When I was young, snickerdoodles were my mom's signature cookie. Not only did they have the best name a cookie could possibly have to those under the age of ten, no one else's mom made them, which made them a rare and interesting commodity when shared with my friends. They remind me of fourth grade, that golden year when my youngest sister was born and my mom was on maternity leave, at home all the time and able to do all the stay-at-home-mom things I always wished she could do, like bake cookies for no good reason in the middle of the week and help pass out birthday cupcakes at class parties. It was a good year.
My mom generally bakes from two cookbooks: a 1960s edition of The Betty Crocker Cookbook -- full of garish Technicolor photos and so well-used the spine has completely given out -- and a 1970s edition of The Joy of Cooking. Her snickerdoodles, I know for a fact, come from the former, so I was so happy to find this recipe on the Betty Crocker website while thousands of miles away from my mom and jonesing for a good snickerdoodle.
I replaced the shortening in the recipe with butter (adding pure trans fats to my food gives me the heebie-jeebies and I haven't seen trans-fat-free shortening here) and the resulting cookie is very soft, but still nearly as good as my mom's. If you've never had a homemade snickerdoodle, make this recipe right away! It's like the cookie version of cinnamon-sugar toast, soft and buttery with crisp edges and the warm scent of cinnamon.
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Comments (8)
They look so pretty!
Posted by rachel | April 26, 2007 1:19 AM
My mom used to make snickerdoodles, too . . . that photo is making me hungry for them, I think I need to mix up a batch!
I replace shortening with butter when I bake, too. Hard to believe that butter is actually less bad for you than something else! There is nothing like a pie crust made with butter. Yum.
Posted by chocovore | April 26, 2007 1:40 AM
Mmmm, snickerdoodles! I have a good recipe, too, if you want to do a taste comparison.
Posted by Mariko | April 26, 2007 4:18 AM
i love snickerdoodles!! i'm going to have to make those for sure.
Posted by gleek | April 26, 2007 10:56 PM
What a great photo! Makes me want to reach into my monitor and grab one. Can't believe you remember which cookbooks I use! What powers of observation and memory you have, my dear. Wish I could have been more of a "stay at home" cookie-making Mom too!
Posted by Mom | April 27, 2007 1:57 AM
mmm snickerdoodles are my favorite! Mom commented!! what a memorable occasion. I'm going to her house this weekend so perhaps we will make snickerdoodles in your honor. =)
Posted by sonya | April 27, 2007 3:49 AM
oh man!!!! do I love snickerdoodles!!!!
sigh. I just might have to make some today and then hide them from my kids and eat them all!!!
or share them with my kids and be super mom!!!!!
Posted by jan in nagasaki | April 27, 2007 7:44 AM
yummm. makes me wish i still had an oven.
Posted by sarah | April 28, 2007 12:30 PM