It has started to feel like autumn is on the way the past few days. Cool, rainy days means that it is time to bake cookies and Snickerdoodles, with their dusting of cinnamon and sugar, came to mind. These old-fashioned cookies make your home smell so good!

My favorite Snickerdoodles recipe comes from the Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book. Start by preheating your oven, mixing cinnamon and sugar together, and combining dry ingredients. Beat the butter and shortening with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mix. Slowly add the dry ingredients.

Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to make dough balls, then roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll each dough ball a second time for extra cinnamon-sugar flavor.

Bake about 10-12 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set and just beginning to turn brown, but centers are still soft and puffy. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Yum! These have such a pretty crinkly cinnamon-coated surface – just look at that texture. And the taste is amazing! You will want to add this recipe to your list of cookies to make soon.

Your friends and neighbors would like some too! These cute little gift boxes are from our local Dollar Barn.

If you want to add some variety, you can roll part of the cookies in sanding sugar and sprinkles. It is time to start looking for fall decorations!

These have a more chewy texture than traditional sugar cookies, so experiment and see what you like.

If you are cooking with kids, they could pick out their favorite sprinkles. Have fun and enjoy!!!!!

Print Recipe

Snickerdoodles

My favorite Snickerdoodle recipe! It has a great flavor, slightly tangy flavor and a crinkly cinnamon-coated surface.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time32 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cookies

Servings: 24 Cookies

Author: Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 2 large eggs

Instructions

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Using a stand mixer, beat the butter, shortening and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
• Reduce speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give dough a final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain.
• Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls, or use cookie scoop. Working in batches, roll half the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar to coat and set on prepared sheet spaced 2 inches apart; repeat with the remaining dough balls. For extra cinnamon and sugar flavor, roll the dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture a second time. You could also roll the dough balls in decorating sugar and sprinkles, this makes it taste more like a sugar cookie.
• Bake 1 sheet at a time until the edges are set and just beginning to brown, but centers are still soft and puffy, 10-12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. (Cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone.)
• Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes; transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature before serving.

Notes

The Cook’s Illustrated magazines and cookbooks are excellent resources.  They test all the recipes and research the ingredients, techniques and tools for each.  Then for each recipe, they explain why that recipe works and provide detailed instructions to follow. This  recipe is from their Baking Book.