Baking cookies as a kid with my mom or grandma always proved to be sweet. My grandma used to make chocolate crinkle cookies, which were delicious, but truly tested my patience! Chilling dough in the refrigerator for three hours or overnight was an eternity. She usually made them for a funeral dinner at her church or for a shut-in she would visit.

Grandma wasn’t exactly sly when it came to hiding her baked goods. The orange square Tupperware container, lined with wax paper, always housed her cookies. Over the years her hiding spot for the container remained the same, on top of the stack of nice dishes in the cabinet closest to the corded phone on the wall. I first found this spot when I skipped into my grandma’s kitchen and saw her cheek packed full while she muffled for me to scoot on out. To this day, I never told her that I knew where the container was.

Chocolate chip bars are my mom’s specialty. I’m not sure if it’s the recipe or the convenience of pressing them in the pan and skipping the individual scoops. Either way, my mom is sure to provide a pan of cookies whenever they are needed for an event or occasion.

When I was young, my mom showed me how to mix up cinnamon and sugar to roll Snickerdoodle cookie dough balls in. One by one, I rolled the one-inch balls around the mixture and ensured that all sides were covered. While in the middle of the process, I let out a sneeze! Without wasting the whole bowl of dough, my mom assured me that any germs would bake right out.

When I took my friend, Wayne, a sack of cookies, they carried a new name, sneezer-doodles. Wayne didn’t mind! He was appreciative that we thought of him and he loved homemade cookies. He once shared with me that when he was growing up his mom always had fresh cookies in the cookie jar. I don’t know how she managed it, but she made it a priority and after many years her son still remembers.

I guess that’s why most people bake. It’s really not about the spatula or the spoon. In order to feed yourself and others it takes time. Planning ahead with a list, time in the store, prepping, and executing the recipes are quite a feat. On occasion, I struggle to find the motivation to bake with my kids and even put dinner on the table. Every single time, it’s worth it. Not for the taste, but the privilege that it is to be able to frequent a store, fill a fridge, and cook with electricity.

My daughter and I dropped pumpkin cookies on a baking sheet last week and they were terrible! They were hard and bland, but it gave us a good laugh. I’m not sure if it was the recipe or the bakers to blame. Baking cookies doesn’t happen all that often, but when we do, it stirs up a lot of memories. The messes made and time spent are actually privileges. 

Contact Ashley at ashley@tippgazette.com

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ingredients 

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)

• 1 1/2 cups Sugar

• 2 large Eggs

• 2 teaspoons Vanilla

• 2 3/4 cup Flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

• 1 teaspoon Salt

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture: 

• 1/4 cup Sugar

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Cream for 1-2 minutes longer. 

• Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, just until combined. 

• In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. 

• If time allows, wrap the dough and let refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.  Roll into small balls until round and smooth.  Drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat well. Using a spoon, coat for a second time, ensuring the cookie balls are completely covered.  To make flatter snickerdoodles, press down in the center of the ball before placing in the oven. This helps to keep them from puffing up in the middle.

• Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes.  Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing from the pan.