Sunday, August 28, 2011

Snickerdoodles - Cookies and Bars (Betty Crocker)

Well, since my house seems to have made it through Irene with our power intact, I thought I would put up a post I've been working on since baking this past week.  Snickerdoodles are a scrumptious "sugar" cookie, covered in cinnamon sugar.  This is one of those cookies my family grew up making often, so it definitely reminds me of home.  And what better way to spend an hour on a rainy day then enjoy a cozy reminder of home?

For this recipe, I do not use my own, but a trusty friend's recipe.  I'm sure you've heard of her . . . Betty Crocker.  I might be her biggest fan -- because she's usually completely right on all fronts!! :)  Here is a link to her Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe that I will be following for this post.

So I pulled out my best friend . . .

(the most important appliance in my kitchen . . . )

And started to put together the ingredients.  You start with the softened butter, sugar and eggs . . . 


. . . cream them together until well-mixed on speed 2 (or by hand until it looks similar to the picture).  I prefer the mixers for creaming butter just because of their ability to break the butter into small pieces without making it too soft.


Then take all of the dry ingredients, add them together in a bowl, and whisk them together.  Turn your mixer back on speed two and add the ingredients slowly 1/2 C at a time until completely combined.  



. . . it should look something like this.  

This next step is just personal preference, but I like the fact that my cookies turn out nice and circular when I do this so I take it . . . refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour.  You can completely skip this step and go to the next stage to bake the cookies if you would prefer.  If you refrigerate, make sure you cover it in plastic wrap.


Once you are ready to begin, prepare your "rolling" bowl with 1/4 C sugar and 3 teaspoons of cinnamon well-mixed.  I usually just use a small cereal bowl for this as you can really only roll two cookies at a time.  Scoop out a teaspoon of cookie dough at a time, and roll it in your hands to form a smooth ball.  Drop in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll the dough around until entirely covered.



Put the rolled balls of dough about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets.  


And place in a oven preheated to 400 degrees F.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.  


They should be much puffier and prettier than these, but the basic look is the same . . . slightly cracked, and loaded with cinnamon-sugar goodness.  Apparently my baking soda was not the best . . . I have switched from store brand to Arm and Hammer since then, which has fixed my rising problem. :)  Remove them after 2 minutes of cooling and continue to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy warm or cool . . . both ways are extremely satisfying! :)

And if you don't feel like cookies, but cookie-bars are more your speed -- try this recipe for Snickerdoodle Bars.  I did . . . and they were amazing . . . here's some pictures just to bait your taste buds.




So, if you have power this weekend on the East Coast and want a taste of home (or just cinnamon) - try one of these.  You won't be disappointed!!

Happy Baking!

*The recipe referred to on this blog post are not my own, but are solely the property of the Betty Crocker company.















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