Zen and the art of the perfect snickerdoodle

I am going to preface this by stating that I am a cookie rebel. I'll get to that a little later.

Snickerdoodles are Robert's favorite cookie, and he put in an order for the next time that me and Korey made cookies- either snickerdoodles or peanut butter cookies with a hershey kiss ( I think they're called thumbdrop cookies or something like that?). I am not anywhere ready to attempt the candy in the cookie. I've barely worked up to rolling cookie dough in foreign substances.

It was a little intimidating- how do you live up to your husband's FAVORITE COOKIE IN THE WHOLE WORLD? How many ridiculously awesome snickerdoodles has he had in his life? How could my meager attempt at a snickerdoodle possibly compare? And would he try to hide his disdain if they came out gross? I realized that the stupid snickerdoodles took on this larger than life context to me. It's just a stupid (albeit delicious) cookie. And then, watching Korey just be super happy mixing butter and sugar together, I realized that my cookies don't have to be perfect, or even great. That if I waste too much time trying to get the cookie perfect, I'm not going to be able to enjoy the process, or even eating them.

Even if they are just stupid cookies, they still managed to maybe teach me a little something. And I guess all my worrying was all for naught- they were pretty great. Not the best ever, but the best I've ever made, and that's ok with me :)


apparently it's another case of the uncopyable online recipe.
Here's the link: www.recipezaar.com/soft-snickerdoodle-cookies-97496

The only changes to the recipe are that instead of the baking soda and cream of tartar, use 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Apparently back in the old days you had to combine the baking soda and cream of tartar to make a leavener. Nowadays us high falootin bakers can just use baking powder.

Oh, and we mixed some extra cinnamon into the dough.

I didn't make the cookies as big as the recipe called for. Once they were smooshed down, they were like 2 inches across. Total cook time was 9 minutes. Cook em for 6 minutes, then open the oven (blasphemy!) and then cook for another 3 minutes. I don't know what it is, but I swear every single cookie I ever make for the rest of my life I'm going to open the oven to let some of the heat out.

For the first time in my life, not only were my cookies super soft, even the next day, but I didn't lose the usual pan of martyr cookies- the dozen that I have to waste to figure out how to get them right. or as close to right as I ever get when it comes to cookies.