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These Thick and Chewy Cinnamon Sugar Cookies are everything you want in a homemade cookie—soft and tender in the center, lightly crisp around the edges, and coated in sweet cinnamon sugar. With cinnamon in both the dough and the coating, every bite is packed with warm, cozy flavor.
Cream of tartar helps create their signature chewy texture, while a generous roll in cinnamon sugar before baking gives them a beautiful crackly finish. Made with simple pantry ingredients, these cookies are easy enough for everyday baking but special enough for holiday cookie trays and gifting.
If you love classic homemade cookies, be sure to try my No Chill Sugar Cookies, Molasses Cookies, and Peanut Butter Blossoms next. For even more holiday baking inspiration, browse my full Christmas Cookie Recipes collection.
✨ Before You Begin
✨ Plan ahead for chilling time. The dough needs to chill before baking to create the thick, chewy texture that makes these cookies so irresistible.
✨ Use properly softened butter. Softened butter creams more easily with the sugar and helps create a lighter, more tender cookie.
✨ Don’t skip the cinnamon-sugar coating. Rolling the dough generously in cinnamon sugar gives these cookies their signature flavor and crackly finish.
✨ Avoid overbaking. The cookies should look set around the edges but still slightly soft in the center when they come out of the oven.
Ingredients + Key Notes
Flour: All-purpose flour provides the structure for these cookies while still keeping them soft and tender. Be sure to measure using the scoop-and-level method to avoid dry cookies.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is the star of the show here. It’s mixed into both the dough and the cinnamon-sugar coating for warm flavor in every bite.
Cream of Tartar: This classic ingredient helps create the thick, chewy texture that makes these cookies so irresistible. It also adds the subtle tang often associated with snickerdoodle-style cookies.
Baking Soda: Works with the cream of tartar to give the cookies their soft texture and gentle rise.
Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the dough and creates the signature cinnamon-sugar coating that forms a lightly crisp exterior.
Butter: Softened butter adds rich flavor and helps create the tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Eggs: Bind the dough together while contributing moisture and richness.
Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and depth that complements the cinnamon beautifully.
🥣 How To Make Thick and Chewy Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
Make the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, then gradually mix in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Chill the dough. Scoop the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Roll in cinnamon sugar. Stir together the remaining cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Roll each dough ball in the mixture until completely coated.
Chill again. Return the coated dough balls to the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This second chill helps create the thick, chewy texture and prevents excessive spreading.
Bake. Arrange the dough balls on baking sheets, leaving space between each cookie. Bake until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set.
Cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
⭐ Pro Tips
⭐ Measure flour correctly. Use the scoop-and-level method rather than scooping directly from the flour container. Too much flour can lead to dry, dense cookies.
⭐ Use room-temperature eggs. Room-temperature eggs blend more easily into the dough and help create a smoother texture.
⭐ Don’t skip the chilling time. Chilling the dough helps prevent spreading and creates the thick, chewy texture these cookies are known for.
⭐ Shape the dough before chilling. Scooping and rolling the dough before refrigerating is much easier than working with fully chilled dough later.
⭐ Watch the bake time carefully. For the softest cookies, remove them from the oven when the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
Store: Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay soft and chewy and make a great make-ahead treat.
Freeze Baked Cookies: Place completely cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Freeze Cookie Dough: Roll the dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Make Ahead: The cookie dough can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking.
FAQs About Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
◆ Are cinnamon sugar cookies the same as snickerdoodles?
They’re very similar, and many people use the names interchangeably. Both cookies are rolled in cinnamon sugar and use cream of tartar for their signature chewy texture. These cookies are thicker and packed with cinnamon flavor in both the dough and the coating.
◆ Why do cinnamon sugar cookies use cream of tartar?
Cream of tartar helps create the soft, chewy texture these cookies are known for. It also adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness and works with the baking soda to give the cookies their classic texture.
◆ Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes! The dough can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking. You can also freeze the shaped dough balls for longer storage.
