Today was my second attempt at the perfect snickerdoodle. I changed my recipe just a bit, replacing some of the butter with shortening. I also used a bigger ball of dough to get a slightly more domed cookie. I think I have found perfection. Puffed and soft, with just the right texture – these are exactly what I was looking for. Don’t be tempted to substitute the cream of tartar for baking powder – the tartar mixed with the baking soda is what gives these cookies their fast lift. As they de-puff slightly, you get the signature cracks of a snickerdoodle.
Snickerdoodles
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 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. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients until just combined. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
- Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls. I wanted them a good size, so I used 2 T of dough per ball.
- Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake only one sheet at a time for 8 minutes, or until set but not hard. The cracks should still look moist. Allow to cool 3 minutes on baking sheets then remove to cool on a wire rack.
Bakerlady 
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