Snickerdoodles

Is there really a more fun cookie name?  It's just the best.  And it's absolutely one of my must-have holiday cookies.  I'm not sure why, but that cinnamony flavor reminds me of winter, and the best part about winter is the holidays (and the cookies).

I found this recipe in the Penzey's Spices catalog several years ago.  I love Penzey's spices.  The quality is great, the prices are very good, and the flavors are amazing.  Plus, they have wonderful recipes showcasing various spices and how to incorporate new flavors into your meals in each of their catalogs and on their website.   I made very minor changes to how I combine the ingredients, and they are perfect every time.

Sinckerdoodles

3 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.  Cream butter, then add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer.  Add eggs, milk and vanilla, beating slowly after each addition, then beating well and scraping the bowl occasionally.  Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until combined.  Scrape the bowl to ensure all the flour is incorporated. 

This is a soft dough, so you may want to refrigerate it to make it easier to work with, but it's not necessary.  Because I often am making two (or more) recipes simultaneously, I have chilled it for 30 minutes to an hour and it's fine.  But I've also started baking it right away and still have been successful.  If you're making these is a warmer climate, it would probably be a good idea to chill the dough for a short time.

Form the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar.  Place on an ungreased or parchment/silicone lined cookie sheet.  Flatten with the bottom of a glass.

The flattening part is important.  Once I accidentally popped my cookie sheets it the oven without flattening (I simply forgot that step in my haste to get the sheets in the oven) and got Snickerballs.  The dough doesn't spread that much and while the Snickerballs were tasty, the texture was off.  I also have found that I prefer a certain type of glass.  I had been using a regular drinking glass, but though the cookies were getting too flat, and then too crispy in the oven.  So last year I switched to a standard shot glass, like this:

I forgot to take my own picture, so I borrowed this one
from http://www.crystalimagesinc.com/shotglass1.html

But I noticed that if I pressed too hard, I got the ring from the bottom of the glass as well as the imprint of "Made in the USA" on my cookies.  While this mostly baked out when the cookies puffed a bit, I wanted something different.  This year I spotted the perfect tool in the cabinet. 

It's called an over-under glass, and no, I didn't steal it.  Dave and I got them when we ordered from a certain shot menu at Dave & Buster's.  We haven't actually used them to make said shots at home, but they really are the perfect tool for flattening cookies!

Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges start to crack and turn lightly golden.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.  Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then move to complete cooling on rack.

Makes 7 1/2 dozen.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess