Snickerdoodles

I will have you know that I was not going to bake yesterday.  I was going to work and have friends over for a casual dinner but I was not going to bake.  Then I saw the sweet little face of my 12 year old staring up at me (he's actually at eye level with me but let me live in my fantasy that my little boys are still little) and asking if I would bake cookies for him because he would really like some cookies and apparently I make the best cookies ever.  My kids really know how to sweet talk me into just about anything!  So I found myself making Snickerdoodles because they are the easiest cookies to make, they are super quick and most of all, my family has a thing for cinnamon and sugar.  You will notice as my blog continues that I make a LOT of sweets that contain cinnamon (cinnamon scones, cinnamon roll pancakes, coffee cakes, Snickerdoodle cupcakes, etc.)


As the cookies are baking I decide to do a little cinnamon research (mostly because I'm a bit of a foodie and I love researching ingredients) and I found that cinnamon has several health benefits....shocker to me!  Apparently just 1/2 teaspoon a day can lower your cholesterol, cinnamon reduces the proliferation of certain cancer cells, it has an anti-clotting effect on the blood, it can relieve arthritis pain, it is a natural food preservative, and it is a source of fiber, iron and calcium.   Basically what I'm saying to you is this... these cookies are good for you and could possibly even save your life!  You are welcome!  


Ok, they may not save your life but they are easy and delicious!  I hope you enjoy the recipe!


Snickerdoodles


1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)

Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and the vanilla.  Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt just until mixed.  Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Mix the 2 tablespoons of 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.  Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Adapted from allrecipes.com