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This Soft Snickerdoodle Recipe is a soft and chocolatey version of my classic snickerdoodle cookie recipe. It’s soft and pillowy and you can add chocolate chips if you want!
I love Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies almost more than the original recipe! I have made tons of snickerdoodle versions (like Mocha Snickerdoodles and Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies) but this is my favorite! They’re soft, light, and fluffy cookies with tons of flavor – and I turned them into chocolate chip cookies (but you can skip that part, if you want).
Ingredients Needed
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a must for any snickerdoodle recipe. This mixes with granulated sugar for the coating – but I’ve also made pumpkin spice snickerdoodles with my homemade pumpkin pie spice!
- Cream of Tartar: This is a MUST for any snickerdoodle recipe. That tang from the cream of tartar is a classic flavor. This recipe has just enough to make them nice and soft, but not so much it makes them thin. No substitutions for this! It’s what sets sugar cookies apart from snickerdoodles.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter that’s been softened to room temperature, but you can reduce the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon if you’re using salted butter.
How To Make Soft Snickerdoodles
- Cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or you may use a hand mixer). Once the mixture is creamed and fluffy, mix in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth, then mix in the baking soda (NOT baking powder), cream of tartar, and salt.
- Slowly mix in flour until the mixture is just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips if using.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough balls with a cookie scoop and roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture, then place them cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Bake until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown.
Expert Tips
- Add any chocolate chips that you like (semi-sweet, milk, white)
- You could also add chopped nuts or dried cranberries or raisins or really anything.
- If you don’t add any mix-ins the yield of cookie will be a bit less.
Storing Snickerdoodles
Store cookies in an airtight container for several days at room temp. You can also freeze these cookies – I place them in layers stacked between paper towels in a gallon size zipper bag and freeze for months.
FAQs
These stay soft because they have less cream of tartar and a different ratio of butter to sugar than a traditional snickerdoodle recipe.
Soft Snickerdoodle Recipe with chocolate chips
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (248g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips (optional)
Topping
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mats.
- Cream butter and ¾ cup sugar with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or you may use a hand mixer). Once the mixture is creamed and fluffy, mix in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth, then mix in the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Slowly mix in flour until the mixture is just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Place remaining ⅓ cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough and roll them in the cinnamon sugar, then place them 2” apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown. (These taste better if you err on the side of under rather than over done). Cool at least 5 minutes on cookie sheet before removing.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Recipe Notes
- You can omit the chocolate chips but you’ll only get about 21 cookies.
- You can double or triple this recipe by multiplying all ingredients by 2 or 3, respectively.
Sounds delicious! And I can’t wait to try trader joes choc chips- thanks for sharing!
The parking lot – yes to the argh! I park as far away as I can reasonably walk, just to avoid the mess. But I definitely have to try their chocolate chips, and this recipe!
These are genius!! I cannot wait to test the recipe,for moral support snd scientific reaearch purposes!! ha ha.
I am laughing so hard because you hit the nail on the head about Trader Joe’s. The killer parking lot! I have an old lady solution. I have my hubby drop me off and I run in. The family can hang on the car. My son said that Trader Joe’s sells a lot of party food. I agree!
Wow, great minds think alike. I was just looking in my pantry yesterday and saw a yellow cake mix that had a recipe for snickerdoodles on the side and my first thought was that I should try making them with chocolate chips in them. Now I’m sure that this recipe will be much better to try out! Thanks. 🙂
Well, with this post I do believe I NEED to make these cookies. Never knew about TJ’s chocolate chips. I guess I need to brave the parking lot and standing room only store to try some of these chips. Thanks for making my week busy.?
Seriously, do it. I normally only go there for dog treats, salsa, and protein bars. I’m still full up on all those but I’ll make a special trip from now on just for these chips!
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