I know, my iPhone camera sucks, I’m sorry. This is the only picture I had time to take before all the Snickerdoodles vanished!
There’s been a tremendous amount of change going on in my life and I’ve had to leave the kitchen to get to know more neighbors. These cookies were a thank you batch for a neighbor, an in kind trade if you will. Since school started I’ve been driving from work to the school to pick up Big Brother and drop him off, then returning to work. All told it’s a 1 hour 20 minute excursion at a minimum. This was wasting precious fuel, my lunch hour, and my wits. There is no bus service because we only live 2 miles from the school. There’s no way in hell he is walking, alone, along a 45 mph road for two freaking miles! So I made the trip. I asked a neighbor, who has kids at the same school, if she could lend a hand with pickup. I offered money for gas and instead she wanted cookies! Sure, I can pay you in cookies!!! The Snickerdoodle was the first flavor she said she liked. Done deal.
I’m grateful for the friends and neighbors that have crossed my path. It’s difficult to come out of my shell (aka kitchen) especially in turbulent times, but those small steps outside of the comfort of the oven, measuring cups, and stacks of flour are now more powerful than I could have imagined. It gives me a glimmer of hope that things will get better, one batch of cookies at a time.
Next time you see someone down and out, please bake them some cookies. It will make them feel warm and fuzzy, even if it’s just during that moment they are presented with those warm chewy delights. They are a light in their darkness.
Snickerdoodles
The recipe I used was from COOKIES by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I found a similar recipe on her website here. Here are the changes to the online recipe you might want to use:
- no cream of tartar
- use 2 tsp baking powder instead of baking soda
- 2 sticks of butter
- no vegetable shortening
- add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- oven at 350ºF
Depending on the size of your dough balls, it may take anywhere from 8 to 14 minutes. I would go for heaping tablespoon size balls, they result in a chewy center. The batch made almost 3 dozen regular size cookies (about 3.5 inches in diameter) . Put a pinch of the cinnamon sugar mix on the balls after you roll them, that way you get extra cinnamon in the middle of the cookie.
We enjoyed these cookies and I hope you will too!
midnitechef 
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