Yankee Doodle Snickerdoodle

This time of summer between flag day and 4th of July always seems like a good time for Snickerdoodle cookies to me. There's something about the soft, crackled cookie with a sugar and cinnamon coating that calls for a cool glass of lemonade and a patriotic parade.

The origin of snickerdoodle cookies or the meaning of the name are unclear, but some think it was a German or Pennsylvania Dutch nonsense name for this sweet confection. Recipes for similar cookies called Jumbles have been found.

My favorite recipe contains cream of tarter, which seems to help keep the cookie soft. Actually, cookies don't stay around our house long enough to get hard or stale! I like to use 1/2 cup shortening (you can tell this is an older recipe!) and 1/2 cup butter.

SNICKERDOODLES

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup margarine or butter, softened

½ cup shortening

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar, margarine, shortening, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; roll balls in mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 9 - 11 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely on rack.

Yield about 4 dozen.

 This is a patriotic snack that's been a favorite in my family for a long time. Snickerdoodles were even the Favorite Food Show entry of a 4-H event several years ago...