You may snicker at the name, but Snickerdoodles are sure to be a hit
I was a teenager when my best friend introduced me to Snickerdoodles. I had never heard of such a thing and figured it was some sort of joke…you know, like Snipe Hunting….Who knew that something with such a funny name could taste so good? It’s like that one jam company that advertises that with a name like theirs, it has to be good. Butter cookies with a hint of nutmeg, rolled in cinnamon and sugar, Snickerdoodles are an explosion of sweet and spicy tastes in a crispy cookie. And when those scents combine while these cookies are in the oven, it’s just what a home should smell like.
It turns out that the name is probably German in origin (like the cookies themselves). It was a corruption of the word Schneckennudeln, which means something like “snail dumpling”. There aren’t any snails in this recipe, I can assure you. On the other hand, another source says, it just comes from the New England tradition of giving cookies whimsical names. I prefer to think it’s just a funny name.
They are perfect cookie to make when you’re baking with children because they use simple ingredients, you get to roll the dough in your hands (playing with food is always popular with kids) and even the most inexperienced baker can’t fail with this recipe.
When it was time to send a care package to our middle daughter, Amanda, off at college, Snickerdoodles were the first choice of cookie to remind her of home.
Try a batch, they are sure to be a hit.
Snickerdoodles
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
· In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of the sugar, butter, and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until its light and fluffy. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Beat it at low speed until it is a soft dough.
· Chill it for an hour.
· Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll small amounts of the dough into balls and dredge the balls in the cinnamon-sugar.
· Put the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart.
· Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden brown.
· Let the cookies cool for a minute before removing them from the cookie sheets and cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
· In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of the sugar, butter, and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until its light and fluffy. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Beat it at low speed until it is a soft dough.
· Chill it for an hour.
· Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll small amounts of the dough into balls and dredge the balls in the cinnamon-sugar.
· Put the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart.
· Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden brown.
· Let the cookies cool for a minute before removing them from the cookie sheets and cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
