Old-Fashioned Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles
These soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies are a traditional favorite that are perfect for sharing.
Your family is sure to love these soft and chewy snickerdoodles as much as mine does. Simple sweetness paired with a hint of cinnamon makes these a delicious treat for holidays or any time of year.
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When I was a kid, the churches I grew up in would often have a fellowship event following the Sunday evening service, where everyone would bring snacks, finger foods, and dessert treats to enjoy together.
When I was in middle school, I began occasionally helping my mom by making a dessert of some type to bring to these events, and homemade snickerdoodles were among my specialties.
One of our church members loved my snickerdoodles so much that he would put in special orders, paying me for batches of my cookies (which I thought was amazing!).
Grandma’s Snickerdoodle Recipe
I’ve used a few different recipes over the years, but nowadays I prefer an old handwritten recipe that has stood the test of time.
If you’ve seen my recipe for Grandma Wilhelm’s pumpkin bread, you’ll know that I received a box of recipes that originally belonged to my husband’s grandmother.
This particular snickerdoodle recipe was found in that treasure trove, and it’s spot-on.
My husband grew up eating snickerdoodles as well, and since they’re one of his favorite cookies, I guess it’s a good thing I had a little experience making them before we met. 😉
How to Make Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles (No Dairy!)
If you’ve never had a snickerdoodle before, it’s sort of like a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. When it bakes, a pretty crackly pattern forms in the top of the cookie.
The list of ingredients is short, which is great because that makes it easier to whip them up whenever the craving strikes, or whenever you need a dessert to share.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vegetable shortening
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Flour
- Cream of Tartar
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon Sugar
How to Make These Cookies:
Find the full printable recipe available below
Mix the dough. I use my stand mixer to make the cookie dough. First, you’ll cream the shortening and sugar together, then add the eggs and mix to combine.
Add the dry ingredients gradually, mixing just until combined.
Roll the dough. Heaping tablespoonfuls of dough are rolled into balls roughly the size of a ping pong ball. The balls are then rolled into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
Once the dough is placed into the baking sheet, I use the bottom of a glass to press them slightly flatter.
Many people leave them as-is and don’t flatten them, but I prefer the texture and consistency of the flatter cookies.
Bake. As with most cookies I make, I underbake them ever-so-slightly, which results in a soft, chewy cookie with crisp edges. Basically, perfection.
If you prefer your cookies to be crispier, simply bake for a couple more minutes.
When they’re initially removed from the oven, the cookies will look like they aren’t *quite* fully baked, as you can see in the picture below.
They’re also a little bit puffier at this point. But as they cool, they sink a little and reach that “just right” texture and thickness.
These easy snickerdoodles really are a classic cookie that you can’t go wrong with.
They’re not-too-sweet and the hint of cinnamon is a subtle change that sets these apart.
Plus, the crackly tops and sugar sparkles on top means they’re pretty, too. Perfect for gifting or bringing to a get-together!
And who knows? People might start hitting you up for special orders, too. 🙂
Recommended Equipment:
Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
For Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For Rolling:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream together shortening and sugar until well-combined (I use a stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer as well).
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until combined.
- Roll dough into balls about the size of ping pong balls or small walnuts (I use a small cookie scoop, then roll the dough in my hands). Roll each ball of dough in the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat.
- Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 8-10 minutes, until edges are very slightly golden brown and centers are still soft (8 minutes will result in softer, chewier cookies and 10 minutes will result in crispier cookies).
- Let cookies cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Cream of tartar is a classic snickerdoodle ingredient that gives them a hint of tang and is what separates them from regular sugar cookies. It helps activate baking soda. If you don’t have any on hand, you can eliminate both the cream of tartar AND baking soda (leave both out) and instead add in 1 1/2 tsp baking powder. The taste will be slightly different, but they’ll still be delicious!
- Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe?
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You Might Also Enjoy these Delicious Cookie Recipes:
- How to Make Perfectly Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- How to Make Bakery Style Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Brownie Mix Cookies
- Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar
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my kids love snickerddodle that cinamon flavor is delicious WIll try your recipe soon to please everyone again
thanks for sharing com see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
Thanks, Angie! Hope you enjoy them!