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overhead view of snickdoodle cookie with purple cloth napkin
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4.84 from 6 votes

Classic Snickerdoodle Cookies

Makes about 24 to 30 soft-yet-crispy cinnamon-sugar cookies
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Resting time (optional)2 hours
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 185kcal
Author: Marie

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

  • 1 cup butter (room temperature)
  • 1.5 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 extra large egg (room temperature)
  • 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2.5 cups bread or all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the sugar topping:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the cookie dough:

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until combined (don't over-beat, as this will cause spreading), ensuring that you scrape down edges of bowl intermittently
  • Add eggs and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture slowly and mix until combined
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder and then gently add to butter/sugar/egg mixture until combined.
  • It is suggested that you refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Cover the dough in plastic wrap or in plastic bag (or keep in bowl and cover).

For the sugar topping:

  • Combine the sugar and cinnamon and set aside until ready to bake.

To Bake Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350 F (convection) or 375 F (nonconvection)
  • Form balls (about 2 tablespoons per cookie) and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar topping.
  • Arrange cookie balls on parchment-lined cookie sheet and press slightly to flatten to achieve an even cookie (otherwise, they will puff up in center).
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Notes

Tips to prevent spreading: 
  1. You might be over-mixing your sugar and butter mixture. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl after creaming these ingredients to ensure that they are sufficiently mixed, but don’t mix them too much. A minute or two should suffice.
  2. The issue may be your flour. Using a low-protein bread flour (10-12%) can also prevent spreading. I used King Arthur bread flour, and it worked out very well.
  3. You might be baking them at too low of a temperature. If you are using a home oven that is non-convection, try baking at 375 degrees instead of 350 degrees. Too low of a temperature can also dry out your cookies.
  4. Try chilling your dough until it’s firm, then slicing it before baking. I formed the dough into balls. Because I wanted a evenly baked cookie (not puffed up in the middle, I gently flattened by dough balls before baking). Just make sure the dough has been chilled before trying this method. I also like to make sure the dough balls are uniform in size (I use a cookie scoop). You can also form the dough into a log and sliced them at a thickness of about 3/8″, which is halfway between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch.

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 249IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg