The Best Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe Ever (2024)

Posted on Published: February 14, 2017- Last updated: April 25, 2023

Jump to Recipe

Looking for the perfect soft snickerdoodle cookies recipe? These are the best snickerdoodle cookies you’ll ever try! Crisp cinnamon on the outside, soft, chewy and buttery goodness on the inside!

This soft snickerdoodle cookies recipe originally publishedSep 28, 2011. It has beenupdated it a perfected recipe, tips, and updated images. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.

***Scroll to bottom for FULL printable recipe***

My absolute favorite cookie is our Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies. But a soft snickerdoodle cookies recipe is a very VERY close second!

There is just something magical about a bite of crystallized cinnamon that is soft and chewy on the inside!

I still remember my very firstSnickerdoodle cookie. I had just gotten home from the hospital after giving birth to our first baby girl -Jade, in 2009.

A friend of ours had taken care of our boys when I went into labor, and to help keep them busy she had my boys make “mommy” some soft snickerdoodle cookies.

When I got home and saw that plate of cookies, it felt so amazing to know we had such sweet and thoughtful friends.

Table of Contents hide

1Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe

2The magic of Soft Snickerdoodle cookies

3Soft Snickerdoodle cookies Recipe

3.1Ingredients

3.2Instructions

3.3Notes

3.4What is your favorite memory with a soft snickerdoodle cookies recipe?

Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe

Since then Snickerdoodles were my favorite cookie, that is until I created our coconut oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. But each has their own time and place.

Sometimes I just need chocolate- and other times I need the comforting goodness of a cinnamon in a buttery cookie! That is when I reach for this soft snickerdoodle cookies recipe!

We make this soft snickerdoodle cookies recipe every Christmas to share with our friends and neighbors. I don’t know if the reason why Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies is because of that sweet experience or if they are just so darn tasty!

But they really are out of this world!

The magic of Soft Snickerdoodle cookies

It should be noted that this recipe is definitely NOT low fat/ low calorie, nor is it “healthy” for you. But it is definitely delicious and a lot of fun to make with the kids for those rare nights you allow yourself an unhealthy treat.

The kids love rolling the cookie dough balls, and they absolutely love eating them afterward.

Nom, Nom, Nom

This recipe is also very simple to create because you don’t have to worry about the order of ingredients. Simply put them all in a mixing bowl and mix until you have a stiff cookie dough!

Once you have the dough well mixed to where it will stick together in one lump, it is time to start forming the cookie balls. Using a smallcookie scoop portion out little drop sized “cookies”.

With CLEAN hands (wear gloves if you are obsessed about germs) roll the cookie dough portions into little balls.

Roll each ball in a bowl of Cinnamon Sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, allowing space between each cookie for expansion during cooking.I prefer to use

I prefer to use Silicone baking mats so that my cookies always bake evenly and they never stick to the pan. Plus it makes clean up much easier.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Do not over bake; or they will be extra crispy. If your oven is well heated, it usually only takes about 10-12 minutes. But some ovens run hot, so closer to 9 or 10 would be better for those.

You just don’t want to over bake them. They are a temperamentalcookie. They should be just slightly golden on the outside. The best is when they are slightly crunchy on the outside but soft (not gooey) on the inside.

You don’t have to let cool a few minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling down. Simply move over once you take them out of the oven.

You can use a cookie spatula to make it easy to transfer the cookies without them getting squished or misshaped.

Now you can dig in and enjoy the perfected goodness of cinnamon and butter baked to perfection in these little cookies!

For a fun alternative; try drizzling a little-melted chocolate over each cookie in zig zag designs.

The best way to do this is to melt your chocolate, use a fork and work the fork that is drizzling chocolate back and forth over each cookie. Or for a faster method; follow the cookie decorating tip on our Mom Tips article.

If you are a cinnamon fiend, you can also add 1 cup cinnamon chips to the recipe for even more cinnamon flavor.

