttery flavor. You get a good texture with the mix of butter and shortening, so they are soft but still have that signature snickerdoodle texture. I feel all butter would be crispy, all shortening would be too fluffy to get that snickerdoodle feel.
I do not have the luxury of space to bake much, so.. I have one baking sheet. I also do not have a silpat or parchment. What can I say, I only bake occasionally and like to keep things simple.
I got good results by refrigerating my dough (3 hours should be good) between batches, I wait for my sheet to cool off enough to be able to touch it with my bare hands. The cookies didn’t spread and looked very pretty.
This is the recipe I’ve used since 1988 and still use today. I think it is the best and have given it to numerous people over the years. I found it on a flour bag. The combination of the butter and butter flavored crisco is the key to these wonderful cookies. I now make a snickerdoodle “pizza” I call it but it is just a giant cookie that I can decorate as a birthday gift for my grandkids. I am looking at adding apple pieces to this recipe as an added bonus. My granddaughter had me add chocolate chips and those were very good also. So many things you can do with these cookies. Enjoy!
I searched forever on the web for a perfect snickerdoodle cookie recipe and finally decided to go with this one.
They are PERFECT!! I followed your directions to a T. I used a Silpat (which is key!) and a 2 tablespoon scoop.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Very, very, very good!
Whenever I make cookies that require a roll in sugar or a sugar – cinnamon mix, I always use coarse sugar. It really makes those lovely cookies look even better. They have a shine, a little extra crunch and beautiful flavor. Try coarse sugar on your next batch of gingersnaps. You’ll be totally amazed. :)
I have used the same Snickerdoodle for more years than I can remember but something about your photos kept calling my name. Everyone in Central Illinois has been snowed in today so I thought I better just knock these off my Bucket List, lol. OH….MY…..GOODNESS!! Where have these Snickerdoodles been all my life!?!?! They are WONDERFUL!! Total HEAVEN in my mouth.!! Yes~ they REALLY are THAT good people!! Anyone thinking about trying them, stop waiting!! They have the PERFECT crumb with a soft chewy center and an ever so slightly crispy edge. The ratio of cinnamon to sugar is spot on and they are extremely quick and simple to make and yet taste like you spent time on them. I took some to my neighbors and they LOVED them.
Thanks again for another fab recipe!! You’ve never let us down!!
P.S. I’m a harsh critic because I’m a pastry chef/bakery owner :)