Snickerdoodles

I have heard of Snickerdoodle cookies for years on all the US television shows I watch and always wondered what they were like so when I stumbled across a recipe and discovered I had all of the ingredients in my cupboard already I knew I had to give them a try.

Ingredients:

60g unsalted butter (room temperature)

160g caster sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

240g plain flour

3/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

(You will also need an additional 11/2 tbsp caster sugar and 1 tbsp ground cinnamon for the coating on the cookies).

Start by creaming together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until it becomes light and fluffy.  Add in the egg and continue to beat mixture, scraping any unmixed ingredients off the side with a spatula, until everything is well incorporated.  Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and cinnamon into the bowl and mix until the dough forms a smooth ball (I found that kneading it together by hand was easier).  Put the dough ball into a bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 40 mintues so the dough can chill and rest.  While waiting for this you can preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas Mark 3 and line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper.  In a small bowl add together the caster sugar and cinnamon.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and break off small pieces and roll them into balls.  Coat the dough balls in the sugar/ cinnamon mix and place onto your baking trays (be sure to leave space for the cookies to spread).  Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes or until they go golden brown, then remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly on the baking trays before moving to a cooling rack.  (One batch makes approximately 18 cookies).

They go great with a cup of tea.  Enjoy!!