The Seventh Day of Christmas Cookies: Snickerdoodles (America's Test Kitchen)

Few cookies evoke happier memories for me than snickerdoodles. First it was my friend Sean’s mother who made them for us in the halcyon days of sleepovers and the 8-bit Nintendo. And then it was Michelle surprising me with 2 or 3 dozen of these cookies on my birthday – less than two months after we married (she baked those cookies while I was working an early morning custodial job and had given me the impression she’d only made one batch, having hidden the extra 2+ dozen for me to find later in the day).

I love how snickerdoodles seem to melt in your mouth, and how they’re light enough that I could probably eat a dozen at a time if I’m not careful.  

These days I use the America’s Test Kitchen recipe rather faithfully.

Snickerdoodles (America’s Test Kitchen)

1 3/4 cups sugar

1        tablespoon cinnamon

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2        teaspoons cream of tartar

1        teaspoon baking soda

1/2    teaspoon salt

8        tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2    cup vegetable shortening

2        large eggs

Directions

1.       Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ¼ cup of sugar and the cinnamon in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

2.       Beat the butter, shortening, and remaining 1.5 cups sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3.       Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.

4.       Using wet hands (or for me a 2 tablespoon size ice cream scoop), roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll the cinnamon sugar to coat and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2.5 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown, but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes (10 for me), rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

5.       Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.