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Snickerdoodle Cookies get a fun upgrade in this recipe, where two soft, cinnamon sugar coated cookies hug a fluffy white chocolate cinnamon frosting, and they disappear off the counter every single time my girls spot them on a lazy Sunday afternoon. They are tender in the middle with that classic snickerdoodle tang, no cream of tartar fuss required. If you love an easy cookie, our soft frosted lofthouse cookies are another pillowy favorite.
Think of these as snickerdoodles and whoopie pies had the coziest little bakery baby.
Snickerdoodle Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 sandwich cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 361kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft and chewy with warm cinnamon sugar and sweet, creamy white chocolate
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as our cream cheese cookies
Quick Answer
Cream melted butter with granulated and brown sugar, then beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and chill the dough for an hour. Roll the dough into balls, coat them in cinnamon sugar, and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until set. Cool completely, then sandwich them with a whipped white chocolate cinnamon frosting.
Jump to:
- Snickerdoodle Cookies Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Snickerdoodle Cookies FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Cookie Recipes
- Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Melted butter keeps them soft. Starting with melted, cooled butter gives these snickerdoodle cookies a tender, chewy crumb instead of a cakey one.
- No cream of tartar needed. Baking powder plus a good hit of cinnamon delivers that signature snickerdoodle flavor and lift without hunting down cream of tartar.
- Chilling stops the spread. An hour in the fridge firms the dough so the cookies bake up thick and round, perfect for sandwiching.
- White chocolate frosting is the magic. Melted white chocolate folded into buttercream makes a silky, not too sweet filling with a hint of cinnamon.
- They are make ahead friendly. Bake the cookies ahead, whip the filling, and assemble when you are ready for a fresh, soft sandwich cookie.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste like a classic snickerdoodle but with a creamy frosting surprise in the middle.
- The dough comes together with a hand mixer and a few pantry staples.
- The white chocolate cinnamon filling is just as dreamy as our homemade frosting recipes.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry baking staples come together for these soft snickerdoodle cookies and their creamy filling.
- Salted butter: Melted and cooled for the cookies, it keeps them soft and chewy with a rich flavor.
- Granulated and brown sugar: The combo sweetens the dough while brown sugar adds moisture and a soft, chewy bite.
- Ground cinnamon: Used in the dough, the cinnamon sugar coating, and the frosting for that classic snickerdoodle warmth.
- White chocolate chips: Melted and whipped into the filling for a silky, sweet, not overpowering frosting.
- All purpose flour: The structure of the cookie, measured and whisked with the baking powder for an even, soft crumb.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These snickerdoodle cookies are a great base, so make them your own.
- Skip the filling and roll the dough in cinnamon sugar for classic single snickerdoodle cookies.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom to the dough for a warmer, spiced flavor.
- Tint the white chocolate frosting or swap it for a cream cheese frosting for a tangy twist.
- Press the filled edges into extra cinnamon sugar or mini chocolate chips for a pretty finish.
How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookies
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the melted, cooled butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined and creamy.
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix until there are no dry patches. Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Stir together the coating sugar and cinnamon. Roll the chilled dough into 1 inch balls, then roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar and place on lined sheet trays 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned along the edges and set on top. Cool on the tray 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt the white chocolate and beat it into the softened butter, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until fluffy. Spread or pipe the filling onto one cookie and top with another to make a sandwich.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cool the melted butter before mixing so it does not cook the eggs or make the dough greasy.
- Do not skip the chill time, since cold dough keeps the cookies thick and round for sandwiching.
- Roll uniform 1 inch balls so the cookies bake evenly and pair up neatly into sandwiches.
- Pull them when the tops just set, as a slightly underbaked snickerdoodle stays soft and chewy.
- Let the cookies cool completely before filling, or the frosting will melt and slide right out.
- Use a piping bag with a star tip for a pretty, bakery style swirl of filling.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These snickerdoodle cookies are wonderful all on their own, soft and cinnamony with that creamy white chocolate filling and a cold glass of milk. They are the kind of cookie that vanishes off a dessert tray before anything else.
Set them out on a cookie platter next to our soft pistachio cookies and cream cheese cookies for a fun variety.
They are perfect for holiday cookie boxes, bake sales, and potlucks, and they pack right alongside a batch of s’mores whoopie pies for a crowd.
Snickerdoodle Cookies FAQs
Snickerdoodle cookies are soft, chewy sugar cookies rolled in a cinnamon sugar coating before baking, which gives them their signature crackly top and warm cinnamon flavor.
No. This recipe uses baking powder and plenty of cinnamon to get that classic snickerdoodle flavor and soft texture without cream of tartar.
Chilling firms up the melted butter so the cookies hold their shape and bake thick and round instead of spreading thin, which is important for sandwiching.
Absolutely. Just bake the cinnamon sugar coated dough balls and enjoy them as classic snickerdoodle cookies, no frosting required.
Store the filled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving so the filling softens.
Yes. Roll the dough into balls, freeze them solid, then store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Coat in cinnamon sugar and bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Tried these soft snickerdoodle cookies? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below!
For a minty version, do not miss our chocolate peppermint whoopie pies.
Love a soft cookie? Our snickerdoodle sandwich cookies are another cozy favorite.
Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the coating:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the filling:
- 8 ounces good quality white chocolate chips
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until combined.1 cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, mix until combined.2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Mix well with no dry patches and scrape down the sides as needed. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the coating, and set aside.⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls.
- Roll the balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture and place them on the sheet trays 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned along the edges and the tops appear set. Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the filling. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir. Then microwave in 15-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Set aside.8 ounces good quality white chocolate chips
- Place softened butter in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat until creamy. Add the melted chocolate a little at a time and mix at low speed until fully incorporated.1 cup unsalted butter
- Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt, and mix until incorporated.2 ¼ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, Pinch of fine sea salt
- Take a spoonful of frosting and place it on the bottom of one cookie, and then top with another to form a sandwich. Or you can place frosting in a piping bag attached with a 3M tip and pipe it onto the cookies as shown.
Notes
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to save for later.
- Make sure that you chill your dough for at least 1 hour.
- We like to pipe our filling onto the cookies, but you can spread or spoon it as well.
- Other fillings can be used for these, cream cheese will work but they will need to remain refrigerated.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Switch out your spices to pumpkin pie spice for a different flavor.
Nutrition
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Remind me of oatmeal pies except with my favorite cookie. I can’t wait to make these!