Snickerdoodles

My kids like to have bedtime snacks.  I swear they think that if they don't have one, they will not survive the night.  It's kind of like how if they have to pick up their toys without help, their appendages just might fall off.  Kids are funny.  Anyway, I was tending to the needs of my newest addition, and I told my husband that my daughter wanted yogurt and granola for her bedtime snack.  He looked at me and asked, "How do you make that?"  Befuddled, I looked at him and said, "Seriously? It's yogurt and granola."  We both started laughing.  It's like asking , "Hey... What's in eggs and toast?" "How do you make peaches and cream?"  "Do you happen to know what is in macaroni and cheese?"  Anywho- I got a kick out of that.

On to these morsels of happiness.  If you enjoy snickerdoodles, this is a fantastic recipe.  They come out rather flat, but they are the perfect amount of chewiness.  Man alive- they are tasty!

 Snickerdoodles
Source: America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook

1 3/4 c sugar
1 T cinnamon
2 1/2 c flour
2 t cream of tartar
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
8 T unsalted butter
1/2 c vegetable shortening
2 lg eggs

Preheat oven to 375.

In a bowl, combine 1/4 c sugar and the cinnamon.  Set aside.

 Whisk together the flour, cream or tartar, baking soda, and salt.

 In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 c sugar until it is light and fluffy- 3 to 6 minutes. 

 Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

 Mix in the flour mixture.

 Beautiful, and delicious, dough- not that I would ever sample cookie dough while making it.

 With wet hands, take about 2 T in your hand and roll into a ball. 

 Plop the dough into the cinnamon sugar mixture and roll it around to coat completely.

 Place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. 

 Bake them 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.  As you can see, they puff out quite a bit. 

 Serve with a glass of milk for some happy campers. 

Yum.