For this week’s recipe, I thought I would go with something simple and fun that I haven’t done in a while. Plus, snickerdoodles are cookies you can’t go wrong with. They can be done in an instant, as long as you have the two most important ingredients: cream of tartar and vegetable shortening. These are two ingredients that I have that I have not use for any other recipe besides snickerdoodles.
They’re easy to make, require no extra refrigeration, and taste very fluffy. I made the mistake once of making these cookies without the cream of tartar, and trust me, it makes all the difference in the texture of the cookie.
Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
- 1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed (1 1/2 cups for the main dough, 1/4 cup to combine with cinnamon)
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
- 2 large eggs
Directions:
- Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
- Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine.
- Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.
Michael Makes 