Snickerdoodles

For my first week here I thought I would make Q one of his favorite desserts. Unlike me, Q doesn’t have a distinct favorite, he says it varies between snickerdoodles and black and whites (I made those for when he came home for R&R from Afghanistan). So since snickerdoodles are MY favorite cookie, it was decided I would make those for Q to take into work!

I searched long and hard for recipes. At first I didn’t have cream of tartar which many recipes called for. (PS if you happen to be looking for cream of tartar in the condiments section of your grocery store, that is NOT the right place, look in the spice section instead. And it’s technically not a cream, it’s a powder…tricky names!) Once I purchased the cream of tartar I realized I actually didn’t need it for the recipe I was building. So if you happen to have spent 20 minutes looking for cream of tartar now you don’t need it. Drat.

Anyways, cream of tartar or not, this recipe is simple. No electric mixer, just a simple hand mix. Be very careful not to overmix (I was so careful I used my hands for the last few mixes). I chilled both my baking sheets and my batter before baking to make sure my cookies didn’t spread too fast (all that butter can tend to do that to cookies). And the result? These were truly some of the best snickerdoodles I’ve ever made. Soft, chewy, buttery cookies. Q brought them in to work at 5:30AM and they were all finished in a matter of seconds.

Snickerdoodles
makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspon vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar:
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Heat the oven to 425°F. Gently melt the butter in the microwave (or on a stove) and let it cool while you mix the dry ingredients.
Stir together the sugars, flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
Whisk the eggs into the cooled butter and add the vanilla.
Using a spatula, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just until it comes together, careful not to overmix. (When the dough is almost mixed, I used my hands for the last few mixes).
Refrigerate your dough and ungreased baking sheets (I used 3) for about 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a soup plate or shallow bowl, mix together the white sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Remove dough and baking sheets from the refrigerator. Form small 1 1/2-inch balls of dough and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Place them on the unlined, ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 7-9 minutes (until golden brown) then remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from TheKitchn