Bakery Style Snickerdoodles

Why I Love This Recipe

• Soft and chewy for days. These bakery-style snickerdoodles stay soft long after they're baked, making them perfect for gifting, lunch boxes, or enjoying throughout the week.
• Jumbo bakery-style cookies. Slightly larger than a traditional snickerdoodle, these cookies have thick, chewy centers and crackly cinnamon-sugar tops that look like they came straight from a bakery.
• Simple pantry ingredients. Everything you need is probably already in your kitchen, making these an easy recipe to whip up whenever a cookie craving strikes.
• A family favorite. My husband requests these every year for his birthday instead of cake, and they've become one of our favorite traditions. If a cookie can replace birthday cake, you know it's a good one!

What Makes These Bakery Style Snickerdoodles?

When I think of bakery-style cookies, I think of cookies that are larger than average with thick, soft, chewy centers and crisp edges. They're the kind of cookies that feel a little more special than an everyday homemade cookie.

These snickerdoodles are exactly that. I make my regular cookies with a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, but for these I use a 3-tablespoon scoop to create a thicker, more substantial cookie. Don't worry—they aren't as giant as Crumbl cookies! They're just a little bigger than a traditional snickerdoodle, which gives them that bakery-style look and texture.

The best part? I included baking times for both jumbo and regular-sized cookies, so you can make whichever size you prefer.

What Others Are Saying

Made a double batch of these and they stayed soft and chewy. Will make again.---Kayleeee

Love that they use all butter. These are the best, so soft on the inside!---Carol on Pinterest

Tips & Tricks

• Use room temperature butter: Softened butter creams more easily with the sugar, creating a light, fluffy dough that bakes into thick, tender cookies.
• Cookie Scoop vs. Hand Scooped: I like both methods for different reasons. Using a scoop ensures that your cookies are all the same size and the tops bake up smooth. Using your hand and dropping rustic balls of cookie dough on the pans will give your cookies those beautiful nooks and crannies. I use a cookie scoop for cookies without mix-ins like peanut butter or snickerdoodle and hand scoop cookies with mix-ins so that they look a little more rustic. Either way works, you do you!
• Don't skip the cream of tartar: it's what gives snickerdoodles their signature tangy flavor and chewy texture. Without it, you'll have a cinnamon sugar cookie—but it won't be a true snickerdoodle.
• Do Not Overbake: As soon as the cookies start to look golden around the edges, pull the pans out of the oven. The cookies may seem underdone, but will continue to bake on the pans as they cool. Sometimes I’ll transfer the cookies to a wire rack after a few minutes; other times I’ll let the cookies cool completely on the pan. It just depends on how gooey you want the centers to be.
• Roll generously in cinnamon sugar: Don't be shy with the cinnamon sugar! A thick coating creates the classic crackly exterior and adds the perfect sweet cinnamon flavor in every bite.
• Use light-colored baking sheets: Light aluminum baking sheets promote even baking and help prevent the bottoms from becoming too dark before the centers are finished baking.
• Store them individually for maximum freshness: For larger cookies like these, I love wrapping each one individually in plastic wrap. They stay soft longer and are perfect for grabbing on the way out the door or tucking into lunches.

Bakery Style Snickerdoodle Ingredients

• Butter: you can use a combination of butter and shortening or use all butter.
• Sugar: most of my cookie recipes use a combination of brown sugar and white sugar. Not snickerdoodles or sugar cookies though! All white sugar is the way to go for these.
• Eggs: for richness and texture
• Vanilla: have you tried making your own vanilla extract? It's easy and delicious to add to baked good.
• Cream of Tartar: this tangy acidic powder gives snickerdoodles their signature flavor.
• Baking Soda and Salt: for leavening and flavor.
• Flour: all purpose flour works just fine for this recipe.
• Cinnamon and Sugar: the cookies dough balls are rolled in cinnamon and sugar before baking.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make the Best Snickerdoodles

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Step 2: Beat butter and sugar together using an electric mixer or stand mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Step 3: Mix in cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, and flour.

Step 4: Scoop cookie dough using a 3 Tbsp. scoop (large cookies) or 2 Tbsp. scoop (regular cookies). Roll cookie dough balls in cinnamon and sugar mixture, then place onto baking sheets.

Step 5: Bake cookies 10-11 minutes for large cookies or 8-9 minutes for regular cookies.

Immediately remove cookies from baking sheet and transfer to a wire cooling rack.

This recipe makes 18 large cookies or 27 regular cookies.

Store Properly: I prefer to wrap my larger cookies individually in plastic. This keeps them nice, fresh, and easy to grab. I would NEVER wrap my miniature cookies individually, ha. Especially my mini chocolate chip cookies that make over 100 cookies per batch. It just isn't worth the effort, but for recipes that make 18-24 cookies, it's worth wrapping them individually rather than placing them in a cookie jar or even an airtight container. They'll stay fresh a lot longer.

Snickerdoodle FAQs

More Cookie Recipes To Make

Love recreating famous cookies? Be sure to browse my Copycat Recipes collection, where you'll find cookies inspired by famous restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and grocery store favorites. If chocolate chip cookies are your favorite, don't miss my roundup of Famous Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes, featuring some of the most iconic cookies ever created.

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