Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles

I remember the first time I ate a Snickerdoodle Cookie. It was in the mid 60's (not 1800, thank you very much). The reason I remember is that my mother, being German, rarely baked any kind of "American" recipe. A co-worker had brought some to her job, and she was smitten. She handed the recipe to me, and the rest is history.

It's interesting that when I googled "who invented the Snickerdoodle cookie" the most common answer is that, perhaps, the name snickerdoodle is a hybrid of the German word schneckennudeln, a type of cinnamon dusted sweet roll.   Who knew? I thought the recipe came from Betty Crocker, because I have always made that version-- which has a combination of butter and shortening.  It's a great recipe, and a true classic.

What? You've never had a Snickerdoodle?  Impossible!  They're made with the basic of ingredients-- butter, flour, eggs.  One cannot forget to add the cream of tartar, salt or baking soda. Or, it just wouldn't be a Snickerdoodle cookie, right?  Last, but not least, you roll the cookie dough into a ball and give it a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar. This, my friends, is what makes this cookie so irresistible.


There's a twist in this recipe, though.  It starts with a Joy Wilson's cookbook "Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes".  Joy is a food  blogger, who has become very successful.  She's a great writer and, of course, a great baker. I bought this cookbook, when I first read that it was being released, and it's a good one. Great photos, fun to read, and great recipes.  There are two things that Joy changed in this iconic recipe--  she uses all butter and adds vanilla bean to the dough.

Oh, and it's a great new twist. It's one that will forever more be my "go to" Snickerdoodle recipe.  The cookies have that classic "crinkly" top.  They are chewy in the middle and crispy on the edges.  They have that taste of vanilla custard, with just the right amount of cinnamon sugar.

TASTING NOTES: These are perfect.  I loved the vanilla bean flavor, and I have made these using vanilla bean paste (which can taste just as good, and maybe just a tad bit less expensive that buying vanilla beans. Just sayin'...)  I especially love them when they are still a bit warm.  Very addicting.  They can be stored, for up to 3 days, in an air-tight container. In our home, they last one day.  The end.

A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.