{sms} snickerdoodles

The days are long, the years are short.

I felt this keenly, particularly when The Kids were toddlers and pre-schoolers.  Wake up, get ready to eat, feed, clean up, playtime, nap and the cycle continued, over and over. Each day seemed quite the same, and boy, were they endless.

On Saturday, we are off to pick up Dear Daughter from her first sleep-away camp.  Now, time seems to pass by altogether too quickly.

I must remember to cherish the moments. Hug. Laugh.

And bake cookies.

I wanted to bring some homemade goodies for the counselors, Miss Clara and Miss Allie. Sms' recipe of the week, The Almond Cake, sounded unbelievably scrumptious.  Its lemon curd and mascarpone frosting, however, wouldn't travel so well, so I am trying out a recipe that all the others baked a year ago — Snickerdoodles.

The recipe is a simple sugar cookie, rolled in cinnamon sugar.  I recently purchased the OXO cookie scoop and highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have one.  It's easy to use and the resulting shape is perfectly round.

Can't you just smell the cinnamon?

Snickerdoodles
from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

½ pound unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

For Cinnamon Sugar:
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.  Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined.  The dough will be soft.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Position a rack in the top and bottom thirds of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

For cinnamon sugar, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

Using a 1-ounce cookie scoop, or a tablespoon, shape the dough into balls and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  (I put eight balls to a sheet.) Flatten them slightly with your fingertips so that they stay put. Bake for about 12 to 13 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly golden in color.  These cookies are supposed to be chewy, so do not overbake.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

The cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.  For longer storage, freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks.  Do not uncover before defrosting.