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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.
AMAZING cookies! Soft and absolutely delicious. Cooked them on a baking stone, 10-11 minutes. These are one of the best cookies I’ve ever made. Thanks for a great recipe.
Cookies are good. Did not get the 24 cookies I was suppose to. I did the 2 tablespoons on 4 as recipe called for then I cut it back to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Yield 11
These were fantastic! Multiple people told me these were the best snickerdoodles they’ve ever had, and I agree! I made some for my family and about 20 to bring to work as a Christmas present and they were all gone well before the end of the day. The first snickerdoodle recipe I ever tried (before this one) I didn’t like nearly as much, but this one was just perfect (and helped me gain more confidence in my baking skills).
The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Should that be 1 teaspoon instead?
you can use either. I love using 1 tablespoon but now that vanilla is so expensive, I sometimes use just 1 tsp.
This is the best snickerdoodle recipe I have ever made and/or eaten! It is the easiest dough to work with and cooks beautifully. I did make both the larger size and some smaller size ones as well. And the taste is so light and airy. I used the chocolate chips because they were my daughter’s friend’s one birthday request, chocolate chip snickerdoodles. I’m glad I looked around for a new recipe! I won’t have to again though.
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