If you are searching for the perfect cookie recipe, you found it! These snickerdoodle cookies are thick, soft, chewy and absolutely delicious!!
I love cookies. I really do. But with this love comes high standards. I don’t want to eat just any old cookie. Let’s be honest… any old cookie is just not worth the calories. BUT when a cookie is perfect, there is not much better in life to me.
So what makes a cookie meet this so-called perfect standard?
It needs to be SOFT.
It needs to be CHEWY.
It needs to be THICK.
I know there are crispy kind of cookie people out there, but I am not one of them. To me the bigger, thicker, and softer that cookie is, the better! These chewy snickerdoodle cookies are all of the above. As a matter of fact, they are so delicious that they can make me forget that they don’t even have chocolate in them, which is usually a dessert requirement for me. Because who needs chocolate when you have soft, thick, chewy cinnamonny, perfection calling your name! Grab a glass of milk and let’s get started.
If you love thick chewy cookies like me PLEASE make my Thick & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie recipe the next one you try! I am told over and over it is the BEST peanut butter cookie people have ever had!
{See ALL of my Thick & Chewy Cookie Recipes here!}
Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
There are a few trick to making these come out perfectly. Luckily for you, I don’t do secret recipes so I am going to dish on all of the details.
Gather your ingredients and start by combining your dry ingredients {flour, baking powder, salt} into a bowl.
Next add the butter and sugar into your KitchenAid mixer bowl and mix with paddle attachment until light and fluffy. You can do these by hand, but the dough gets super thick so you will have to put some muscle behind it. If you don’t have a Kitchenaid and you love to bake, you are really missing out on life. I definitely recommend indulging to get one or adding it to your Christmas or Birthday list!
Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat until combined.
Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture, mixing well each time the flour mixture is added. One of the key components of getting the snickerdoodle cookies to be thick and chewy is the high flour content. The dough should be not sticky but also not crumbly when you are done mixing.
If the dough is crumbly after you add the flour, add water one teaspoon at a time, mixing after each, until the dough sticks together.
If the dough is still sticky after you add the flour, then add additional flour one tablespoon at a time until dough becomes not sticky.
Next use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop out the dough and roll into balls.
Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat well and place the ball on a baking sheet lined with a silpat liner (my fav!) or parchment paper. Do not use baking spray!
Bake at 350˚F for 12-15 minutes or until the center is just done. This is the other crucial component of these cookies! Do not overbake them or they will not have the same soft chewy texture that makes them so perfect. The cooking time depends on how your oven runs, the size, as well as altitude and a few other factors so the first time you make these you will want to watch them pretty closely to see how long they take, then you will be able to repeat baking them for that length of time for additional batches.
I think you will agree… these cookies are pretty perfect! This recipe will make about 12 fairly large cookies. If you aren’t going to eat them right away, I highly recommend storing them in the freezer. This will keep them super fresh and tasting like the did right after they came out of the oven. Once you are ready to eat them again, just take out of the freezer and let it thaw for about 30 minutes, OR just pop it into the microwave for about 30 seconds. Heaven!
***Scroll to bottom for FULL printable recipe***
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Copycat Panera Chocolate Chip Cookies
Super thick and chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In your KitchenAid mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt, and mix to combine.
- Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing well between each addition.
- The dough should not be sticky and should not be crumbly. If it is sticky, mix in flour one tablespoon at a time until it becomes not sticky. If the mixture is crumbly, mix in water one teaspoon at a time until the dough holds together.
- Mix cinnamon and sugar together and place on a plate.
- Measure dough with a 1/4 cup measure and roll into balls. Roll each ball to coat well in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
- Bake at 350?F for 12-15 minutes or until the center is just set.
- Let cool 2 minutes then cool on a wire rack.
- Makes 12 large cookies.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Atzi says
Can you add cream of tartar? And if so how much?
Kimber says
Baking powder has cream of tartar in it so you do not need to add additional. Hope that helps!
Frances says
Can the dough be frozen??
Kimber says
Yes you can freeze the dough and cook at a later date, or you can also freeze after baking with great results. If you freeze the dough, it will need a few extra minutes of baking time. Enjoy!
Michael F. says
Oh my goodness. How easy and delicious! These cookies were a home run in my home! Thanks so much.
Ava Jeanne says
I don’t usually leave my feedback on recipes, but this one was SO good I just had too. I’m in my early teens yet these were so easy and fun to make and taste incredible! some of the best I have veer had. Thank you for the recipe !
Tracie Rivers says
These are hands down the best Snickerdoodle cookies . I have tries several different recipes over the years and this is the only one that the cookie stays soft!! Easy and delicious!!
William says
One may need to do the last few steps by rolling the dough into balls, coating with cinnamon sugar, baking them, then when the cookies come out of the oven, while they are still warm, press down on them with the back of a spoon.
Laura Capovilla says
What kind of flour? All purpose? mine didn’t expand
Chelsea Denhalter says
This is for sure the best cookies I HAVE EVER HAD
Shawna says
I found this recipe about 4 yrs ago and my hubby absolutely loves them. They are a must among my Christmas cookies. Recently he saw a picture of snickerdoodle cookie cups with apple pie filling. I’m going to try that out now.
Carlie says
Yeah I added almost 10 tablespoons of more flour and it was still sticky and I have had bad luck with Snickerdoodles coming out flat so I’m sure that will happen too. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.