You won’t be able to eat just one of these Snickerdoodle Cookies! Coated in a nutmeg and cinnamon sugar, these cookies are crisp on the outside, and pillowy soft on the inside.
Snickerdoodle cookies are such a classic and so easy to make! Not only that but they are a crowd favorite. They’re soft, buttery, crisp on the outside yet super chewy on the inside. They’re are a perfect little bite.
Why Make These Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Easy To Make
- Simple Ingredient List
- Classic Christmas Cookie
- Soft, Chewy & Delicious
- Can Be Made In Advance
The cookies are flavored nicely with nutmeg and cinnamon, they totally smell like the holidays! These cookies are great because of their simplicity. It’s also a fun recipe to do with your kids, because it’s simple enough that you can start teaching them about baking.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour – I used trusty all-purpose flour.
- Sugar – We are using both granulated and packed brown sugar!
- Spices – Cinnamon and nutmeg is all we need to give us that warm Christmas feeling.
- Baking Soda – Don’t skip the baking soda, it’s what makes them nice and chewy!
- Salt – Salt is imperative to baking to balance the flavors, don’t skip it!
- Butter – I always use unsalted to control the sodium. Just make sure it’s melted!
- Eggs – I use large eggs whenever I’m baking. Eggs are going to help act as a binder to our cookie dough.
- Vanilla – Without vanilla, our cookies may taste a little flat.
Cinnamon Sugar
- Sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg is all you need!
How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and use a spatula to mix the dough thoroughly.
- Make Cookies: In a shallow bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Scoop about two tablespoons worth of cookie dough into your hands and roll until a 1 – 1 1/2″ ball forms. Roll the dough ball through the cinnamon sugar until it is well coated. Place the ball onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake & Cool: Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake for 7-8 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Snickerdoodle cookies are a classic cookie made with butter or oil, sugar, flour and then rolled into cinnamon sugar. The key ingredient that differentiates snickerdoodles from sugar cookies is cream of tartar or baking soda. This is what gives these cookies the perfect chewiness!
Absolutely! You can make the dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap then refrigerate it for up to 5 days! Or alternatively, freeze it. Shape it into logs, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze. When ready to bake, simply thaw out the dough in the fridge overnight, then slice the logs and bake as instructed.
I kept this recipe traditional and classic. As is, they are the perfect cookie that give off that true holiday nostalgia. If you want to incorporate some extras into these cookies, try adding chocolate or your preference of nuts for a little added crunch.
Tips
- Do NOT over-bake. You may think they are not done baking after the 7 minutes, but as they rest on the baking sheet for the additional 5 minutes they will continue to bake and they will be perfect.
- Use an cookie scoop to get perfectly uniform cookies.
- Never grease your baking sheets! Line them with parchment paper or silpat, that way your cookies stay put and there’s no extra mess to clean up later!
- Snickerdoodles make great gifts! Wrap up a box or a bag and give the gift of deliciousness to a loved one!
Storing
If you’re lucky enough to have these cookies left over, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing
You can freeze leftover cookies in an airtight container or bag for up to 6 weeks. Just pull them out as needed! You’ll always find me baking my Christmas cookies starting in November and freezing them so I know I’m not forgetting any! It’s a huge time saver.
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Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar granulated
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter unsalted, melted
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and use a spatula to mix the dough thoroughly.
- Make Cookies: In a shallow bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Scoop about two tablespoons worth of cookie dough into your hands and roll until a 1 – 1 1/2" ball forms. Roll the dough ball through the cinnamon sugar until it is well coated. Place the ball onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake & Cool: Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and bake for 7-8 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Do NOT over-bake. You may think they are not done baking after the 7 minutes, but as they rest on the baking sheet for the additional 5 minutes they will continue to bake and they will be perfect.
- Use an cookie scoop to get perfectly uniform cookies.
- Never grease your baking sheets! Line them with parchment paper or silpat, that way your cookies stay put and there’s no extra mess to clean up later!
- STORAGE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze leftover cookies in an airtight container or bag for up to 6 weeks.
I made this, and the second batch I added chocolate chips.
I really enjoyed making and eating these. Only thing I would do is sift the flour in to the sugars mix… other than that 7min’s cooking is spot on…
Do you press the ball down for baking or leave it as is
Leave it as is, they will spread when baking.
This is so easy and fast to make! We loved it!!!!. To make them smaller would you still use the same amount of time to bake them?
They might bake faster if they are smaller, just keep an eye on them!
This recipe looks really great, I’d love to try it soon, thank you.
Just made these. Outstanding!
The one tip I would add would be to sift together dry ingredients separately, before incorporating with the wet. I tend to find that’s a helpful step when baking.
Glad you liked them! Great tip!
Snickerdoodles are one of those cookies I love, yet completely forget about making … until this recipe! We made not just one, but two batches for our holiday cookie plates to share with neighbors and friends. We ended up rolling the cookie balls twice in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Super easy to make and so delicious to enjoy any time of day (dunk a snickerdoodle in morning coffee … it’s a taste of heaven!) Thank you for this recipe — It’s a new family favorite!!
So glad you like this, Kathleen!
FINALLY! A Snickerdoodle recipe that does not require cream of tartar!!! Can’t wait to make these! Thank you Jo!!!
Thank you for this recipe of snickerdoodles I love to make them but I needed a new recipe to print out