Christmas Cookie Countdown #6: Snickerdoodles

When I originally planned out what recipes I would include in my 8 weeks of Christmas cookies, I tried to keep things are varied as I could. Unfortunately, I realized too late that these snickerdoodles are pretty comparable to the delicious Swedish Christmas Cookies I posted about two weeks in. I think that snickerdoodles are traditionally a larger cookie than the Swedish kind and a bit more crunchy on the outside with some crumble, while the Swedish Christmas cookies are more doughy and soft. Though both are rolled in sugar before being baked off, the snickerdoodle's sugar mixture contains cinnamon, which gives them their signature taste. But their doughs have quite similar flavors (especially since I usually substitute cinnamon for the cardamom in the Swedish Christmas cookie dough), and for this near-repeat, I apologize.

Despite the similarities, I think both cookies stand up enough on their own that they each warrant baking. These snickerdoodles are such a comforting treat to me - reminiscent of my childhood for reasons I can't recall, each bite fills me with nostalgia and warmth. They're also the kind of cookie that screams out for milk. Maybe because they aren't super-moist or because they have more crunch too them than lots of other cookies. I'm not sure why but milk and snickerdoodles are the perfect combination (and probably a great one for the kids to leave as a treat for Santa too!)

I'm not sure where this recipe came from originally. I have a binder full of recipes (130-some pages actually) that I typed up and printed out ages ago, pulling dishes, baked goods, breads, sauces, and more from who knows how many sources. Looking back, I feel like it was largely a waste of time and energy. I could have much more easily found said recipes online and bookmarked them for future reference - they would have been much more organized and easy to find, and probably more accurate too. But at least the desserts binder holds some tried and true family recipes, and these snickerdoodles are one of them. I pretty much follow the recipe to a T because it is so easy and baker-friendly. Just keep in mind that these cookies will need lots of room to grow when you put them in the oven, so make sure there is plenty of space in between each on the baking sheet. Happy baking and enjoy these great holiday cookies!

Snickerdoodles

Cookie Dough Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

3. With handheld mixer, beat together shortening and butter.

4. Add the 1 1/2 cups of sugar and beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

6. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

7. Mix the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar together in a small bowl.

8. Roll the dough by hand into teaspoon-sized balls, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar before placing on unlined baking sheets. Press down on each dough ball until they are about 1/2-inch thick disks.

9. Bake until light brown but still moist in the center, about 12 minutes. 

10. Cool on racks. Enjoy!