A Delightful Excuse for a Snack

A snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie that is coated with cinnamon and sugar. However simple sounding this may be, the various styles that can be created with the recipe are numerous. Some cookies are small, some large; some are soft, some crispy; some have lots of cinnamon, some just a dash; some even have a walnut on them (a bizarre twist stemming from an art teacher at a small middle school in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA), and some don't have any extra topings. It is a treat to be custom fitted to your individual taste.

The Basic Recipe:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingrediants together. Shape teaspoonful of dough (more dough, bigger cookie... you dig?) into balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar (or just sprinkle if you happen to dislike cinnamon). Place on cookie sheet, flatten slightly, and bake at 400 degrees until set.

Options

Forget the cream of tartar. Does anyone know what this is or what it does?* And, does anyone actually own any?

Add more flour. If the dough sticks to your hands instead of doing what it is supposed to, this may be a wise thing to do.