Classic Christmas Snickerdoodles

Here are my Christmas snickerdoodles, with a soft and chewy cinnamon-sugar cookie base, festive colorful sprinkles, and all the warm spices that make the holidays feel extra special.

These cookies have become a December tradition in our house. The kids love helping me roll them in the cinnamon sugar and adding the sprinkles, and honestly, they disappear from the cookie jar faster than any other treat I make during Christmas time.

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What Kind of Butter Should I Use?

For snickerdoodles, unsalted butter is your best bet since it gives you more control over the salt level in your cookies. Make sure your butter is truly at room temperature – it should be soft enough to leave an indent when you press it, but not melty or greasy. If your butter is too cold, your cookies won’t have that perfect soft and chewy texture we’re looking for. You can use salted butter in a pinch, just reduce or skip the additional salt in the recipe to avoid overly salty cookies.

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Options for Substitutions

These festive cookies are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps:

• Butter: You can use margarine or shortening instead, though butter gives the best flavor. If using salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Brown sugar: In a pinch, use all granulated sugar (so 1 1/4 cups total). Your cookies will be slightly less chewy but still tasty.
• Cream of tartar: This is what gives snickerdoodles their signature tangy flavor, so try not to skip it. But if you absolutely must, substitute with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar – just know the flavor will be a bit different.
• All purpose flour: You can swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if needed. The texture might be slightly different, but they’ll still turn out great.
• Colorful sugar sprinkles: Feel free to use whatever festive sprinkles you have on hand, or skip them entirely for traditional snickerdoodles. You could also use colored sanding sugar for extra sparkle.
• Vanilla extract: Almond extract makes a nice substitute if you want a different flavor profile – use the same amount.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake with snickerdoodles is skipping the chilling step – if your dough is too warm, the cookies will spread too much in the oven and lose their signature thick, soft texture, so refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Another common error is not using room temperature butter and eggs, which can lead to cookies that don’t mix properly and end up with an uneven texture instead of that perfect chewy center.

Don’t forget to measure your flour correctly by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off – packing it in can add too much flour and make your cookies dry and crumbly.

Finally, take the cookies out of the oven when they still look slightly underdone in the center, as they’ll continue baking on the hot pan and firm up as they cool, giving you that soft, tender bite everyone loves.

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What to Serve With Christmas Snickerdoodles?

These festive cookies are perfect alongside a big mug of hot chocolate or a warm cup of coffee during the holiday season. I love setting them out on a platter with other Christmas treats like fudge, peppermint bark, or sugar cookies for a cookie exchange or holiday party. They’re also great for dunking into a cold glass of milk, especially when they’re still slightly warm from the oven. If you’re putting together a dessert spread, pair them with some vanilla ice cream or serve them next to a slice of pie for an extra-sweet finish to your holiday meal.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep your Christmas snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They’ll stay soft and chewy if you toss a slice of bread in the container with them, which helps maintain moisture.

Freeze: These cookies freeze really well, either baked or as dough. For baked cookies, layer them between parchment paper in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the dough balls on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag and bake straight from frozen whenever you want fresh cookies.

Thaw: Frozen baked cookies thaw quickly at room temperature in about 30 minutes. If you froze the dough, just add an extra minute or two to the baking time and you’ll have warm cookies that taste like you just made them.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 3400-3600
• Protein: 35-40 g
• Fat: 170-180 g
• Carbohydrates: 440-460 g

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (pure vanilla preferred)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur all-purpose flour)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup butter (softened to room temperature)
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

For the coating:

• 2 tsp cinnamon (freshly ground for best flavor)
• 1/4 cup colorful sugar sprinkles (or festive holiday sprinkles for Christmas theme)

Step 1: Cream Butter and Sugars

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

This creaming process incorporates air into the dough, which helps the cookies rise and creates a tender crumb.

Make sure your butter is truly softened to room temperature—cold butter won’t incorporate properly and you’ll end up with dense cookies.

