Snickerdoodles

 

 

 

 

 

Snickerdoodle is an awesome word.  No one can say for certain from where it came; some food historians believe that these cinnamon-sugar treats originated in Germany and are derived from the word schneckennudeln, which is a cinnamon sweet roll, while others maintain that they came from New England, where some enterprising baker made up the word because it sounded fun.

Regardless of their origin, snickerdoodles are easy to make.  Essentially a soft sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar before baking, these bakery staples will fill your kitchen with the warm, comforting aroma of cinnamon.  As I prefer soft cookies, I recommend baking these for 10-11 minutes only, until they are just golden brown at the edges; any longer and you’ll have more of a crunchy, snap-like cookie.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour

For the cinnamon-sugar coating:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

Add egg and vanilla and beat well.

Add flour and beat well, until a soft dough forms.

Cover and chill dough for one hour; remove dough while oven is pre-heating to soften just slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon for coating.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls, then roll in cinnamon-sugar mix.

Place on cookie sheet about two inches apart; bake for 10-11 minutes until edges are just golden brown.

Cool for 2-3 minutes on cookie sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.