Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles have to be just about the most perfect cookie.  Simple ingredients, crispy around the edges, soft and chewy on the inside, and a simple dusting of cinnamon and sugar on the outside.  Good year around.

This recipe came from the Allrecipes magazine, but I do believe it's pretty universal with few if any changes.  What I love about this magazine are the reader's comments.  One suggestion I thought would be really helpful is to freeze the dough in the measured balls and then cook them as you need/want them (6 minutes at 400F, then 8+ minutes at 350F).

This is a great suggestion given that Snickerdoodles don't keep for long.  So unless you're making them for a group and have scheduled a pig-out session for yourself, you might want to give this a try!

SNICKERDOODLES (makes about 4 dozen cookies)

1 cup butter, softenend (or 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening)
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups AP flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cream together butter (and shortening, if using) and 1 1/2 cups sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.  Shape dough by rounded Tablespoons into balls.

Mix remaining 2 Tbsp sugar and the cinnamon.  Roll Balls of dough in mixture.  Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes, or until set but not too hard.  Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Recipe Source:  Allrecipes Magazine, December/January 2004, p. 39