Step 2: Add Eggs and Vanilla

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• butter-sugar mixture from Step 1

Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter mixture, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla extract.

Beat for about 1 minute until everything is well combined and the mixture looks smooth and slightly pale.

I like to use pure vanilla extract here rather than imitation—it really makes a difference in the final flavor of these cookies.

Step 3: Mix Dry Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.

Whisking the dry ingredients together ensures the leavening agents are evenly distributed throughout the dough, which gives you consistent rise and texture in every cookie.

This step takes just a minute but makes a noticeable difference.

Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

• wet mixture from Step 2
• dry ingredient mixture from Step 3

Add the dry ingredient mixture from Step 3 to the creamed mixture from Step 2, stirring until just combined.

Don’t overmix—stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.

Overmixing develops gluten and can make the cookies tough rather than tender.

Step 5: Chill the Dough

• dough from Step 4

Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).

Chilling the dough prevents excessive spreading during baking and helps the flavors develop.

While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your cinnamon-sugar coating.

Step 6: Prepare the Festive Coating

• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup colorful sugar sprinkles

Mix the freshly ground cinnamon with the colorful sugar sprinkles in a shallow bowl or small dish.

Set this aside near your workspace.

I like to use freshly ground cinnamon rather than pre-ground because it has so much more aromatic punch—it really elevates these cookies and makes them taste homemade in the best way.

Step 7: Shape and Coat the Cookies

• chilled dough from Step 5
• cinnamon-sprinkle coating from Step 6

Scoop the chilled dough into 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls and roll each ball in the cinnamon-sprinkle mixture from Step 6 until well coated.

Place the coated balls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

The spacing is important—these cookies do spread a bit during baking and you want them to stay as individual cookies, not merge into one another.

Step 8: Bake and Cool

Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underbaked—this keeps them chewy on the inside.

Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies will continue to bake slightly from residual heat, so don’t overbake them or they’ll become dry.

Classic Christmas Snickerdoodles

Delicious Classic Christmas Snickerdoodles recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 4 hours hrs 13 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs 28 minutes mins

Total Time 12 hours hrs 41 minutes mins

Servings 4

Calories 3500 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the dough:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (pure vanilla preferred)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur all-purpose flour)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup butter (softened to room temperature)
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

For the coating:

• 2 tsp cinnamon (freshly ground for best flavor)
• 1/4 cup colorful sugar sprinkles (or festive holiday sprinkles for Christmas theme)

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. This creaming process incorporates air into the dough, which helps the cookies rise and creates a tender crumb. Make sure your butter is truly softened to room temperature—cold butter won't incorporate properly and you'll end up with dense cookies.
• Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter mixture, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla extract. Beat for about 1 minute until everything is well combined and the mixture looks smooth and slightly pale. I like to use pure vanilla extract here rather than imitation—it really makes a difference in the final flavor of these cookies.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Whisking the dry ingredients together ensures the leavening agents are evenly distributed throughout the dough, which gives you consistent rise and texture in every cookie. This step takes just a minute but makes a noticeable difference.
• Add the dry ingredient mixture from Step 3 to the creamed mixture from Step 2, stirring until just combined. Don't overmix—stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixing develops gluten and can make the cookies tough rather than tender.
• Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours). Chilling the dough prevents excessive spreading during baking and helps the flavors develop. While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your cinnamon-sugar coating.
• Mix the freshly ground cinnamon with the colorful sugar sprinkles in a shallow bowl or small dish. Set this aside near your workspace. I like to use freshly ground cinnamon rather than pre-ground because it has so much more aromatic punch—it really elevates these cookies and makes them taste homemade in the best way.
• Scoop the chilled dough into 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls and roll each ball in the cinnamon-sprinkle mixture from Step 6 until well coated. Place the coated balls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The spacing is important—these cookies do spread a bit during baking and you want them to stay as individual cookies, not merge into one another.
• Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underbaked—this keeps them chewy on the inside. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to bake slightly from residual heat, so don't overbake them or they'll become dry.