Chocolate Snickerdoodles

When you invite yourself to crash on someone else's sofa for the night, it's always polite to show up with cookies. That, plus the request of my couch hostess (please bring cookies, no nuts!) is what prompted me to bake these on a 90 degree day in August.

A basic chocolate dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar... how can you go wrong? The recipe, which I found at Cookie Madness, says to place the cookies 2-inches apart. I found that they didn't spread or flatten out much, so after the first batch I pressed them down lightly with the bottom of a measuring cup. If you're like me and your patience runs out after two trays go into the oven, feel free to cram more than 12 onto a sheet. Like I said, they don't spread much and I easily fit 16 onto one tray.

These are good, but basic. My major issue with snickerdoodles is their tendency to become rock solid after cooling off a bit. But fresh off the tray, they were chewy and soft, with a little spice and a nice crunch from the sugar. I hope they earn me my keep on the sofa for the night!

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

(Adapted from Yankee Magazine, I found it at Cookie Madness)

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Add flour mixture and stir, do not beat, until mixed.

Combine the 2 tablespoon sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar. Shape dough into 1″ balls; roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 6-9 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheets immediately. (I baked mine for 8).

Makes about 36 cookies