Sugar and Spice: Snickerdoodles

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Everyone has their favorite dessert. My dad loves German Chocolate cake (coconut creeps me out, which is why it's HIS favorite dessert not mine). My mom always wants root beer floats on her birthday. Me? Give me a good chocolate chip cookie and I'm yours.

My younger sister's favorite? 

Snickerdoodles.

Now don't get me wrong, I like snickerdoodles fine, they just don't light me up. However, as recipes go, this one is excellent, not only because it's pretty easy, but because by rolling the snickerdoodles in cinnamon sugar, they retain all that lovely winter/fall taste and have an excellent texture and visual appeal.

 Details after the jump!

Hardware:

cookie sheets

parchment paper or baking mats

large bowl (or electric mixer)

small bowl (for dry ingredients)

                    Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt


8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature


1 ½ cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus

2 large eggs

Topping: ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400°, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.

GOT YOUR MIS EN PLACE?

(Good.)

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine.

Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine. If needed, chill the dough until the dough can be formed into tablespoon sized balls.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and ground cinnamon. I didn't put a limit on the cinnamon, just give it enough shakes (and taste it) and stop when you hit whatever level of cinnamon-y sugary goodness you want. Semi-relatedly, look at my adorable bowl!

Use a small ice-cream scoop* to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar until covered.

Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after five minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about five minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack.

Verdict: 

Delicious! If you slightly under-bake them (keep a eye until they just crack) they will keep the moist, chewy toothsome feel when you bite into them. They keep for about a week if out of the air--or less, if you happen to bring them to your pick up ultimate frisbee game with a team full of hungry engineers.

Snickerdoodleomnomnom.