The Ricco Kitchen

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Snickerdoodles are delicious sugar-like cookies rolled in cinnamon and sugar. They usually have a little bit of cream of tartar in them which balances nicely with the cinnamon. I use baking powder and therefore did not use cream of tarter because it is usually added to react with baking soda. Using baking powder is like baking soda and cream of tartar in one! However, for a true Snickerdoodle, you should add a tsp of cream of tartar I also like soft chewy cookies, but Snickerdoodles can be crisp too.

So Snickerdoodles you say? What kind of a name is that? I did some snooping around and thanks to Wikipedia, I have a possible answer! Snickerdoodles are most likely German and the name perhaps comes from a mispronunciation of Schneckennudeln, or cinnamon-dusted sweet rolls called “snail dumplings.” The German word Schnecke means a snail-like shape. Well there’s some fun trivia…but on to the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Shortening
• 1 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 3 cups All Purpose Flour (sifted)
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Coating

• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 tbsp White Sugar

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Cream together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups white sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt (and cream of tartar if you want to use any, about 1-2 tsps is enough).

I like to add a little vanilla…it’s not in most traditional recipes, but who doesn’t love vanilla extract?

Slowly add the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Pausing to stir 2-3 times.

Once the dough is mixed , you can stick it in the fridge for 10 or so minutes while you clean up. You can butter 2 baking pans, too.

Then, mix the 2 tsp of cinnamon and 2 tbsp of sugar in a small bowl.

Take the dough out of the fridge and scoop it into 1″ balls. Toll between the palms of your hands and then coat in sugar.

Twelve fit nicely on a baking sheet!

Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and a knife comes out of the center of a cookie clean.

Look at the cinnamony goodness! Enjoy!