Coooookies!!

You know, baking cookies always sounds like so much fun! So ... warm and comforting. And it is! ... in moderation, of course. However, moderation is not exactly what the cookie bake entails. What does it entail, you ask? Cookies - and LOTS of them.

Last Sunday Kevin and I baked cookies - and LOTS of them. I'd already made up batches of three different kinds of cookie dough a few weeks ago, scooped them into cookie dough balls and frozen them. Kevin pulled them out of the freezer last Sunday morning and decided that we needed one more batch of cookie dough to round out the mix. He got busy and whipped up a batch of (delicious!) snickerdoodles while I went grocery shopping. When I arrived home, he was already baking cookies. Mmmmm ... the house smelled so sweet and delicious!

It always starts out innocently enough. Line the baking sheet with parchment; place cookie dough on the parchment and bake. Halfway through, turn the cookies so that they bake evenly. Sounds perfectly easy - and it is! - except when you happen to be baking batch after batch after batch of cookies! That darn timer went off every five minutes ... for THREE hours! WHEW! Now that's a LOT of cookies!!

It was fun, though, and quite productive. We had (more than) enough cookies to supply Kevin's cookie exchange at work, the goodie tray I took to work, a few miscellaneous nibbles of our own throughout the week, a HUGE cookie platter for our Christmas party, and still enough to make up cookie bags for our families to take home.

Kevin's Super Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter (softened)
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350. Set aside 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a dry cereal bowl.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until combined. Add dry ingredients to wet in small batches, mixing until each scoop is combined.

Make 1 inch balls of dough by rolling between your palms. Roll lightly in sugar and cinnamon to coat. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, turn sheet around front to back, and bake another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Enjoy!