I decided to be Nice Guy and bring in a batch of chocolate chip/peppermint cookies for my teammates. Little did I realize that every contracting firm doing business with our IT department was going to deluge the managers and directors with chocolates and goodies.

Productivity has taken a plunge from the resulting mass diabetic coma.

I've been trying to defer the treats, but people keep dropping the stuff off on my desk.

Lordy.

Tags: recipes

Back in late 2003 Penzeys Spices sent us a holiday catalog; a number of cookie recipes were included to give us added incentive to spend money on their stuff (not that it takes much persuading; Penzeys has great stuff). On a whim I decided to try the Snickerdoodles recipe; the results were such that The Redhead and The Shelberina demanded more. Several times.

And then I went and lost the recipe.

A month or two ago we were in Penzeys and I mentioned the lost recipe to the woman behind the counter. "Just a second," she said. She walked over to a small cabinet, dug around, and found the 2003 catalog for me.

But just in case I lose it again, I'm posting it here. You can of course copy it down and try it for yourself, but if you do, get the high-quality cinnamon and vanilla extract. It does make a world of difference.

SNICKERDOODLES

3 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
2 tsp. China Cassia Cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3 TB Cinnamon Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first four ingredients in a separate bowl. Cream butter, add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minues with an electric mixer. Add eggs, milk and vanilla, beat slowly at first until the liquid starts to become incorporated, then beat well until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until combined. Scrape the bowl to make sure that all of the flour is incorporated. The dough may be refrigerated at this time to make it easier to work with because it is a soft dough, but this step is not necessary. Form dough into golf ball sized balls, roll in cinnamon sugar, and place on an ungreased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-14 minutes until golden. Remove from pans and cool. Slap spouse's hand from taking them too early as necessary.

Yield: approximately 36 large cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes plus chilling time.
Baking time: 11-14 minutes per pan

Enjoy.

JSM

Oh--http://www.penzeys.com!

Tags: recipes