Snickerdoodles

Some day, when my kids are older, I will open a bakery.  Every day, I'll get to create all kinds of yummy things and it will be wonderful.  Cakes with fancy decorations and pies with decorative crusts, cookies in fun shapes and bars in unique flavors. 

Since there is no time for that now, I'll have to be content with baking just a few things throughout the week for Doug and the kids.  There is a "famous" Snickerdoodle recipe that is baked constantly in my house.  When ever my husband is scheduled for surgery and I ask him what he wants, this is what he requests.  Knowing that he will be unable to eat for days (or weeks!) I can't NOT make them.  

Neighbor children check our "cookie dome" to see if there are Snickerdoodles to be enjoyed and sometimes are disappointed to find only chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin.  One of my sons has a friend who loves these cookies almost as much as my husband.  Every time he spends the night, he asks my son if we have any of THE cookies. Usually there are a couple of dozen of them in the freezer and I have witnessed these boys eat them frozen!  The combination of butter and shortening gives them a buttery flavor and a perfect, milk-dunking crispiness.  Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles: 

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
(1/4 cup sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine sugar, butter, and shortening.  Add eggs.  Mix in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.  

Shape into 1" balls.  Roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture and place 2" apart on un-greased cookie sheets. 

Bake 10 minutes (these cookies don't look quite done, even though they are!).  Cool completely before removing from sheets.