Snickerdoodles
I love Sundays. For me and my crew, it means sleeping in a little (and my little, I really do mean a little... like 7 am little), going to church, and enjoying an afternoon of laziness, or walking to the park for a game of family basketball, or driving up the canyon, or most often, making something yummy in the kitchen.
While baking cakes with my kids tends to be a little stressful (there's typically more that can go wrong), baking cookies with them is one of my favorite things to do. Yesterday, we decided to try my mom's new favorite snickerdoodle recipe that she's been raving about (similar to my never-ending search for the best chocolate chip cookies, my mom has been on the hunt for the best snickerdoodle cookie recipe and I think she finally found it.)
This recipe uses vegetable shortening, in addition to butter, which helps give the cookie a nice crinkle look on top. It also uses cream of tartar, which adds to the flavor and lift of the cookie, so don't substitute it with baking powder. And, make sure to not over-bake them so you get a perfectly chewy texture in the middle, with a slight crunch on the outside.
These cookies are so easy to make. It's really a great recipe to make with your little ones. They will especially love rolling the cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar... and then licking their fingers :)
While eating the cookies last night, I had the idea of warming up some dulce de leche and adding a dollop to my cookie. Sometimes, I have truly brilliant ideas in the kitchen. This was one of those moments! Homemade salted caramel sauce drizzled on top would also be heavenly.
Snickerdoodles
Yield: 22-24 cookies
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups sugar (divided)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish.
2. Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a bowl of a stand mixing with a paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening and remaining 1 1/2 cup sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-6 minutes.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed.
5. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain.
6. Working with 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls. Working in batches, roll half the dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart. (I only put six cookies on each of my sheets.)
7. Bake one sheet at a time, until edges of the cookies are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking. (Cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone. That's what you want.)
8. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool to room temperature.