Snickerdoodles

I made this cookies for my coworker's birthday and I loved them so much I made them again for Thanksgiving with Cole's family.  They are super soft and fluffy and are super cinnamon-y, just like a snickerdoodle should be!  I usually make snickerdoodles with box of yellow cake mix, but I decided to try out a new recipe this time and I was not disappointed. Just a note, this recipe makes about 18-20 cookies, so you'll need to double it if you're baking for more than a few people.

Snickerdoodles

What you need:

For the cookies:

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2-1 T cinnamon

For rolling:

2 T sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

What you do:

Cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Combine the dry ingredients and add them slowly into the wet ingredients.  Set the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.  

Once the dough has cooled, preheat the oven to 300*.  Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.  Roll the dough into balls a little larger than the size of a walnut (about 2 1/2 T).  Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Bake for 12-13 minutes.  Don't overbake these, they will probably seem undercooked when you remove them from the oven but they will continue to set once you take them out.  If you overbake them they won't be soft and chewy.  And if a snickerdoodle isn't soft and chewy what's really the point in eating them?  That's my philosophy at least.

Christmastime is definitely baking time, at least at my house and these will definitely be making an appearance in my annual Christmas Cookies goody bag I give out every year.  Maybe I'll even leave a few out for Santa on Christmas Eve... if I don't eat them all first. 

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I didn't know what to call these cupcakes for the longest time.  Mexican Vanilla Cinnamon cupcakes is too long; cinnamon sugar cupcakes is too boring.  Then, I took these to work and left them in the break room and one of my coworkers walked around the office asking who made the snickerdoodle cupcakes.  And thus, a name was born.  These cupcakes are a cinch to make.  They have a slightly more muffin-like texture compared to most cupcakes.  I like them with a simple chocolate cream cheese frosting (because I love chocolate and cinnamon together), but these would be equally as delicious with a standard cream cheese frosting, or even a buttercream icing (although personally, I am not a fan of the buttercream really).  The real secret to these cupcakes is the Mexican vanilla.  I really have no idea what the difference between Mexican vanilla and regular vanilla is, but I can tell you that Mexican vanilla is approximately 94897374 times better than regular vanilla.  But that's just one girl's opinion.  You can use regular vanilla if you don't have Mexican vanilla and the cupcakes will still be delicious.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

What you need:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

2-3 tsp cinnamon (or more, depending on your preference)

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp Mexican Vanilla (feel free to use regular vanilla)

1/4 cup milk

What you do:

Beat the butter and sugar together until it's fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add in the vanilla and milk.  Then add in the dry ingredients slowly until fully incorporated.  Bake in a 350* oven for 18-20 minutes until the cupcakes are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when you poke into the center of a cupcake.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

What you need:

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 butter

4 cups powdered sugar 

1/2 cup cocoa powder

What you do:

Mix cream cheese and butter until it's smooth and creamy.  Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time.  I actually needed more than 4 cups powdered sugar to make the icing stiff enough.  That's probably because it was really hot and humid the day I was making these cupcakes.  Slowly mix in the cocoa powder.  Be careful or you will have cocoa powder everywhere.

So, now you just need to let the cupcakes cool, frost them, and enjoy the deliciousness.