Air fryer snickerdoodles taste amazing, with a crackly top and lots of cinnamon flavor. This classic cookie recipe is easy to make in the air fryer! It is the perfect cookie when you want to make delicious cookies from scratch for a simple treat.
Snickerdoodles are similar to traditional sugar cookies, but with a tangier flavor and more cinnamon! There is no need to chill the dough so you can be enjoying these simple cookies in minutes.
My family loves these air fryer cookies and yours will too! Serve them with a big glass of milk for dunking and have fun baking homemade cookies without ever turning on the oven.
Love to bake in the air fryer? Find more air fryer cookie recipes! Make air fryer chocolate chip cookies and air fryer M&M cookies!
Key Ingredients
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
Sugar – These use both white and brown sugar. Including some brown sugar helps make give them a chewy texture.
Cream of tartar – Cream of tartar is crucial both as a leavening agent that helps the cookies rise and for adding a little bit of tangy flavor. The slightly acidic flavor is classic for snickerdoodles. You can make cinnamon sugar cookies without cream of tartar, but they won’t be a snickerdoodle cookie!
Cinnamon – These use cinnamon both in the dough and for rolling the dough in before baking. This makes them smell amazing as they bake!
The remaining ingredients are baking staples including butter, vanilla, egg, flour, baking soda, and salt.
How to Make Air Fryer Snickerdoodle Cookies
1. Make Dough
Combine the butter and both white sugar and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Then beat in the egg and vanilla.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and cinnamon. Then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture 1/2 a cup at a time. Beat after each addition until all of the dry ingredients are mixed in.
2. Roll the Dough
Combine 1/4 cup of granulated sugar with a tablespoon of cinnamon in a small bowl and mix.
Then use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out balls of dough. If you don’t have a cookie scoop then use a tablespoon to scoop out about 2 tablespoons of dough for 1-inch balls.
Roll the dough between your hands until it is round. Then roll the ball of dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
3. Air fry
Preheat the air fryer at 325 degrees F for 3 minutes. Once it is preheated put a sheet of parchment paper in the basket. You can buy pre-cut parchment paper for many brands of air fryers, or cut some to size.
Place the cookie dough in the air fryer basket, keeping them spaced about 1 inch apart. The recipe makes 24 cookies, so you will have to cook them in batches. Or you can just make one batch and freeze the rest of the dough! Freezing directions are here.
Air fry at 325 F for 7 minutes. Then take the basket out and let the cookies sit for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
You want to slightly underbake these so they will be soft and chewy. Snickerdoodles aren’t supposed to be crispy! Cool them on a wire rack while you make more batches of cookies.
How to Store
These air fryer snickerdoodles keep for 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze these air fryer cookies.
To freeze them make sure they are completely cool, then pack them into a freezer-safe container. They will keep for 2-3 months in the freezer. Leave them at room temperature to thaw.
Freezing the Dough
If you want to make only a single batch of snickerdoodles you can easily freeze them to bake later.
- Make the dough balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar.
- Flatten them slightly, by pushing down with your fingers, since the cookies won’t rise quite as well when frozen.
- Freeze them flat on a tray overnight, then put them in a freezer bag.
- When you are ready to bake them preheat the air fryer at 325 F for 2 minutes. Then bake the frozen cookies for 8-9 minutes.
FAQ
Yes, preheating is important when baking air fryer cookies. They will not bake as evenly if you skip this step.
Cream of tartar provides some of the distinctive snickerdoodle taste since it adds a tangy taste to these classic cookies. Without cream of tartar you will have a tasty sugar cookie, but not a snickerdoodle.
Key Tips for This Recipe
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
Make sure you have cream of tartar before you start.
Preheat the air fryer before baking the cookies.
Use parchment paper in the air fryer, but don’t put it in while you preheat the air fryer. Without cookies to weight it down it can fly up to the heating element.
Snickerdoodles are supposed to be soft and chewy, so they will probably look a little bit undercooked when you take them out.
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Air Fryer Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 3/4 cup flour
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl beat together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until creamy.1 egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon.1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 3/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture half a cup at a time. Beat after each addition until all the dry ingredients are mixed in.
- In a separate shallow bowl, combine the 1/2 cup white sugar with the cinnamon.1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Use a medium cookie scoop to make the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the dough with your hands to make it round.
- Roll the cookie dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to fully coat it.
- Preheat your air fryer to 325°F for 3 minutes.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, place a piece of parchment paper in it.
- Add the snickerdoodle dough balls to the basket. The number that will fit depends on the size and shape of your air fryer. Don't crowd them and make sure to leave at least 1 inch between dough balls.
- Air fry at 325°F for 7 minutes. Air fryer times vary, but you want the cookies to have brown edges and look just slightly underdone in the middle. Pull the basket out and let the cookies cool in it for 1-2 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack and bake another batch of cookies.
- Store them in an airtight container for up to five days.
Notes
- Preheat the air fryer before baking the snickerdoodles.
- Use parchment paper in the air fryer, but don’t put it in while you preheat the air fryer. Without cookies to weight it down it can fly up to the heating element.
- Snickerdoodles are supposed to be soft and chewy, so they will probably look a little bit undercooked when you take them out.
To Freeze the Cookie Dough
- Make the dough balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar.
- Flatten them slightly, by pushing down with your fingers, since the cookies won’t rise quite as well when frozen.
- Freeze them flat on a tray overnight, then put them in a freezer bag.
- When you are ready to bake them preheat the air fryer at 325 F for 2 minutes. Then add parchment paper and the frozen cookies and bake them for 8-9 minutes.
To Bake these in the Oven
You can bake these in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cover the baking sheets with parchment paper and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 10 minutes before removing them to wire racks.As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
