The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe + 3 Delicious Variations!
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If you’re like me, you want a snickerdoodle that is thick, chewy, and cinnamony. Well, this recipe is for you! These are the best snickerdoodles you’ll ever make, and they’re so easy!
What are Snickerdoodles?
Snickerdoodles are basically sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. They’re snappy and crisp making use of cream of tartar for leavening.
There’s nothing wrong with that! A classic, crackly snickerdoodle has its place on the cookie plate served up with ice-cold milk. Who doesn’t love the way a crisp cinnamon cookie soaks up the cream and melts on your tongue?
My recipe is a little different, though. I want a light, soft, chewy cookie with a crisp sugar crust and fudgy-textured inside.
Making the Best Snickerdoodle Recipe
I start with the base dough of a chocolate chip cookie. That’s where the rules of basic snickerdoodles went by the wayside. We going to make these light and chewy!
Brown sugar sets up the flavor to be darker, deeper, and a tinge bitter. It strikes a balance for a cookie that tends to be too sweet. With softened butter, egg, and vanilla, it starts out just the same as a great chocolate chip cookie.
Then, instead of adding the chips, you roll the dough into little balls and encrust them with plenty of cinnamon sugar.
Should You Chill Snickerdoodle Dough?
As with most cookie dough, we want to chill the dough to firm the butter up and reduce excess spreading in the oven. The chill time also allows the flour to hydrate so your cookie has the perfect texture. Without chilling, the interior may not achieve that chewiness you desire.
While you can refrigerate the dough in bulk, I find that it is a lot easier to scoop the dough and form the balls before chilling. When chilled in bulk, the dough takes a bit more time to come to temperature.
It will work out fine either way you do it. I used to be all about chilling in bulk because I’d put my kid down for a nap and then we’d roll the balls together after she woke up. Now, I find balling first and then chilling to be a lot easier on my wrists and my cookie scoops.
Snickerdoodle Variations
If you do a search on this blog of different Snickerdoodle recipes, you’ll find a couple different versions. I LOVE making them because my kids enjoy rolling cookie dough and playing with toppings. Here’s a list of what’s on the blog at the time of this update (today, by the way, is December 16, 2024… I’m updating the photos for the first time since 2020 and figured a post update would be nice).
Dark Chocolate Orange Snickerdoodles
This recipe was inspired by a beer my brother-in-law tried once, and it took me a few years to get the recipe for him. Now, it’s a family favorite!
Red Hot Snickerdoodles
If you love those little spicy red hearts you get around Valentine’s Day or if you reach for Red Hots when you go to the movies, you’ll love this variation. You’ll add a little kick to the dough and the sugar mixture, but just for added fun, you’ll just red sanding sugar to really show off.
Vegan Snickerdoodles
It’s no fun to go to a cookie exchange and not have a treat that fits into your lifestyle, so I developed a yummy, cakey vegan snickerdoodle recipe for my vegan buddies. These little pillows of goodness use flax seed and coconut oil in place of eggs and butter. Don’t forget to use pure cane sugar as regular granulated sugar is bleached in bone meal.
The Best Snickerdoodles Recipe
I really do love Snickerdoodles! They make my kids happy. They make the house smell divine. But most importantly, they are so easy to make so I enjoy them faster!
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Sheet pan and cooling rack
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon to coat
- ¼ cup granulated sugar to coat
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar. Once it's creamy and smooth, mix in the egg, milk, and vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Incorporate into the dough.
- Refrigerate the dough for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Scoop 2 Tbsp-sized balls, and roll them between your hands to form smooth spheres.
- In a bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar for your coating. Toss the balls to full coat.
- Place on a lined baking sheet 2-inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 5 on the baking sheet, and then remove to a cooling rack.
