Snickerdoodles

As I have said before in this blog, my mother made a set of cookbooks for my brother and I years ago.  This is one of my favorites.  I have tripled what the recipe calls for since the original recipe only makes about one and a half dozen.  Around here, that just simply is not enough!  This recipe makes about 4 dozen.  If that is too much for you, you can freeze the cookies for later or freeze the dough in batches until you are ready to use it.

Snickerdoodles

2  1/4 c. sugar
3 sticks butter
3 eggs
1  1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4  1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
4 TB sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream sugar and butter together.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and beat until all ingredients are incorporated.  Combine cinnamon and sugar in a quart-sized plastic bag.  Shape dough into one inch round balls.  Place one or two balls at a time in the plastic bag and shake to coat.  Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

I usually just add my dry ingredients to my creamed mixture without sifting, but you can sift if you like.  I also like my Snickerdoodles soft and chewy so I will cook them for the lesser amount of time.  If you like more of a crisp cookies like my mother does, cook them for the longer time.

I did a little research on the origin of the Snickerdoodle.  It seems there are several possible origins for the cookie.  The cookies, at my house, seem to make us snicker and laugh.

We host a Lifegroup (bible study) at our house every week, and I made these one night when it was my snack night.  As people when getting ready to head out the door, I suggested to a friend that she take some Snickerdoodles home with her.  She is an avid coffee drinker, and I told her they would be great with her morning coffee.  She proceeded to shake her head vehemently no.  At the same time, however, she lifted her scarf to cover the moving of her mouth, and I heard the word, “Yes,” come from behind the veil of her scarf.  We had a good laugh over that.  This morning, as I was taking my Snickerdoodle picture, Carl kept trying to pick cookies off of my plate while I was taking the picture.  As I tried to fight him off, he dropped most of the papers he was holding, and we found ourselves laughing.  Never underestimate the power of a Snickerdoodle to make you snicker.  I hope you and your family get a laugh or two around a plate of Snickerdoodles too.