◆ Can I freeze cinnamon sugar cookies?
Absolutely. Store baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
◆ Why did my cookies spread too much?
The most common cause is skipping or shortening the chilling time. Chilling helps solidify the butter, which keeps the cookies thick and chewy as they bake.
More Holiday Cookie Favorites
Christmas Sugar Cookies – Soft, buttery holiday cookies that are perfect for decorating and cookie exchanges.
Italian Christmas Cookies – Soft, festive Italian cookies topped with sweet glaze and colorful sprinkles.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies – Rich chocolate cookies with beautiful crackled tops and a snowy powdered sugar finish.
Spritz Cookies – Buttery, classic holiday cookies that are perfect for decorating and gifting.
Chocolate Christmas Cookies – A holiday favorite packed with rich chocolate flavor.
Tried This Recipe?
I’d love to hear how these Thick and Chewy Cinnamon Sugar Cookies turned out in your kitchen! Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating below to let me know what you think.
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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy baking, friends! ❤️ Kathleen
Thick And Chewy Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon divided
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups sugar divided
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, cream of tartar (2 teaspoons), baking soda (1 teaspoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon) in a bowl; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 1/2 cup sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed, until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs (2) and vanilla (2 teaspoons) and mix until combined. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture at low speed.
- Using a medium cookie scoop shape dough into 1-inch balls. Arrange on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Roll the balls of dough in cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Bake 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Flour: For best results use the "scoop and level method" to measure your flour. Never scoop the flour out of the bag with the measuring cup. This compacts the flour and you end up with more flour than is called for in the recipe. This can lead to dry cookies!!
- Cinnamon: Has a woody, slightly sweet, flavor with highlights of citrus.
- Cream of Tartar: Creates the cinnamon sugar cookies chewy soft texture.
- Eggs: Bring eggs to room temperature. They blend into the dough much better. If you forget to set them out, this article will tell you how to bring them to room temperature quickly.
Nutrition
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This is the best cinnamon sugar cookie recipe ever! I baked them for the first time last year for Christmas and now all my family talks about is how good those cookies were so today 4/13/22 I am baking them for the Easter weekend.
OMG, Rain! Thank you so much! I’m so happy it was a hit! 🙂
So excited to bake these, a regular customer where I work at baked some of these an brought them in to us an they tasted DELICIOUS made me google the recipe an now I’ll be baking them for Christmas to take to family! Thanks for sharing
You’re so welcome Angel! I hope you and your family enjoy them. Merry Christmas!
Can you stuff a caramel in them then roll and bake?
Hi, Doreen. I haven’t tried that. Maybe you can try that to 2-4 cookies first and bake them. If it works, add it to the rest of the dough. Hope this helps!
This looks REALLY good! I am beyond excited to try this!
Yay, I’m so happy you like these cookies, Juliane! Enjoy baking 🙂
This was a great recipe! They were beautiful and taste really good. To add more warm flavors, I added 1/2 tsp of each: ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger. Good job with the recipe!??
Thanks, Sienna. I’m happy you enjoyed them!
I want to make these cookies but I’m a little confused about the sugar. Should I use 1 1/2 cups while creaming the butter and the remaining 1/4 for rolling, or am I misinterpreting?
Yes! Exactly Shirley. Sorry about the confusion <3
I agree. These are snickerdoodles— so yummy!
Thank you, Lulu!
Great recipe but it’s not a sugar cookie recipe. It’s a snicker doodle recipe, hence the cream of tartar and cinnamon sugar on the rolled balls, prior to cooking
I loooove cinnamon! The ingredients are so simple too! I need to try this!
Thank you, M! Enjoy baking! Let us know how it turns out 🙂
I made the dough and left them into fridge like you said before baking so they roll into balls easier
But they will not roll into balls because the dough is too sticky and I cannot work with it. I did everything step by step
Samantha, Gosh I’m so sorry. This recipe is a seriously a tried and true recipe. I can’t begin to imagine what went wrong!!!