Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles- I love that word. It's so happy and silly and carefree all at the same time. I love saying it. "Snickerdoodles... snickerdoodles... snickerdoodles." I've considered using it as the name of a bakery should I ever open one. Just a thought. The name is probably already taken... My biggest problem would be that by naming a bakery that, I'd have to make THE WORLD'S BEST snickerdoodles. And I can't claim that prize yet. In fact, I don't think I've ever actually made snickerdoodles before. I like them, and have eaten them, but I don't think I've ever made them. Until last Thursday.

I needed to take some cookies into one of my kid's classes, and I briefly debated another recipe my cousin had sent me and told me I "had to make it" (with the good butter) but I decided the recipe was too good to waste on a bunch of 11 and 12 year olds. So that recipe is on hold for a future date, and I decided it was as good of a time as any to experiment with Snickerdoodle recipes.

I found this recipe on the Internet- Allrecipes.com. The most comprehensive (and free) source of recipes out there. This one got pretty good reviews, so I gave it a shot. John said they were good, a little too crunchy for him, and he could "take 'em or leave 'em". I offered one to a teacher and friend I bumped into in the hallway at school, and she said they were perfect and "John doesn't know what he's talking about". (I warned her that I had never tried this recipe before and what John had said because she started saying things like "oh, I'm sure anything you make will just be wonderful" which makes me uncomfortable because the truth is that I have adequate skill in the kitchen coupled with great recipes.)

I think Christopher liked them a lot. He didn't say anything, but John found him stuck sitting on the stove next to the cooling rack of cookies, and at least a half a dozen were gone.

Snickerdoodles

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.