Monday, November 10, 2008

Snickerdoodles & Serendipity

Snickerdoodles have to be everybody's favorite. They're not too sweet, they're rolled in a cinnamon/sugar mixture, they beg to be dunked in milk, and... they freeze well. Just pop them into a Zip-loc bag and take a few out whenever you're in the mood for a little something sweet... they'll thaw in no time. The only Snickerdoodle recipe I've ever used is from my Betty Crocker paperback cookbook, published in 1974. Some of my favorite recipes are from this book. Look at all the stuff I've got stuck in between the pages!

The cover from this cookbook has been long-gone, but I put some clear contact paper over it, so it's in pretty good shape. Here's the Snickerdoodle recipe.
Mix the eggs, sugar, and butter until creamy.
Mix in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.Traditionally, Snickerdoodles are rolled into a mixture of sugar and cinnamon, but I was feeling rebellious today. I tried a three different mixtures... ginger and sugar, pumpkin pie spice and sugar, and chili powder and sugar. I always use my Pampered Chef #2540 Medium Scoop for cookies. Using the scoop assures that your cookies will bake uniformly.
The cookies looked a little different, but there wasn't much of a difference in taste. I only mixed 1 teaspoon of chili and ginger with the sugar because I didn't want the taste to be overpowering. Well, I couldn't taste the chili at all. The cookies I rolled in ginger gave off a nice aroma and a very light taste of ginger. Making these again, I would increase the amounts of seasonings.
I also rolled some cookies in the traditional cinnamon/sugar mixture. Afterall, this is what Snickerdoodles are all about!
While I was looking through the cookbook, I found this tucked into the pages. A pretty pink tulip that my daughter drew in 3rd grade. That was in 1990.
And this.

Finding these made the cookies that much sweeter.


I love you a whole bunch too, MG. xoxo