Houstonist Bakes: More Christmas Goodies!

One of Houstonist favorites (which really means very little, because we are hard pressed to find a cookie we DON'T like) is the simple, honest, and slightly gussied-up sugar cookie - the Snickerdoodle! In a very lame homage to that "Stewart" lady, we get festive this time of year, rolling our holiday version of the cookies in red and green sanding sugars. It's all in the presentation, you know.

Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened (real butter, not that oleo stuff)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (real, again - we are all "real" and "organic")
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar, or red sanding sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or green sanding sugar

If you use sanding sugars, add about two teaspoons of cinnamon to the dough along with the flour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, until fluffly. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well.
Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt (cinnamon, goes here). Mix well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Roll dough in sugar/cinnamon mixture and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set, they should be soft and pliable - they will cool into chewy bites of heaven that beg to be dunked in coffee or ice-cold organic 2% milk. Place on wire rack to cool.

Remember, a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.