Snickerdoodles

I tend to make snickerdoodles during the holidays.  I don't know if they are a traditional holiday cookie, but they are easy to make and one batch of dough makes a lot of cookies.  Since we like to give boxes of cookies to our friends and family, these little beauties are a perfect fit.

Snickerdoodles pack a punch in flavor, too.  They are not too sweet, and the cinnamon adds just the right amount of spice.  They have a chewy texture and have just the right amount of crisp around the edges when baked right.

This is another recipe that may have found it's way into our family through the St. Joan of Arc recipe book.  Complete with annotations, this recipe looks like it has had a lot of use.

There was also a typed recipe card in the recipes I sorted through.  This card doesn't take into account the annotations and calls for the cookies to be bakes in a 400 degree oven for 7 minutes.

I have found the cookies bake best at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  I also use butter instead of shortening and the cookies turn out just fine. 

Snickerdoodles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup butter or shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon and sugar to coat

Directions

Mix thoroughly butter or shortening, sugar and eggs.  Sift together and stir in dry ingrdients.  Roll into ball the size of small walnuts.  Roll in mixture of:

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake until lightly browned, but still soft.  Cookies puff up, then flatten out.  Bake 8 minutes in 375 degree oven.  Makes about 5 dozen.

Marbled Squares

Mmm.  Mmm.  Good.  As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it.  Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite in our house, and this variation sounded too good to pass up.  It apparently was an old family favorite, too, since Nonna submitted it to the Saint Joan of Arc recipe book.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find the date the book was published.  I did find a newspaper clipping taped into the book from 1966, and all the advertisers still used "GL" in their phone numbers. 

I found a few different versions of this recipe.  The recipe book submission (above) had a number of annotations and double amounts of the ingredients written in pencil (notice the dash next to the salt - omitted!). 

I also found a typed recipe card with the doubled ingredients and baking in two eight inch and nine inch square pans instead of nine by thirteen.

Seeing these different versions, I began to wonder where this recipe originated.  Flipping through the Saint Joan of Arc recipe book, taped to the very last page was a Nestle chocolate chip package.

As I examined the package, I saw 'Toll House Marble Squares" in the bottom right corner.  The instructions are as follows:

Prepare dough for 1/2 of Original Toll House Cookies but do not add chocolate morsels.  Spread dough in a greased 13" x 9" x 2" pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 a 12-oz. Jumbo pkg. (1 c.) NESTLE'S SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE MORSELS over top.  Place in 375 degree F. oven for 1 min.  Remove from oven and run knife through batter to marbleize.  Return to oven and continue to bake.  BAKE at 375 degrees F. 

TIME:  12 to 14 mins.  Cool.  Cut in 2" squares.

It was fun to track down the origin of this recipe, and they are delicious, indeed.  The middle pieces are much like a whole cookie make out of the gooey chewy middle of a traditional chocolate chip cookie.  Yum!

Marbled Squares

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon water

1 egg

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking soda, salt; set aside.  Blend butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and water until creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Add flour mixture; mix well.  Spread dough in a greased 13 x 9. pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.  Place in oven for 1 min.  Remove from oven and run knife through batter to marbleize.  Return to oven and continue to bake.  Bake for 12 to 14 mins.  Cool.  Cut into 24 squares.