Darling Sister,
Last night, when my husband was begging for cookies and I just couldn’t be bothered to pull out all the doodads needed to make his favorites (pecan, oatmeal, and dark chocolate delights), I compromised by making snickerdoodles. As I was putting them in the oven no more than 10 minutes after the inspiration struck, I thanked the cookie gods for a perfect sugar cookie recipe like this one. I’ve made ‘nilla wafers’ before by omitting the rolled-in-sugar part; you can make more of a stand-up cake-like cookie by freezing the dough rounds and baking them from frozen; made as written they come out thinnish and tender inside, with a snap around the edges and a sugary crunch.
I know you don’t feel much like baking lately, which is the perfect mood for snickerdoodles – they take barely any time at all!
Sweetly yours,
Sister
This recipe is adapted just a pinch from this one by Deb Perlman.
Snickerdoodles
Makes 2 dozen adult-sized cookies.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to beat 2-3 minutes until fluffy:
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature (or straight from the fridge and microwaved 10 seconds)
- 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
Use a spatula to scrape the bowl down before adding (with the mixer running at medium-low):
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix until smooth, then scrape the bowl again. Turn the mixer on low and add:
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
Mix until just combined.
Use a small scoop or two spoons to form balls of dough. If you want a classic snickerdoodle, roll those balls in a cinnamon-sugar mix (I used 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/3 cup granulated sugar) before placing on a cookie sheet and flattening with your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are rippled and set, but the insides are still puffy and quite tender when touched. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
