Snickerdoodles

I don't know what it was but I wanted snickerdoodles and I wanted them now. 

I got all geared up to make them and then discovered I was out of eggs. 

Out of eggs! How did that happen? 

Anywho, I looked through some of my cookbooks and found a cinnamon cookie recipe that didn't call for eggs but called for olive oil.  Hmmm.  Why not? 

Now this recipe was a little strange.  It called for you to sift the flour into a pile on a board and make a well in the middle.  Then add lemon zest, olive oil, cinnamon and sugar and mix with your hands - kind of like if you were making pasta. 

I don't know if I am just incapable of mixing things with my hands but I did not get dough.  I got a pile of flour. 

See:

So I got to thinking I needed some more fat and moisture so I cut in about 4 tablespoons cold butter and added about 3-4 tablespoons water like I was making biscuits.  At least at this point it made some sort of semblence to dough.  I rolled it into balls, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and stuck it in the oven.  What did I get?  Pretty much cinnamon biscuits but much more tender.  Overall they had good flavor; the texture was just not what I was looking for. 

See - they looked like biscuits:

The hunt continued.

I searched through the internet and found several recipes that sounded tempting.  Many though had 1 cup of butter.  While that is very tasty, I didn't want to use that much butter. I also came across one that called for cornstarch.  Interesting I thought.  I decided to take a pretty standard recipe and incorporate the cornstarch. 

Folks, this was the snickerdoodle I was looking for!  So sweet and cinnamony. It's a keeper and satisfied my craving.

Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Better Homes and Garden

6 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour

Cinnamon Sugar
1/4 granulated sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375.

In a mixer, cream the butter.  Once creamed, add the sugar, baking soda, and cornstarch.  Beat to combine.  The mixture will look very grainy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  Add the egg and vanilla.  Beat to combine.  Slowly add in the flour while the mixer is beating.  Make sure everything is thoroughly combined.  You may need to stir the dough by hand to ensure all flour is incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar.  Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Rolls the dough into small balls with your hand and place into the bowl of cinnamon sugar and roll around to coat completely.  Place balls onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly with your fingers.  Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to cooling racks. Then eat!