Christmas Cookie Countdown: Snickerdoodles

I planned to have this post out yesterday but a much needed date with the gym to work off the wine/ turkey/wine/stuffing/beer, trumped it. Now that I feel a little less wobble from all that gobble we can move ahead. 

Every year on thanksgiving weekend we spend one evening decorating our tree and watching Christmas vacation. Snickerdoodles are always the official cookie sponsor of this night! My mother in law makes them the best,  but over the years I've gotten pretty good at them as well. My son was kind enough to remind me of this, as he woke me from my turkey coma at 7am Friday Morning. Yep, we were those idiots freezing in 30 degree cold putting up Christmas lights outside because our 6 year old asked us to. I truly think this will be the best Christmas ever, he is so super into all things Christmas! 

There are few things better in this world than a warm buttery sugar cookie. Well a cinnamon sugar cookie that is quick and easy to make might just beat it!  Most recipes for snickerdoodles usually call for vegetable shortening but I also opt to use half real unsalted butter instead of a butter flavored shortening like traditional recipes. I also love the addition of real vanilla and extra salt in them! Give them a try, I'm sure they will be a favorite for your family as well.


Ingredients


1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 medium eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

cinnamon sugar

2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

in a mixer, combine the butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar and the eggs and mix thoroughly with whisk attachment on medium speed until creamy and well combined, add in vanilla and combine.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

stir into the shortening mixture.

I use a tablespoon scoop to portion and then shape into balls, remember even sizes cook the same amount of time

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining sugar with the cinnamon. Then roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar.

when you have rolled about the 30th one you will get antsy and star being awesome and doing 3 at a time.

place the dough balls on ungreased cookie sheets. Move racks so they are not close to the bottom of oven.. the sugar will burn if its too close. Now here is my favorite part and where the magic happens, You can bake two sheets at a time until the edges of the cookies are set but the centers are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. 

They transform from cute little balls into perfect little sugar crackled cookies. They are perfect right out of the oven, but if they last 3-4 days then they get crispy and perfect for dunking in your milk, coffee or tea.