Quick and Easy

In my quest for storage space, yesterday's recipe was one that has an easy-to-store product: cookies! And not just any cookies, cookies that appear to be at the top of many people's list of favorites. The good ol' Snickerdoodle.

I looked through different recipes, but decided to give the America's Test Kitchen version a try since they made it sound so easy. Let me tell you, it was. When they save 5 minutes of prep time, they're really not kidding. (Okay, it might take 10 if you don't have everything lined up on the counter already or if you put things away as you use them, like I do.) So here it is:

Makes: about 2 dozen
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes plus cooling time

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
2 large eggs

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine 1/4 cup of the sugar and the tablespoon of cinnamon in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.

4. Using wet hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat and lay on two parchment-line baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

That's all there is to it. Simple, right? And delicious!

One note, when it says "wet hands," it doesn't mean dripping wet. Actually, I'm fairly certain it actually means slightly damp. You just want some moisture on the outside so that the cinnamon sugar coating will stick to the ball of dough, since this is not a sticky dough. If you use too much water, which I did at the beginning, your cookies will still taste good, they just won't look as pretty. If you don't care about presentation (and there are certainly times when I don't, though they're rare), then this isn't such a big deal. I'd give you a picture to illustrate what I mean, but my husband swept them out of the house and off to work before I had a chance to take any. Just take my word for it, damp, not wet, hands.

And that's it. A quick and easy recipe, perfect for when you remember at the last minute that you said you'd bring something to the holiday potluck or when you just really want a Snickerdoodle and don't feel like waiting a long time for one. Enjoy!