Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

Pillowy soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies bursting with spicy cinnamon and creamy vanilla flavor and dusted with a sweet cinnamon sugar coating.

Are you obsessed with cinnamon like I am?

Do you get a whiff of that splendid cinnamon scent and instantly start drooling a little bit?

If so, snickerdoodles are totally for you. But I’m guessing you know that already, don’t you?

Cinnamon is a frequent favorite here at Fresh April Flours, and for good reason. Cinnamon adds an amazing flavor to just about any baked treat, but it really shines on its own in recipes like cinnamon chip scones, cinnamon babka and, of course, these soft and chewy snickerdoodles.

I have a recipe for classic snickerdoodles that includes cream of tartar, but this alternative makes for a chewy and soft texture, without having to run out to buy an ingredient at the last moment.

Cream of tartar is added to snickerdoodles to activate the baking soda and create a signature tangy flavor. Without this ingredient, we have a slightly less tangy cookie, but still all the chewy goodness and cinnamon sugar heaven of the original.

These snickerdoodle cookies are actually modeled after my vanilla bean sugar cookies, which went VIRAL on Instagram when I posted them just a few short months ago.

Although cream of tartar is imperative to classic snickerdoodle cookies, you can still technically make an amazing snickerdoodle cookie without it.

While these chewy, sweet, and cinnamon-sugary cookies are made with a sugar cookie base, it’s the rolling in cinnamon sugar that really starts to transform them into what we know and love as snickerdoodle cookies.

An absolute requirement for soft snickerdoodles is a lightly crisp exterior, a chewy interior, and a cinnamon sugar coating. And these definitely check all of the boxes!

So while the classic snickerdoodle will always be made with cream of tartar, we can make this alternative version that will still fulfill all of our cinnamon sugar cravings.

And if you have a cinnamon craving that just won’t quit, you just have to try my cinnamon pinwheel cookies, snickerdoodle cookie cake, or cinnamon streusel coffee cake recipes. If the craving is really strong, maybe all three!

I won’t judge, I promise.

While some of my cookies (like my monster cookies) call for melted butter, these soft and chewy cookies opt instead for softened unsalted butter. This is to keep them light and airy, rather than dense and crispy.

So once you’ve allowed your butter to soften to room temperature, you are ready to get started with gathering the rest of the ingredients together.

Oh, and if you think of it, place an egg in a bowl and let it warm to room temperature at the same time as your butter. This isn’t an absolute requirement, but it incorporates into the batter much more easily.

A good general rule is that if your recipe calls for room temperature (aka softened) butter, you should use room temperature eggs, too.

One of the functions of cream of tartar in snickerdoodle cookies is to act as an interfering agent, which prevents sugar from binding together and creating crystals.

Since we are making these easy snickerdoodles without cream of tartar, we need a way to keep the sugar crystals small, and a great way to do that is by using powdered sugar!

Powdered sugar is used in many cookie recipes where a soft and tender result is required.

Since the cornstarch in powdered sugar absorbs moisture, cookies that contain powdered sugar also tend to hold their shape very well with little spreading.

Powdered sugar is used in many rolled cookie recipes, like my easy cut-out sugar cookies, chocolate cut-out sugar cookies, and funfetti cut-out sugar cookies.

Who knew there would be so much science involved in baking cookies, eh?

I include a full 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in this easy snickerdoodle cookie recipe without cream of tartar (and even more for the cinnamon sugar mixture), making for an ultra fragrant cookie. If you love cinnamon, you’re going to love these cookies.

And (!!) if you are sensitive to the cream of tartar taste (I have met people who are!!), you’ll love that this easy recipe lets you leave it in the pantry. Hooray!

You’ll start with whisking all of the dry ingredients together (including that glorious cinnamon).

Then you’ll cream together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy and airy. Add in the remaining wet ingredients and beat until everything is combined and ultra smooth.

Finally, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing until just combined to avoid overworking the dough.

Very gently (I can’t stress this enough), roll your snickerdoodle cookie balls in the cinnamon sugar blend. This dough is soft, but it isn’t very sticky. So a gentle touch while rolling is imperative.

Once your cookies are completely coated in cinnamon sugar, transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Be sure not to place more than 8 cookies at a time on your baking sheets.

Spacing your cookies makes sure you don’t end up with any strange or mutant cookies. While they absolutely still taste amazing (obviously), they just wouldn’t be as pretty, and so we want to make sure we give each cookie the space they need to spread out.

Bake each sheet of 8 cookies for 8-9 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are set.

Let your cookies rest on the sheet for 2-3 minutes to give them some strength, then transfer your cookies to a wire cooling rack.

Allow your cookies to cool completely on the wire rack before storing. If you sneak a few warm ones, I absolutely would not blame you. It’s the bakers tax, after all!

If you love the classic tang that is signature to snickerdoodle cookies, this isn’t the cookie for you. Instead I recommend that you bake up a batch of my classic snickerdoodles, which are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

(And while you’re at it, shove some caramel inside those same cookies and you’ve got yourself my salted caramel stuffed snickerdoodles!)

If you just love cookies, plain and simple, be sure to check out my oatmeal chocolate chip walnut cookies, white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookies, or classic chocolate chip cookies.

And do yourself a serious favor and try out my sweet and salty compost cookies, you won’t regret it for a single second.

Ohhh, and don’t forget to check out my original base recipe for vanilla bean sugar cookies. They are filled with flecks of vanilla bean, super soft, and dusted with a sweet sugar coating.

Ok, ok, I’m done shoving allthecookies at you, but seriously, you need this easy snickerdoodle recipe in your life. My (manyyyy) taste-testers would agree.

And they might even say (some did!) it’s the best snickerdoodle recipe they’ve tasted. Give it a shot!