The bold flavors of cinnamon will fill your kitchen as you make this chewy snickerdoodle recipe. Every bite melts in your mouth, and the cinnamon sugar lightly dusts your lips.

A Quick Look

Recipe Name: Classic Chewy Snickerdoodle Recipe
Ready In: 30 minutes
Serves: 40 cookies
Main Ingredients: ¾ cup white flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, softened butter, white sugar, eggs
Why You'll Love It: The bold flavors of cinnamon will fill your kitchen as you make this chewy snickerdoodle recipe. Every bite melts in your mouth, and the cinnamon sugar lightly dusts your lips.

The best chewy snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles take me back to my childhood. I remember rolling the sweet cookie dough into balls and then covering them in the cinnamon sugar coating. The cinnamon and sugar would get all over my hands, which was the best part - licking them clean!

Whether you want to turn on some music and spend some self-care time baking your favorite cookies, or you want to make some memories with your friends or family, these cookies are the perfect thing. They are almost as fun to eat as they are to bake!

And, if you're looking for the secret to soft, chewy snickerdoodles, follow this recipe. If you follow each step exactly as it's written, you'll never have crispy or crunchy snickerdoodles again.

Photo of ingredients for Classic Chewy Snickerdoodle Recipe with labels.

Ingredients needed

This easy chewy snickerdoodle recipe is made with basic cookie ingredients you rely on. Here's a bit more about what I used:

All-Purpose Flour: You’ll use 2 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour; if you need the cookies to be gluten-free, use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour.
Cream of Tartar: This is what makes the cookies soft and chewy, use 2 teaspoons.
Baking Soda: This gives the cookies a bit of rise and prevents them from being too dense. Use 1 teaspoon.
Cinnamon: Snickerdoodles need cinnamon - you'll use one teaspoon in the dough.
Salt: About ½ teaspoon of salt will enhance all the other flavors in this cookie dough.
Butter: Softened, unsalted butter moistens the cookies, use ¾ of a cup of butter. This is 1.5 sticks.
White Sugar: It takes 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar to sweeten the cookies.
Vanilla: Enhance the rich flavors of the cookies with two teaspoons of vanilla.
Eggs: You need eggs to bind and emulsify everything, use two large eggs.

You'll also use another ¼ a cup of white sugar and a tablespoon of cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating.

Kitchen tools required

All you really need are two mixing bowls and a baking sheet. Here’s a bit more information about what I used to make these tasty homemade cookies.

Gather the following items before you begin:

Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Non-Stick Spray
Whisk
Mixing Bowls
Hand Mixer
Spatula
Cookie Scoop
Cooling Rack

For measuring, you will need 1 cup, ¾ cup, ½ cup, ¼ cup, 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, and ½ teaspoon.

How to make the best chewy snickerdoodle cookies

Making homemade chewy snickerdoodle cookies is the easiest thing ever to make! Here’s how to make them, step-by-step.

First, preheat the oven to 375F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Now you're ready to mix the dough! In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set this aside.

Use a hand mixer to blend butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add in two eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy.

Next, slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until totally combined. Mix together sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Use a small cookie scoop or 1.5 tablespoon dough to roll into balls. Then roll the dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Store extra cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe Tips

Below are some common homemade chewy snickerdoodle cookie questions. Don’t see the answer you’re looking for? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!

What is the secret to chewy cookies?

The answer might surprise you. You see, the secret to making delightfully chewy snickerdoodle cookies is to use cream of tartar. This ingredient interacts chemically with the baking soda and creates cookies that rise while they bake. If your cookies still aren't chewy enough, place the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour. This lets some of the moisture evaporate, which helps them be chewier.

Why did my snickerdoodles come out flat?

The most common problem with snickerdoodles is that they come out of the oven as flat as a pancake. This is often because the oven is too hot. As the cookies bake, the butter melts too quickly, which makes a flatter cookie. If you think your oven runs too hot, turn it down a few degrees before you make these cookies.

Why do my cookies get harder after they cool down?

Lots of cookies go from being soft while fresh out of the oven to a bit firmer texture as they cool. This is because they start to dry out as they cool down. This is why I like to pull the cookies out a little early. They can go into that state of evaporation and yet still stay moist and chewy, even long after they are cooled down.

How do you keep cookies moist and chewy?

Underbake the cookies, pulling them out before they become too crispy. Then, store the cookies with a slice of bread. The bread in the cookie jar or container will soak up the moisture from the cookies, preventing them from drying out.

Storing leftovers

It's best to store this chewy snickerdoodle recipe at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container for up to one week. These are the perfect cookies to keep in a cookie jar or a container that has a lid.

You can also freeze them too. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to six months.

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

Here are some of my favorite cookie recipes you should make next. Enjoy!

All recipes by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Sierra Inn

Erin Antoniak