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 (16 Tbsp; 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

Why are my snickerdoodles so soft? ›

Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie.

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

They puff in the oven and then settle back down while cooling into a soft, thick, supremely chewy cookie with a gorgeous crinkly top. They've received nothing but rave reviews! Snickerdoodle is sort of a strange name, yes?

Why are my snickerdoodles crunchy? ›

Granulated Sugar and Ground Cinnamon: These two are mixed together to create the classic cinnamon-sugar coating that snickerdoodles are known for. The sugar caramelizes slightly as the cookies bake, giving them a slightly crisp exterior.

What is the secret to soft cookies? ›

The lower the protein, the softer your cookies will be. All-purpose flour is a medium-protein flour, making for mediumly-soft cookies. Cake flour is low in protein and you can substitute it into cookie recipes for all-purpose flour 1:1. The results will be very tender cookies.

How do you thicken Snickerdoodle cookie dough? ›

Soft – Dough that's “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix.

Does cream of tartar make things thicker? ›

No. Cornstarch is a starch used for thickening, while cream of tartar is an acid used for leavening, stabilizing, and preventing crystallization. They play totally different roles in baking and are not considered substitutes for one another.

Why are my snickerdoodles too puffy? ›

Why are my snickerdoodles puffy? Too much flour - spoon and level the flour correctly how I show it in my chocolate chip cookie post. Inaccurate oven temperature (too hot) - I advise using an oven thermometer for accurate baking results.

What happens if you forget baking soda in snickerdoodles? ›

If you fail to add a teaspoon of baking soda or however much your recipe needs, the cookies won't have those bubbles inside them to rise up. If you forget to add the acid, too, the baking soda won't be able to react or produce carbon dioxide.

How do you make cookies softer instead of crunchy? ›

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!

Why did my snickerdoodles come out dry? ›

However they won't be particularly chewy and they should not spread out on the baking sheet that much. There are several reasons why the cookies may have become dry and crumbly but the two most likely are that either the cookies were baked for too long or too much flour was added to the dough.

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.

Why are my peanut butter cookies too soft? ›

If the dough seems too soft, chill it for 10 to 15 minutes before baking. Use shortening instead of butter or a combination of the two if you don't want to sacrifice that buttery flavor. The dough was too wet. Using the wrong size egg could also add extra liquid, resulting in too much spreading.

Why did my cookies come out too soft? ›

Oven temperatures are a crucial factor in baking. If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.

Why are my cookies soft instead of crunchy? ›

Soft cookies have a water concentration of 6% or higher – moisture being the variable in texture. To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough.

How do you know if snickerdoodles are undercooked? ›

Texture: Touch the surface of the cookies gently. They are likely not fully cooked if they feel excessively soft or doughy. Properly baked cookies should have a slightly firm texture on the outside. Spread: Raw or undercooked cookies may spread excessively during baking and have a flatter shape than desired.

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