Snickerdoodles

By davidgoodman

A snickerdoodle is a soft sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. It has a characteristic crackly surface, and can be made crisp of soft depending on your preference. This recipe makes a classic soft cookie. Some variants including adding nutmeg (this one does), raisins, chocolate chips or nuts.

It has been speculated that "snick" may be a reference to St. Nicholas. Alternatively The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word for "snail dumplings" (Schneckennudelhn). Another theory is that they originated in Norway. A simple cookie with complex roots!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Flour
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/8 heaping tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Egg
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Finely grated lemon or orange zest
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• Butter to grease pans

Preparation

Step 1

1. Brush 2 cookie sheets with melted butter.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg into a bowl and mix well. Beat 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla lemon zest. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add the flour mixture and mix well. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes. 2. Combine 2 Tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Shape just enough of the dough by teaspoonfuls into 1-inch balls to fill the prepared cookie sheets, leaving the remaining dough in the refrigerator. Roll the balls in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with a glass.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or just until the cookies begin to brown around the edges. Cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 4. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture, preparing the cookie sheets as directed before baking each batch of cookies.