Food, Humor, Life

Snickerdoodle. Lick a Poodle

Kari

 

That’s just fun to say.

As you can see, 2017 is not going to be about award-winning journalism here at A Grace Full Life.

The bar is set low on purpose because you all need a break from Facebook, CNN, Buzzfeed, and Yahoo News informing you that, MY GOD, ARETHA FRANKLIN HAS A CHEST COLD. HIGH ALERT. HIGH ALERT.

Life is getting way too real for my taste, so instead of award-winning writing, I’ll be sharing my award-winning cookie recipe from my days in 4-H.

If you’ve never heard of 4-H, it’s kind of like a cult—except you make cookies, feed farm animals, and sew things like doilies. Okay, fine, it wasn’t a cult. Don’t come for me, 4-H fanatics.

I loved my years in 4-H, honestly. I met friends I’m still close with today. (Hi Tonda! Hi Kari! And no, I wasn’t friends with myself—there really was another girl named Kari.)

I have memories of my child labor days at the Richland County Fair, working the “dairy bar.” Only it wasn’t a bar—more like unlimited peach ice cream and Bubble Yum when our 4-H leader was at the Horse Barn. Man, those were the days.

Above is the original recipe card I wrote my Snickerdoodle recipe on. I was probably 11 or 12. For 4-H, I had to choose a focus—some kids sewed mini skirts or cool tops, others tended animals. I chose cooking and baking.

I learned early that cooking was a skill I wanted. My grandma and mom were incredible cooks, but I didn’t truly appreciate it until I went to friends’ houses. The first time I had Hamburger Helper at a friend’s house, I realized how lucky I was—and also that I never wanted to make Hamburger Helper in my life. (Spoiler: I did, weekly, during the newlywed lean years.)

Let’s be honest—when you’re 11 or 12, you don’t appreciate homemade mashed potatoes and from-scratch cookies. You want McDonald’s fries and Oreos. But thanks to 4-H, I started baking early because, well, prizes.

“Mom! I NEED TO LEARN TO LIKE COOK AND BAKE. LIKE, TOTALLY RIGHT NOW.”
(It was 1981. That’s how we talked.)

In our Mansfield, Ohio kitchen, I learned to make food—on the stove, in the oven, with flour and mixers. Snickerdoodles were one of the required items, and they fit my criteria: easy, few ingredients, and a cookie. Pretty much the same rules I follow today.

Only I didn’t have this in 1981:

We had cinnamon sugar back then, but I think it was in a plastic bear. 1981 was a long time ago.

4-H Snickerdoodles

  • 1/4 c. butter
  • 1/4 c. shortening (Crisco or LARD for those old school)
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. + 6 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • Topping
  • As much cinnamon sugar mixture as you like or
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon mixed together in a bowl (I use more because I like mine very cinnamony)
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Mix the butter, shortening, sugar, and egg. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt.
  3. Shape dough by rounded teaspoon into balls.
  4. Roll balls in the cinnamon sugar until coated.
  5. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

This recipe doesn’t make a ton of cookies—well, not if you live in my house. But they are worth it. I could mix my own cinnamon sugar, but then I’d have to…mix it. And I have things to do. Like blog for a solid paragraph about the depth of my laziness. Priorities.

Make sure to bake them long enough so they get crispy on the edges once cooled.

Spell check doesn’t recognize snickerdoodle. What kind of BS is that?

These are my comfort cookies—the ones I bake when I’m sad, missing my childhood, or just need a little nostalgia.

I wonder if 4-H takes adult members…

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20 thoughts on “Snickerdoodle. Lick a Poodle”

  3. That was your handwriting at 11 or 12? Pretty impressive. I need these cookies in my life to make me feel better due to watching too much news. Thanks for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday, Kari!

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  4. There is a 4-h building at the state fair here-they have baby ducks, but no snicker doodles. We don’t eat the baby ducks, just to be clear. Some of the booths are manned by people who look likes why are being held against their will (probably related to the lack of snicker doodles). Thy also have living models, but I understand why they look like they can’t leave (totally not cult related).

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  5. LOL Kari, like that’s just brilliant. I think I may have totally missed the recipe for the snickerdoodle lick some poodles, I was laughing so much. Thanks for making my day

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  6. Time sentence!!! ?? My oldest daughter loves snickerdoodles. They are her favorite. We usually make them at Christmas and dip them in white chocolate. We eat hamburger helper weekly, but I make it homemade. Does that count for cooking? Hey. I’m trying here.

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  7. Snickerdoodles! I used to make these probably every weekend when I was young as well. Definitely a favorite that I haven’t made in years! I think I need to change that!

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    1. I haven’t made them since last winter because Mike and I have been eating low carb since spring. Last week, I had a taste for them and he made me some (I hadn’t been feeling well). I felt like it was Christmas. SO GOOD.

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  8. Kari, you are a hoot. Chuckling all the way through this. That thing about Aretha Franklin’s chest cold is like why do I hear so much about Kim Kardashian on the news? I could care less about Kim K. The Hamburger Helper was funny too. Those Snickerdoodles look really good.
    I remember the first time I heard about Snickerdoodles. I was expecting them to really have “Snickers” in them, & was so disappointed to find out it was just a sugar cookie, but you sure make them look good.

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