Doin' the Doodle

Cookie of the Week: Installment 4 
Cinnamon-sugary Snickerdoodles with a hint of nutmeg.

I hesitated before embarking on my Cookie of the Week series, mostly because I rightly suspected that I would screw up the rotation. This Cookie of the Week post is evidence of that — it is about five days late — but I hope you find it worth the wait.

For its name alone, the Snickerdoodle is one of my favorite cookies. But there is more to this cookie than a cool, goofy name. Snickerdoodles have history. They are a cookie jar classic. Some say their roots can be traced back to Germany (to the "schneckennudeln," or snail dumpling). Hmmmm. I prefer Snickerdoodle to snail dumpling. ... Anyway, they are the first cookies I learned to bake in my mother's kitchen, and they quickly became my go-to cookies (the ingredient list is short and simple, and the goods are always on hand).

Snickerdoodles are basically sugar cookies that take a tumble in cinnamon sugar before hitting the oven. I add nutmeg to the dough to further add to that homey, big-hug, old-fashioned sugar cookie taste.

Snickerdoodle dough balls: post-cinnamon sugar tumble.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt

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cinnamon sugar mixture (for rolling dough balls — I used a couple of tablespoons of sugar and a couple of teaspoons of ground cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. 

Mix in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour combo and mix until thoroughly combined.

Scoop dough by tablespoonfuls (or use a handy 1 1/4-inch scoop, like I did), form into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. 

Place balls on ungreased, cool-to-the-touch cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

Leave cookies on sheets to cool for about a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

(Note: I ended up with about 2 1/2 dozen cookies, but my scoops tend to lean toward the fat and full. Feel free to make them a bit smaller if you're looking for greater yield.)