These are the snickerdoodles that my mom often made, cookies that I’ve not enjoyed since she was here to make them some 15 years ago. I don’t think I can fully explain how excited I am to have finally stumbled upon the recipe! Apparently I’m not the only one to have missed them, as I recently had an inquiry from a childhood friend for the recipe. It was a welcome blast from the past, and reignited my determination to figure it out.
I have several of my mom’s baking cookbooks, and decided to start with the oatmeal-snickerdoodles from Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Cookies. I didn’t fully recall there being oats in mom’s cookies but decided to try them anyway, because…how could I not?!
Turns out that both the flavor and texture are what I have in memory—to me, they really might be the perfect cookie. Over the years I’ve baked a lot of snickerdoodles, some nutty and rich with brown butter, some light and tangy with cream of tartar, all of them soft, chewy, nice cookies…but pale in comparison to these. A few non-traditional snickerdoodle details: these have brown sugar in addition to granulated, a touch of vanilla, and no cream of tartar. Oh, and the oats of course! The oats get somewhat absorbed into the chewiness of the cookie (hence why I didn’t remember them) and I think they’re key to their textural magic.
Two more notes; there is a hefty amount of cinnamon going on—embrace it!—and also, the 400 F oven temp really is just right. If you worry that they might brown too much on the bottom, reduce the oven temp to 375 F or 350 F, three or so minutes after popping them in. Enjoy!
Oatmeal Snickerdoodless
yields 3-4 dozen / adapted from Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Cookies
Ingredients
2 c (240 g) all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t cinnamon
pinch cardamom
1 1/2 c (135 g) old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1 c (228 g) butter, room temp
3/4 c (150 g) granulated sugar
3/4 c (160 g) light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temp
1 t vanilla
To finish
2 T granulated sugar
2 t cinnamon
Directions
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices; next whisk in the oats. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with both sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla. Finally, add the dry ingredients and mix slowly before increasing the speed to medium-high until it’s just combined. Off the mixer, use a spatula to make sure the mixture is completely homogenous throughout.
At this point, I recommend wrapping and refrigerating the dough overnight before baking (it can also be frozen). When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 F and line two baking pans with parchment.
Toss 2 T granulated sugar with 2 t cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the dough into 1.5” balls and toss in the cinnamon-sugar before placing on the lined baking sheet, 2” apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are a deep golden brown, the tops are crackled, and the sides feel substantially baked when pinched. I like to under-bake these slightly, letting the middles stay fairly light; they’ll sink a bit as they cool and create the chewiest center! Enjoy!
