June 13: Cinnamon Crisps

If you haven't read any books by Joanne Fluke, you're missing out on some fabulous recipes!  She's actually a novelist, but her protagonist owns a bakery and each book offers recipes from her shop at the end of each chapter.  These Cinnamon Crisps come from Lemon Meringue Pie Murder.  Ty loved helping mixing everything together...very easy since it's all done with a spoon rather than a hand mixer, and Koen thought flattening the balls was great fun! 

So far, these cookies have received R-A-V-E reviews from each of the three kids!  We did make a half-batch since we didn't need 8 dozen cookies.  We are stockpiling some of them for next week, though, when we're with my family for the week.  Can't wait!!!

Cinnamon Crisps

• 2 cups melted butter
• 2 cups brown sugar (loosely packed)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 beaten eggs ( whipped with a fork)
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 1/4 cups white flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees with the rack in the middle position. 

Melt the butter.  Add the sugars and mix with large spoon.  Let the mixture cool to room temperature while you beat the eggs, and then stir them in.  Add the vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Mix well.  Add flour in increments, mixing after each addition.

Use your hands to roll the dough into walnut-sized balls.  (If dough is too sticky, chill for an hour before rolling.)

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl to make the dough-ball rolling mixture.  Roll the dough balls in the mixture then place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet.  Flatten the dough balls with a greased or floured spatula (we just used the back of a measuring cup).

Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes (they should have a touch of gold around the edges).  Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a rack to finish cooling.

Yield:  8 dozen