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There’s something magical about a classic snickerdoodle- the warm, sweet flavor of cinnamon mixed with soft, buttery dough makes it a favorite recipe in many households. This recipe takes the snickerdoodle cookie to the next level with its thick, chewy texture, thanks to the addition of cream cheese. These chewy snickerdoodles are rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mixture for that signature, slightly crunchy coating.

If you are fan of this classic cookie, then you should also check out my White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Bars and my Snickerdoodle Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting.

an up close of snickerdoodles on a platter

The Chemistry of Snickerdoodles

The secret to a great snickerdoodle cookie lies in the cream of tartar. It gives snickerdoodles their signature tangy flavor and helps create soft, chewy cookies with a puffy texture. Combined with baking soda, the cream of tartar acts as a leavening agent, ensuring the cookies rise properly. Adding cream cheese to the dough also helps create a rich, chewy texture, while using a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar gives the cookies both sweetness and moisture.

ingredients of snickerdoodles

What is in snickerdoodles?

All-purpose Flour

Builds structure as it absorbs liquids and expands. All-purpose flour falls in the middle of bread flour (high in gluten) and cake flour (low in gluten). It’s exactly what it is named, all-purpose, the most universal flour that can be used in most baked goods.

Baking Soda

Elevates the pH level of your batter or dough. It increases the spread in your treat and encourages browning, which gives the crispy outside and soft inside texture that everyone loves. Baking soda needs both an acid and a liquid to react. Things that will activate your baking soda are: vinegar, fruit juice, molasses, brown sugar, tartar, buttermilk and sour cream. Baking soda only reacts once, which is right when it’s mixed into your batter or dough. The soda creates little air bubbles all throughout your treat. When the air bubbles get heated up in the oven, they expand.

Cream of Tartar

Stabilizes the egg whites, ensuring they hold their structure when whipped.

Cinnamon

A seasoning that adds a nice spice to your treat.

Fine Sea Salt

Enhances flavor, adds balance, masks any bitter flavors. Salt is the most powerful and oldest preservative. Always make sure to use fine sea salt so it melts down at the right speed in the heat of the oven. If you use larger granule salt, it will not melt down fully when baked and will leave salt crystals throughout your treat, making it crunch like you dropped it into sand.

Unsalted Butter

It is always important to use unsalted butter when baking. If you use salted butter, you have no way of knowing how much salt you are adding to your dough or batter and it will result in an overly salted treat.

Butter adds fats to your dough or batter which helps with moistness, flavor and texture. Butter melts at body temperature, which creates a ‘melt in your mouth’ sensation.

When baking with butter the temperature is important. If the butter is too warm your treat will melt down too fast and overspread in the oven, leaving you with a greasy, flat mess. If your butter is too cold it will have the opposite problem and not melt down enough, leaving your treat too thick.

Cream cheese

Provides a unique, tangy flavor. When baked it adds moisture to your treat.

Granulated Sugar

Adds sweetness, provides a caramelized flavor and crisp texture. Sugar assists with rising when creamed with butter. It helps add moisture to your treat and helps it evenly spread as it melts into a liquid in the heat of the oven. Sugar also helps with naturally preserving your baked treat.

Brown Sugar

Is granulated sugar with a little molasses mixed in. Molasses is a somewhat smoky flavored natural sweetener, which makes brown sugar a bit sweeter than granulated sugar. Brown sugar draws more moisture into your treat, keeping it softer for longer. It’s also more acidic, which means it will help activate your baking soda.

Eggs

Adds both a protein (egg whites) and fat (egg yolks). The egg whites help with rising because, when foamed, little air pockets get trapped inside the egg white mixture. The water content in egg whites encourages steam while baking, which helps with gluten formation, resulting in nice and thick treats. Egg yolks have emulsifying properties that bring batters and doughs together and help them from collapsing. Unless otherwise specified, always use large eggs.

Vanilla Extract

When using pure vanilla extract, as opposed to imitation flavoring, it will add the deep rich flavor that everybody wants in a treat.