If you want soft snickerdoodle cookies but also need a chocolate fix, try rolling a small bite sized candy bar into the center of the dough before rolling in the cinnamon sugar and baking. The best ones to use areRolos, bite-sized Snickers, caramel Twix, or even Mars bars! They turn out amazing!

Yield: 54

Soft Snickerdoodle cookies Recipe

Ingredients

1 Cup butter (room temperature)
2 Cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of Tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt.

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together, blend until all the dough sticks together into one large lump.
Drop round balls of dough into cinnamon sugar
Roll until cookie dough is completely covered
Place on ungreased cookie sheet
Bake 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees
Allow to cool and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe makes approximately 4.5 dozen small snickerdoodle cookies.

What is your favorite memory with a soft snickerdoodle cookies recipe?

The Best Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe Ever (2024)

FAQs

How do you make cookies softer? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

Tell Me More ›

How do you make cookies more moist? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

Why are my snickerdoodles hard? ›

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry.

Learn More ›

What is the secret to keeping cookies soft? ›

Keep Them Sealed

The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here's a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag.

Get More Info Here ›

What makes cookies soft and fluffy? ›

Baking soda

When added to dough, baking soda releases a carbon dioxide gas which helps leaven the dough, creating a soft, fluffy cookie. Baking soda is generally used in recipes that contain an acidic ingredient such as vinegar, sour cream or citrus.

Why are my snickerdoodles always flat? ›

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

See Details ›

Why did my snickerdoodle cookies not flatten? ›

If you reduce the amount of butter or oil in a recipe, your cookies won't spread as much. If you add too much flour, your cookies won't spread as much. If your cookies have more brown sugar than white sugar, they won't spread as much. It's a careful balance.

Show Me More ›

What happens if you add too much cream of tartar? ›

Keep in mind that more cream of tartar doesn't necessarily mean a better, more stable result. “Too much cream of tartar will impart a metallic, tin-like taste,” Molly warns.

Keep Reading ›

What ingredients keep cookies moist? ›

To keep it simple, cookie recipes that contain a lot of butter, brown sugar or egg yolks are going to yield soft and chewy cookies, because those ingredients add moisture and retain it for a longer amount of time.

Find Out More ›

What adds moisture to cookie dough? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

What causes a cookie to be moist? ›

Use the right combination of ingredients:Butter: Use softened butter rather than melted butter, as softened butter helps create a softer texture. Sugars: Use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture and contributes to the chewiness of the cookies.

Show Me More ›

How do you soften Snickerdoodle cookies? ›

Another way to soften cookies is by placing the cookies in an airtight container with a damp paper towel. The paper towel will release moisture and help to soften the cookies without making them too soft or mushy. Another way is to place the cookies in a plastic bag with a slice of apple or a damp tea towel.

How do you soften snickerdoodles? ›

The best way to soften up those hard cookies is something you probably already have in your kitchen… bread! That's right, a piece of fresh bread will make those tough treats soft and chewy.

Find Out More ›

How do you know when snickerdoodles are done baking? ›

How do you know when the cookies are baked? The snickerdoodle cookies will only take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep your eye on them! It's best to rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes so that the cook evenly. The cookies are done when the edges are just set and the centres are soft and cracked.

Show Me More ›

What can I do with cookies that are too hard? ›

Just wrap a cookie or two in a damp paper towel and then put them in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds. The moisture from the paper towel should soften the cookies right up. So if you wonder how to soften hard cookies quickly? Microwave is the way!

Get More Info Here ›

How do you make cookies chewy and not hard? ›

There are a few things you can try to get soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies:

Use a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar. ...
Use more egg yolks and less egg whites. ...
Add a bit of cornstarch to the dough. ...
Make sure you're using the right type of flour. ...
Don't over-bake the cookies.

Jul 18, 2021

View Details ›

Why are my cookies hard instead of soft? ›

Hard cookies: you are over mixing, baking too long, baking at too high a temperature, or some combination of these. Cakey cookies: not enough brown sugar, too much or too little egg, too much flour, maybe you used baking powder instead of baking soda?