Snickerdoodle

A "snickerdoodle" is a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. It has a characteristically cracked surface, and can be crisp or soft depending on preference. The distinctive and characteristic flavor of a snickerdoodle is provided by cream of tartar. They typically are easy to make.Some variants include nutmeg, raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts. In modern recipes, the leavening agent is usually baking powder.

Some people mistakenly refer to snickerdoodles as "sugar cookies". The difference between the two comes from the use of cinnamon, which is balanced with cream of tartar to give the cookies their sweet, savory flavor.

Name

The origin of the name “Snickerdoodle” has given rise to many theories but few facts. "The Joy of Cooking" claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word for "snail dumpling" ("Schneckennudeln", or cinnamon-dusted sweet rolls).Fact|date=November 2007 Similarly, one author states that “the word 'snicker' may have come from a Dutch word 'snekrad', or the German word 'Schnecke', both describing a snail-like shape.”cite web |url=http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html#snickerdoodles |title="The Food Timeline: Cookies, Crackers and Biscuits" |last=Olver |first=Lynne |accessdate=2007-09-23 ] However, another author believes the name came from a New England tradition of fanciful, whimsical cookie names, [cite web |url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/Snickerdoodle.htm |title="Snickerdoodle Cookies" |last=Stradley |first=Linda |accessdate=2007-09-24] and yet another cites a series of tall tales around a hero named Snickerdoodle from the early 1900s. [cite web |url=http://www.snickerdoodleforkids.com/whois/ |title="Snickerdoodle, Tall Tale Hero" |last=Grosgebauer |first=Clare H. |accessdate=2007-11-03 ]

References