Snickerdoodles

This is the first cookie recipe I have made for my kids and they love them very much. These classic cookies have a  light tangy, sweet, soft chewy center with a crisp, cinnamon sugar coated finish.  Cream of tartar reacts with baking soda to cause cookies  popped up quickly; then collapsed giving Snickerdoodles the unique crinkles and soft center.  I use all butter here.

Ingredients:  make 36-40 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (or 1/2 cup butter & 1/2 shortening)
1.5 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2¾ cups ( 12 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour, stir the flour, scoop into measuring cup, leveled
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt

For coating

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, add flour, salt.  Use a fine-mesh sieve to sift cream of tartar and baking soda into the flour. Stir/whisk well.
2. In the mixing bowl of a standing mixer fixed with a paddle.  Beat butter on medium speed until creamy.  Add sugar and beat until light in color and well combined about 4 minutes.  Crack eggs into a small bowl with vanilla.  Add eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time.   Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl after each egg. Continue beating until well combined.  Stop beating and add dry ingredients at once, beat on low speed until the dough comes together but still looks shaggy.  Remove the bowl from the machine, use a flexible spatula or plastic bench scraper to bring the dough together by hand to avoid overmix.  Chill the dough in the fridge 20-30 minutes for easy to roll.
3. Preheat oven to 400 oF with a rack at middle position.  Line 3 baking sheets (13 by 18-inch) with silpat or parchment paper.  In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together.  Use a small scoop Ice cream (1.5-inch diameter/ about 1 heap Tablespoon), scoop 12 scoops for each baking sheet.  Chill remaining dough back in the fridge.  Roll each piece into ball and coat with cinnamon sugar a few times.   Place each ball 2 inches apart in prepare baking sheet.  Place in oven and bake until the edge is set and the top is barely set and puffy with some crinkles/cracks around the edge about 8-10 minutes.  The cookies should be soft to the touch. Do not overbake, cookies will be tough and dry.   Remove from oven, let cookies cool 1 minute in baking sheet.  Transfer them to wire rack with a thin metal spatula to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.  Repeat with remaining dough. 

* The dark baking sheet will need less baking time 2-3 minutes and cookies less spreading.

* If bake two sheet at a time, position 2 oven racks at top and bottom of middle section, rotate the sheets after 5 minutes.
* Press the dough balls down slightly to make  thinner cookies.