Snickerdoodles – A Cinnamon Sugar Cookie

I have never tried Snickerdoodles, and hadn’t even seen them before, so I decided to make them to see what they are like.  

A sweet sugar cookie that is flavoured with cinnamon sugar on the outside the recipe is very basic, and easy to make.  I did some research, checking various recipes and they all seem to be very much the same, with varying amounts of cinnamon and with some using cream of tartar while others don’t.

I must say that having made mine and tasted them I am won over to these deliciously light cookies. They are ideal with a nice cup of tea, with a crisp outside and a soft, chewy centre. I only used 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, giving a hint of cinnamon flavour.  If you want a bigger hit of cinnamon you may wish to double the amount used.

My recipe below will make at least 3 dozen, of the size I made, which was using a slightly heaped tablespoon of the dough for each one.  Using a level tablespoon would probably make about 4 dozen, if you prefer them a little smaller.

Ingredients:

• 226g softened unsalted butter
• 300g caster sugar(granulated is fine)
• 350g plain flour
• 2 medium eggs(large in USA)
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g granulated sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F
2. Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment.
3. Cream the butter and caster sugar together until they are nice and soft and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat in until combined.
5. Add the vanilla extract and beat that in as well.
6. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar together.
7. Then add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and beat until fully combined.
8. If the mixture is very soft(as it may be if the butter was very soft to start) place in the fridge to firmup a little.  This may take between 20 mins and an hour.
9. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together  until it is all even mixed.
10. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into balls, using about a slightly heaped tablespoon of dough.
11. Roll each ball in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and place on the baking tray, leaving a good space between each ball to allow for spreading. ( I left at leach two inches between each ball).
12. When you have rolled enough to fill two baking trays(you will have to do in batches probably) flatten each of the balls slightly with a glass and place them in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sides are firm and the cookies are slightly golden.
13. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
14. The cookies will be risen and domed when the come out of the oven and will sink slightly during cooling.
15. When cool they can be transferred to an airtight container for storage, or eaten right away, where they will stay fresh for up to a week.