Heather says:
I took today off, but Malia was kind enough to send in her recipe and instructions for snickerdoodles; just the name makes me grin. Malia is currently on break from her blog Live.Laugh.Love, but she can be found at Music City Bloggers where she is a contributing author.
Snickerdoodles
While the origins of the cookie and its name have a varied history this cookie, no matter what you call it, is a quintessential crowd pleaser. The dough can be refrigerated for a day or two as a make ahead recipe and these cookies freeze well. Make some now and save them for holiday parties/consumption.
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup stick butter, softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions after the jump.
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Heat oven to 400 degrees.
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Mix the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda & salt, together in a separate bowl.
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Cream together the 1 ½ cups sugar, butter & shortening. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. -
Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir together into a soft, slightly formed dough.
(Depending on the humidity in your home, your dough may be a bit sticky. That’s fine, the cookies will still turn out just right, just makes forming them a bit messier. If you’re so inclined, you can work a bit more flour – no more than a couple of tablespoons should do – into the dough to lessen the stickiness.) -
Mix the ¼ cup sugar with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape the dough into balls, approximately 1 ¼ inch in size. Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. (Be sure to dispose of any leftover cinnamon-sugar. You’ve just rolled raw cookie dough in it, believe me, it’s not suitable for your cinnamon toast tomorrow morning!) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. You’ll want to place them at least an inch to 2 inches apart since they will spread out while baking.
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Bake 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should have flattened out and the edges should be ever so slightly brown. The middle will appear to be under cooked but that is fine! Take them out of the oven and let them rest for a few minutes. They will finish baking as they cool down and create a nice crisp outer texture with a soft middle. You do not want to overbake these cookies. I set my kitchen timer for 8 minutes, which is usually not long enough but I want to check their progress at that point. Usually it takes between 10-12 minutes for these cookies (in my oven) to be done just right! Be sure to watch them closely to get a feel for how long they take in your oven.
Cream together the 1 ½ cups sugar, butter & shortening. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
(Depending on the humidity in your home, your dough may be a bit sticky. That’s fine, the cookies will still turn out just right, just makes forming them a bit messier. If you’re so inclined, you can work a bit more flour – no more than a couple of tablespoons should do – into the dough to lessen the stickiness.)
Bake 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should have flattened out and the edges should be ever so slightly brown. The middle will appear to be under cooked but that is fine! Take them out of the oven and let them rest for a few minutes. They will finish baking as they cool down and create a nice crisp outer texture with a soft middle. You do not want to overbake these cookies. I set my kitchen timer for 8 minutes, which is usually not long enough but I want to check their progress at that point. Usually it takes between 10-12 minutes for these cookies (in my oven) to be done just right! Be sure to watch them closely to get a feel for how long they take in your oven.*The recipe I use indicates that if you’re using self-rising flour, omit cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Personally, I’d suggest not using self-rising flour. It’s of my opinion that cream of tartar is the “secret” ingredient for Snickerdoodles. While cream of tartar does have chemical properties, like Heather mentioned in this post, it’s also a seasoning that adds a flavor that is distinctive to Snickerdoodles.