Cinnamon Sugar

This classic combination creates the signature coating for snickerdoodles, adding a sweet, slightly crunchy exterior.

Up close of a broken snickerdoodle showing the center

How do you make thick snickerdoodles?

Cookie Dough

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray them lightly with cooking spray.
  2. Mix the wet ingredients. Add 1 cup of softened unsalted butter and 4 ounces of softened cream cheese in a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until softened and combined. If you do not have a standing mixer, a large bowl and a hand mixer will also work.
  3. Add the sugars. Add 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the mixer. Mix until combined, then turn the mixer to high speed and whip for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs and vanilla. Crack 2 large eggs into the mixer, then add 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Stir on low speed until just combined.
  5. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoons of cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt.
  6. Form the dough. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the mixer. Stir on low speed until the dough forms.
  7. Roll in cinnamon sugar. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon to create the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough balls and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.

Bake

  1. Bake the cookies. Place the cookie dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown and the centers are set.
  2. Cool the cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
three snickerdoodles stacked with a platter of cookies behind

How to Store Homemade Snickerdoodles

Store your chewy snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you need to store them longer, freeze the dough or baked cookies for up to 3 months.

The cookie dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 hours before baking. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls and bake them directly from the freezer, just add an extra minute or two to the bake time.

Serving Suggestions

These cookies are perfect served warm with a glass of milk or hot chocolate. For a fun twist, serve them as a part of a cookie sandwich with a creamy filling like peanut butter or frosting.

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Why make snickerdoodles?

These thick snickerdoodle cookies are a perfect treat for any occasion. They’re a great choice for holiday baking, cookie swaps, or even as an after-school snack. The combination of warm cinnamon and the soft-baked texture makes them an irresistible treat year-round.

These thick snickerdoodle cookies are soft, pillowy, and full of cinnamon sugar flavor. The cream cheese adds a slight tang, making them even more irresistible. With their chewy texture, these cookies are perfect for anyone who loves soft-baked cookies. Plus, they’re made with basic ingredients you likely already have in your pantry so that you can whip them up anytime a cookie craving strikes. They also store well in an airtight container, making them perfect for sharing or gifting.

Enjoy baking these classic Snickerdoodle cookies with their signature cinnamon-sugar hug and soft, chewy center. Whether baking for family, friends or just for yourself, these cookies are guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth and become a family favorite!

broken snickerdoole with a stack of cookies and a platter of cookies behind

FAQs

If your cookies turn out flat, you may have not added enough flour or the dough was too warm. Be sure to measure the flour correctly and chill the dough if necessary to keep the cookies from spreading too much during baking.

Yes! For a fun twist, you can add chocolate chips to your snickerdoodle cookie dough, creating a chocolate chip snickerdoodle variation that’s just as delicious.

You can store your snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For more extended storage, you can freeze the dough or baked cookies for up to 3 months.

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snickerdoodles

Thick Snickerdoodles

5 from 1 vote
Author: Madison Reid
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 20 giant cookies
These classic Snickerdoodle cookies are thick and packed with cinnamon sugar flavor and have a deliciously chewy texture. Perfect soft and sweet, they will become one of your favorite cookies!

Ingredients 

  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • cinnamon and sugar mix

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • In the bowl of a standing mixer add the butter and cream cheese, mix until softened.
  • Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until combined. Turn the mixer on high and whip until light and fluffy.
  • Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.
  • Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl: flour, baking soda, tartar, cinnamon and salt. Mix on slow until the dough forms.
  • Scoop with a large cookie scoop into a bowl of cinnamon and sugar mix, roll until the dough is covered.
  • Place the covered cookie dough onto light metal cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes
  • Remove and allow them to set on the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcal Carbohydrates: 30g Protein: 3g Fat: 12g Saturated Fat: 7g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0.4g Cholesterol: 46mg Sodium: 140mg Potassium: 94mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 16g Vitamin A: 384IU Vitamin C: 0.004mg Calcium: 19mg Iron: 1mg

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