Snickerdoodles

Ana says, "Look! I didn't burn them!  I bet Lenin couldn't bake cookies."

This is Ana.  Ana's hair is a very accurate gauge of her personality.  Ana is not allowed to operate heavy machinery (she is, however, allowed to ride a scooter).  Ana and her husband love snickerdoodles, and because I love Ana, I let her operate the KitchenAid-- under strict supervision, of course.  (We won't talk about the fact that she tried to put the spatula in the KitchenAid while it was running.)  Ana made these cookies all by herself!  She cracks a mean egg.  :)

Snickerdoodles are not my personal favorite, but everyone around me seems to loooooove them.  Don't get me wrong-- they are good, all buttery and cinnamon-y, but give me caramel or toffee every time over cinnamon.  These are very simple cookies, but they always get rave reviews.  It's also very easy to substitute the dairy-free margarine in these cookies with really good results-- I make these for baby girl every year.  Also, this was the first time I baked with friends-- it was a blast and I will definitely let Ana use the heavy kitchen equipment again. :)

Snickerdoodles
(Recipe from The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

To roll cookies (approximate measurements):
1/8 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter for approximately 30 seconds.  Add the sugar, baking soda and cream of tartar and beat until combined-- scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.  Add the flour, beating until incorporated.

NOTE:  At this point, the original recipe says to chill the dough for about an hour.  I have NEVER let the dough chill and the cookies always turn out perfectly.  So, this is optional.  If you want to let the dough chill so it's easier to handle, feel free.  If you don't have that kind of time, that's no problem-- just skip ahead.  (You overachiever, you.)

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon to roll the cookies.  Put parchment paper on the cookie sheets (and if you don't have parchment paper, GET SOME-- that is not optional).  Roll the dough into approximately 1-inch balls and then roll the dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.  Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.  Bake for approximately 10-11 minutes (be sure to check your oven-- mine is like the surface of the sun, so the cookies were done in 8 minutes).  Let cookies cool on a wire rack.

Cinnamon-y goodness!

Confusion.
(This was supposed to be the better picture. In some ways, it is.)