Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (2024)

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Author: Sally

Published: 12/05/2015Updated: 05/03/2022

Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles.These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish!

Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (1)

Snickerdoodles are a timeless classic, just like a good batch of chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter cookies. Like drop sugar cookies wrapped in a cinnamon sugar hug, these irresistible cookies never go out of style. My recipe yields the softest and thickest snickerdoodles you’ll ever taste.I like to call them snickerdoodle pillows because they are perfectly fat and puffy! Much too often you’re left with flat, crispy, and thin cookies. The only remedy is to submerge them in a tall glass of milk.But what about starting out with a kitchen tested recipe for soft-baked snickerdoodles? You’ve come to the right place. 🙂

How to Make Soft Snickerdoodles

How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft?The secret’s in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don’t use shortening here; you’ll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie. Take them out of the oven after about 10-11 minutes. This will keep the interior of the cookie soft and chewy.

Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (2)
Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (3)

Why is Cream of Tartar in Snickerdoodles?

Instead of baking powder, use cream of tartar and baking soda in snickerdoodles. Sure, you could use 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of the cream of tartar + baking soda, but then you won’t really have a snickerdoodle. Cream of tartar adds a unique tangy flavor to the cookie, which sets it apart from sugar cookies and makes it a classic snickerdoodle. You also use it for the best flavor in maple pecan snickerdoodles. It’s absolutely delicious!

No Cookie Dough Chilling!

Great news! You can skip the cookie dough chilling step with this snickerdoodle recipe. There’s enough flour in this cookie dough to create a strong and sturdy cookie without the crutch of chilling the dough first. There’s also no fancy-pants ingredients required. These snickerdoodles are EASY. Shortbread cookies are another easy no chill recipe to keep in your back pocket.

Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (4)
Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (5)

A medium cookie scoop is helpful to divide up the dough. Roll each dough ball in cinnamon sugar, and arrange on a lined baking sheet:

Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (6)

These snickerdoodle cookies aced the true “soft test” meaning they remained soft on day 2! In fact, they were still soft on day 4. (And I’m surprised there are any leftover by that point, but I was trying to make a point!) Since they remain so soft, snickerdoodles are the perfect cookie for gift-giving. I know there are many snickerdoodle lovers out there!

Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (7)

If you’re looking for other snickerdoodle favorites, here are my pumpkin snickerdoodles and peanut butter snickerdoodles. And are you craving cake? Here’s my snickerdoodle cake & swirled snickerdoodle cupcakes recipes.

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Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (8)

Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles

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  • Author: Sally
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 26-28 cookies
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles. These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish! No dough chilling required.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour ()
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 and 1/3 cup (267g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Topping

  • 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon groundcinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies). Set aside.
  2. Make the topping: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
  3. Make the cookies:Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
  4. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough will be thick.
  5. Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of cookie dough each. I recommend this cookie scoop.Roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired.Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
  6. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Cookies remain soft & fresh for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are a few options here! First, you can prepare the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure that you let it come to room temperature before rolling and baking the cookies.You can alsofreeze the cookie dough balls. Roll the dough into balls then freeze the balls for up to 2-3 months. You can freeze the cookie dough balls with the cinnamon sugar coating or without, but I recommend freezing without the topping. When you are ready to bake, remove the balls from the freezer, let sit for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll into topping. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
  2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
  3. Cream of Tartar:Cream of tartar is required for this recipe. Please see the text of the post for more information.
  4. Extra Egg Yolk: To bring this dough together so it isn’t quite as crumbly use 1 large egg, plus 1 extra large egg yolk. I’ve been doing this recently and the snickerdoodles taste even softer, moister, and richer.
  5. Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Soft & Thick Snickerdoodles - Sally's Baking Addiction (2024)

FAQs

Are snickerdoodles supposed to be soft when they come out of the oven? ›

snickerdoodles: It is an acid, so its presence gives the cookies that ever-so-slight tangy flavor. Also because it's an acid, it helps to create a more tender texture, keeping the cookies both soft and chewy, which is a texture combination you don't find in traditional sugar cookies.

Why are my snickerdoodles so soft? ›

How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft? The secret's in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don't use shortening here; you'll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie.

What is the difference between a snickerdoodle and a cookie? ›

Snickerdoodles are often referred to as "sugar cookies". However, traditional sugar cookies are often rolled in white sugar whereas snickerdoodles are rolled in a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon. Cream of tartar is added for its signature texture as another main difference.

How to keep snickerdoodles from getting hard? ›

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they bake – when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and puffy, they are done. Also, make sure you're not adding too much flour.

What is the secret to soft cookies? ›

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.

How do you make cookies soft and not hard? ›

Baking at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature will help cookies stay soft: they'll bake faster which means they aren't in the hot, drying air of the oven too long.

How do you soften snickerdoodles? ›

Bread releases moisture into the air, while sugar (present in large quantities in cookies), absorbs moisture out of the air. Don't have any white bread? Use a slice of apple instead. Just slip a wedge in with your cookies, cover, and let sit overnight.

How do bakeries keep their cookies soft? ›

Corn Syrup (Light)

Light corn syrup is sometimes used in specialist cakes and confectioneries to help keep baked products soft and doughy for longer.

How do you thicken snickerdoodle dough? ›

Soft – Dough that's “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix. This will help keep your batch from “Spreading” and coming out of the oven looking like flat, not-so-cookie-like puddles.

How do you fix sticky snickerdoodle dough? ›

When cookie dough is too sticky, you may have an imbalance of wet and dry ingredients. You can fix this by adding a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch at a time until your dough is just how you want. The added flour or cornstarch will absorb the excess liquid and reduce the dough's overall stickiness.

Why are my snickerdoodles raw? ›

If your oven runs too hot or cold, it can affect the baking time and result in undercooked cookies. Make necessary adjustments to ensure the temperature is accurate.

What is the nickname for snickerdoodles? ›

“Snickerdoodles, also called snipdoodles or cinnamon sugar cookies, have been around since the late 1800s. They probably originated in New England and are either of German or Dutch descent.

What country are snickerdoodles from? ›

A few cookbooks explain that snickerdoodles are German in origin. They state that the cookie's name comes from the German word shneckennudel (which is a kind of cinnamon bun). Others trace its origin to New England's tradition of whimsical cookie names.

Why do my snickerdoodle cookies taste like flour? ›

Improper flour measurement is the #1 cause of your cookie dough being too dry or the cookies tasting like flour.

How do I know if my snickerdoodles are done? ›

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.

Should cookies be squishy when they come out of the oven? ›

Fully cooked cookies should have a slightly crisp edge with a soft and chewy centre. If the cookie tastes raw or doughy, it needs more time in the oven.

Why did my cookies come out too soft? ›

Q: Why are my cookies not crisp enough? They are underbaked. Lower your oven temperature and bake longer but at a lower temperature. Using too much flour or the wrong kind of flour.

How do you soften Snickerdoodle cookies? ›

Bread releases moisture into the air, while sugar (present in large quantities in cookies), absorbs moisture out of the air. Don't have any white bread? Use a slice of apple instead. Just slip a wedge in with your cookies, cover, and let sit overnight.

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