Snickerdoodles

First off, last week I started my food technology program. Sadly, this means I won't have a lot of time to update my food blog, and to read other people's blogs. I really love having a food blog though so I'm going to try to keep all this up. Unfortunately my posts will be more infrequent and probably shorter. And most likely I'll be posting about baked goods or quick, healthy and easy to make vegetarian meals. Anyway, on to the food!

I made snickerdoodles not too long ago, and discovered that they are the most delicious cookies ever in existence. Ever ever ever. Okay after writing that I had to go through the list of all the cookies I've had that have stood out (and for those of you that don't know, I am an extreme cookie lover). There are some other cookies that have been extremely delicious, but these snickerdoodles kind of blew me away with how addictively tasty they were, and are now definitely in the top rankings for cookies.

I've always wanted to make snickerdoodles, but for various reasons never did. One day I felt like making cookies, looked through my trusty Martha Stewart cookie magazine, saw these, and knew they were it. They're simple cookies so it's very likely that you have all of the ingredients in your house already (butter, sugar, cinnamon). I think it's probably key to use butter and not margarine in these cookies, to get the delicious soft butter cookie. You roll them into little balls and then coat them in cinnamon sugar before baking them. When I make cookies I always end up with less than what the recipe says I will, but with these cookies, possibly for the first time ever or at least one of the very rare times, I got more cookies. I made the first 20 or so pretty small, but then got tired of rolling balls near the end so made them a bit bigger.

When they first came out of the oven, they had slightly crispy outsides and perfectly soft cookie insides. I thought after cooling, they would become completely soft as a lot of cookies seem to, but they retained some of their outer crispiness. It was incredibly difficult to stop myself from eating all of them. I know I'll be making these again. I want them to be one of the cookies I make this Christmas for sure.

Snickerdoodles
(from Martha's Holiday Cookies 2005)

makes about 20 (or 40, if you make the balls very small)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs

2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

2. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 20 (1 3/4-inch) balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes.