A wonderful friend at church paid me a very sweet compliment on my Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes – and mused about what my snickerdoodles must taste like…posted on facebook no less. What a great guy. So, now I am in search of the perfect snickerdoodle recipe for him. Nathan, here’s my first effort. Not good enough for you yet. But I shall keep trying.
I think the combo of shortening and butter (when the right ratio is achieved) will give me the puffed cookies I want with the flavor I’m looking for. I’m thinking next batch will be half butter/half shortening, because this batch was a little flat for me. It’s important to take your cookies out of the oven when the cracks still look a little moist – they will look underdone, but as they cool they’ll harden and if you wait til the craggy parts look dry…that’s exactly what your cookies will be. D.R.Y.
Snickerdoodles
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
- Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake 8 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Allow to cool 2 minutes on baking sheets then remove to cool on a wire rack.
Bakerlady 
If these were the ones you brought tonight, they were AWESOME. I’ll be your guinea pig as you continue to search for the perfect recipe. I am here any time you need me 🙂
Yes – these are the ones I brought to small group. Thanks. I just like them a little bigger…puffier. Maybe I should verify what Nathan likes – since my search for the “perfect” one depends on what he thinks is perfect. 🙂 Then again, if he likes flat, crunchy snickerdoodles, he’s out of luck.