The Best Soft Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe | Julie Blanner (2024)

Snickerdoodles are a fragrant, soft and deliciously classic cookie. This Easy Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe requires only seven ingredients and no refrigeration!

If you’re looking for a Soft Snickerdoodle Recipe, you’re in the right place.

Easy Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

I know there’s more than one easy snickerdoodle cookie recipe floating around on the internet. Each one is a little different, and I am willing to bet that each one is delicious.

It’s a classic recipe that needs no introduction. However, this soft snickerdoodle recipe belonged to my mother, which makes it super special to us. In the eyes of my family, it creates the most amazing, easy snickerdoodle cookies ever!

To be totally honest, snickerdoodles aren’t my favorite cookie. I prefer a little more sweet and salty contrast, crumble and texture in my cookies.

However, that doesn’t stop me from eating too many of these easy snickerdoodle cookies every time we make them. I dare you to stop at just one!

And just in case you’re out of cream of tartar (or just don’t love it) you can hop right over to my Snickerdoodle Recipe Without Cream of Tartar.

Even if they’re not my very favorite, this easy snickerdoodle cookie recipe is always such a big hit with my girls! They enjoy the simple flavors and rolling the dough through the cinnamon sugar mixture whenever we bake them!

How to Make Snickerdoodles Without Butter

Friends, you know my love for butter. It’s a life-long relationship and I’ll never give it up- my hips don’t lie! However, this soft snickerdoodle recipe requires an ingredient I don’t often use… shortening!

While normally I would always choose butter for my baking, the shortening works in this recipe for a few reasons.

• Room temperature. That’s right, shortening is the perfect shelf-stable temp from the start! No waiting for your cold butter to come to room temp.
• Next, this recipe requires no refrigeration! I love not worrying about chilling the dough. Who can argue with faster, easier cookies that eliminate a step?
• They also cook quickly because of a slightly higher bake time, as shortening has a higher melting point than butter. This keeps them super soft at a shorter bake time!

Finally, this is my mom’s snickerdoodle recipe. And we all know… don’t mess with those family recipes! If the bakers in your family ask for shortening, you give them shortening and enjoy the results- no questions asked!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Ingredients

• Shortening
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Flour
• Cream of Tartar – it’s an important ingredient so don’t leave it out! Read more about cream of tartar below.
• Baking Soda
• Salt

How to Make Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies

1. Prep – Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment.
2. Make Dough – Combine shortening, sugar and egg and blend in dry ingredients.
3. Make Dough Balls – Roll into walnut size balls. You can use a cookie scoop to ensure a consistent dough ball size.
4. Make Topping and Roll – Combine cinnamon sugar to make topping and roll dough balls.
5. Bake – Place on baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.

Tips for Baking the Best Snickerdoodle Cookies

• This recipe requires a 400 degree oven. Trust me on this! I know it’s a higher temp than most of my easy recipes, but it works.
• Don’t cook for more than eight minutes! Snickerdoodles are not meant to be crunchy.
• Cream of tartar is a requirement, so don’t skip this ingredient even though it can be a pain to locate on your spice rack! It gives these cookies a special tangy flavor.
• Keep rolling into your cinnamon sugar mixture. No harm in rolling twice to give them an extra bit of sugar and spice and everything nice!
• Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. It helps create an even heat and really makes such a difference in these easy snickerdoodle cookies!

Why Do You Put Cream of Tartar in Snickerdoodles?

Great question! Cream of tartar is a baking stabilizer. It’s used to help keep the air bubbles in your baking as stable as possible, which creates a light and fluffy texture that we all crave! In this easy snickerdoodle cookie recipe, it helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing and becoming crunchy. When combined with baking soda, it becomes a leavening agent as well.

What Can Substitute for Cream of Tartar?

According to EatingWell, “for every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in the recipe, use 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar.” Since this easy snickerdoodle cookie recipe calls for two teaspoons of cream of tartar, this would translate to four teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. Personally, I’ve never tried this substitution – let me know if you give it a shot! I’d love to hear!

I truly love hearing from you! If you make these easy snickerdoodles, please be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a five star rating. If you make any of my recipes, tag me on Instagram @julieblanner or join my Facebook share group, Celebrating Simple, so I can see your beautiful baking!

If you love these easy snickerdoodles, you’ll love my kitchen sink cookies – filled with white chocolate, toffee and pretzels. Need help with baking conversions? Check out my Essential Measurement Conversion Chart

More Recipes with Cinnamon

• Frosted Sugar Cookie Cake
• Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
• Frosted Apple Butter Sugar Cookies
• Melt in Your Mouth Sugar Cookie Bars with Buttercream Frosting
• Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Creamy Buttercream Icing
• Salted Caramel Sugar Cookies