Snickerdoodles

I made these cookies before my oven broke a few weeks ago. It's finally getting installed early next week and I can't wait. I'm having baking withdrawals. Snickerdoodles have a sugar cookie texture but are rolled in a cinnamon sugar mixture. These cookies use an ingredient that I don't use that often.....cream of tartar. Found in the spice aisle, cream of tartar is an acid salt that is obtained from sediment produced in the wine making process. When mixed with baking soda, it helps lighten and raise the batter. But enough of a chemistry lesson, here's the recipe for these wonderful cookies with the cracked surface and crunchy bite.

I got this recipe from Betty Crocker Cookies & Bars Magazine. Here is the link with a printable version on their website.

Click here for Snickerdoodles recipe

The only difference is that the magazine recipe does not use shortening but instead 1 cup butter, softened. Also, I used 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

Roll the cookie dough into 1-1/4 inch ball and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: Isn't Snickerdoodles a funny name for a cookie? It's just a funny name for any food item. So where did this name come from? According to Wikipedia:

"The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln, which means "snail dumpling." A different author suggests that the word "snicker" comes from the Dutch word snekrad, or the German word Schnecke, which both describe a snail-like shape. Yet another theory suggests that the name comes from a New England tradition of fanciful, whimsical cookie names. There is also a series of tall tales about a hero named "Snickerdoodle" from the early 1900s which may be related to the name of the cookie."