Classic Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are soft, chewy sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. Cream of tartar gives them their signature tang and crinkly tops, and the dough needs no chilling.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour (spoon into the cup and level it off)
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon, for rolling

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 400°F. You will bake these on ungreased baking sheets, so no parchment is needed.
2. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, butter, shortening, and eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
3. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear, about 30 seconds. Do not overmix.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the rolling sugar and the rolling cinnamon.
5. Roll the dough into 1¼-inch balls, about the size of a walnut in its shell.
6. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar until it is completely coated.
7. Place the balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are set. They will puff up first, then settle and crinkle.
9. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool. They stay soft and chewy in the middle.

Baking Tips

⭐ Cream of tartar is what makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle. It adds the tang and the soft, chewy texture, so don't skip it.

⭐ Bake one pan at a time on the middle oven rack so the cookies brown evenly.

⭐ Pull them out when the cookies are set but the tops are still pale. Overbaked snickerdoodles turn crunchy instead of chewy.

⭐ If you use unsalted butter, double the salt.

⭐ For extra cinnamon, add half again as much cinnamon to the rolling mixture.

⭐ Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.

⭐ Don't taste the raw dough. It contains raw eggs and raw flour, so bake it first.

Ways Kids Can Help

• Stir together the cinnamon sugar.
• Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar until it is fully coated.
• Place the dough balls on the pan, 2 inches apart.

Equipment Used

• Large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer
• Small bowl for the cinnamon sugar
• Baking sheets
• Wire cooling rack
• Measuring cups and spoons

Contest Notes

Prep time: 20 min | Bake time: 8–10 min | Original recipe yield: About 48 cookies | Level: Easy

Hosting a cookie contest? Grab the free Cookie Judge Scorecards and Contest Invitation Cards to score your bakes.

Based on the classic snickerdoodle formula, baked at 400°F for soft centers and crackly tops.