Best Ever Snickerdoodles

As six 14 year-old boys swarmed into the house I heard a new voice say, "What's that smell?"  A smile spread across my face as Shane, a regular at our house, asked "Mrs. Kelly, are those your famous Snickerdoodles?"  A smile spread across his face when I answered, "Yep!". The boys had a good laugh looking at my cookbook and seeing their signatures and comments from June of 2005.  Comments ranging from "Awesome!"  to "These are the best!" all written around the edges of the recipe in childish handwriting from boys and girls through the years. 

Six years and goodness knows how many batches of these cookies these boys have eaten.  Today was especially fun as we had a second generation sibling.  Sam, One of my daughter's friends was here enjoying the cookies for the first time, and he was happy to finally partake in what his brother has been talking about all these years!

Nancy Baggett's award winning book, The All-American Cookie Book, provided this all-time favorite recipe.  Rich with butter, sugar and eggs, the addition of fragrant vanilla shines through.  A few strikes of fresh nutmeg on the microplane grater is our secret ingredient, adding "something" that people just can't place, but that is lacking if overlooked.  A roll in extra sugar and spicy cinnamon have these beloved cookies disappearing withing minutes of coming out of the oven.  

Best Ever Snickerdoodles

Nancy Baggett, The All-American Cookie Book p. 14

Flavorful cookies with a texture that ranges from slightly crispy around the edges to slightly chewy as you reach the center.  Sure to be a hit anywhere you take them!

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 Tbs light corn syrup

2 large eggs

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar combined with 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon for topping

Preheat oven to 375º and prepare baking sheets with a silicone mat or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, set aside.  In another large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and corn syrup together until well blended and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until well blended and smooth.  Beat in half of the flour mixture until evenly incorporated.  Stir in the remaining flour mixture just until combined.  Let the dough stand for 5-10 minutes.  Mix together the additional sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Roll portions of the dough into generous 1 1/2 inch balls with lightly greased hands (dough will be soft).  Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar.  Place on the baking sheets, spacing about 2 3/4 inches apart. 

Bake the cookies 8-11 minutes, or just until light golden brown at the edges.  Reverse the sheet from front to back half way through the cooking time to ensure even browning.  Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.  Enjoy!