Carol from Just Let Me Quilt came up with a wonderful blog hop idea for the holidays: a Virtual Cookie Exchange. She had us at cookies. Follow the flour dust trail….
Our mother is a terrific baker and one of her specialties is the Snickerdoodle: a bit crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle and coated with a sweet cinnamon and sugar crust.
Helen’s Snickerdoodles
I have to confess that I was never a huge fan as a kid, but I’ve made up for my lack of judgement in the last 10 years or so. Mom can easily bake through a 25 lb. bag of flour from a warehouse store in a couple of weeks when she is preparing for the holidays.
And every grain of that flour traverses through a giant sifter that was extracted from a Hoosier cabinet and installed in a specially built kitchen cabinet for just such a baking enthusiast. (This must have occurred in the ‘40s when the “modern” kitchen was added on to the house and the Hoosier was relegated to the basement (sans flour sifter, of course)).
Flour bin and sifter from a farmhouse Hoosier cabinet
Anyway, for our virtual cookie exchange, we present Helen’s Snickerdoodles. She says the secret to her special version is using extra-large eggs. Since you probably don’t have a Hoosier flour sifter, she recommends measuring the flour and then double sifting it.
To celebrate the holiday and this unique cookie exchange from Carol at Just Let Me Quilt, Cindy designed the Candy Cane 2.0 placemat that you can whip up quickly.
This placemat can be used as a table decoration while you display all the cookies you make from Carol’s Blog Hop. You can use scraps in your stash OR you can dash out and buy some great Christmas fabrics that coordinate with your decor.
Candy Cane 2.0–a free placemat pattern!
Download this free pattern here: Candy Cane 2.0 Placemat 12 03 17
But wait, there’s more! We’ve learned another secret to delicious Snickerdoodles: the cinnamon! There are different varieties of cinnamon but our favorite is Chinese “Tung Hing”. We’re giving away one 2 oz. jar of Chinese “Tung Hing” Cinnamon from The Spice House (located in Chicago, Illinois), to help the lucky winner re-create a farmhouse Christmas like Cindy and I used to share with our family.
Tung Hing cinnamon, sugar and Snickerdoodle dough balls–just waiting to be popped in the oven!
To enter our giveaway, simply leave a comment for this blog post before December 11, 2017. We’ll pick a winner at random and contact the winner via email to arrange for a jar of cinnamon to be shipped directly from The Spice House to the winner.
Snickerdoodles – Freshly Baked!
We hope you enjoy the Christmas season with your family and friends! Looks like someone in our house got an early start on cookie eating!
Check out all the other wonderful blogs taking part in the Virtual Cookie Exchange!
December 5
December 6
One Old Goat And Her Little Farm
A Little Bit of Everything, from Mike & Alisa
December 7
Snickerdoodles were always a favorite in my house when I was growing up. You are right that good cinnamon makes a big difference in recipes (and good vanilla too!). I haven’t tried the kind you mentioned but I am intrigued. Your cookies and projects look wonderful!
Thanks, Lisa! I agree with you on the vanilla. My favorite vanilla is from Mexico. It has an almost nutty flavor to it and when combined with the Tung Hing cinnamon in any recipe, rave reviews will follow.
My favorite vanilla is also from Mexico, both the white and the brown. All of these sweets are making me hungry, thank you for the recipe
Your cookies look delicious, I will have to give them a try. You are so lucky to have family close. Merry Christmas to all.
Thanks, Carol! Merry Christmas to you too!
I love snickerdoodles–the pictures make my mouth water. Thanks for your recipe! And thanks for such a cute placemat pattern! I’ve been wanting to make some new Christmas mats–these may be just the ticket!
Carol, be sure to send us pics if you make some placemats! We love to see how our patterns are used. Merry Christmas!
The cookies look so good and the placemat is adorable!!!
Thanks Paula! I am thinking I need to bake another batch…like now!
The snickerdoodles look yummy. Thanks so much for sharing
Thanks Bonnie! This batch is gone so I need to get baking soon!
Good Morning!
Your snickerdoodles look delicious and your placemat is adorable. Thanks for sharing both. ~smile~ Roseanne
Thanks, Roseanne! We hope you get some holiday baking time in…oh and sewing too!
Yummy cookies, thanks for sharing! My parents had a old farm house with a flour bin in the cupboards.
Aren’t these flour bins great? I sure wish I had one in my house!
They sound great, we never had them at our house.
j
They are easy to make and very tasty!
have always enjoyed snickerdoodles & still make them during a baking frenzie! I will try your recipe for sure
I hope you like them!
Thanks for the recipe! That sifter is amazing and the story even better. Thanks for the giveaways, what a fun hop!
We hope you like the cookie recipe! We are having a lot of fun!
Snickerdoodles are a classic! I’m intrigued by your specialty cinnamon. I have always used the plain cinnamon from Costco. I am definitely going to have to check it out! Thank you for the great recipe and quilt block pattern❤️❤️
You are welcome, Tracy!
Thank you for the placemat pattern. Very lovely! And snickerdoodles may just be my 2nd favorite cookie of all time!
And what might be your first? Does it involve chocolate by chance?
Thanks for sharing your snickerdoodle recipe, they sure look good. That flour sifter is something I’ve never seen, thanks for sharing it as well. I am intrigued by the cinnamon you mention, sounds like it would be fun to try!
The cinnamon is definitely worth a try!
I love, love, love Snickerdoodles and the idea of rolling them in balls and cinnamon leaves me speechless! Yum! Thanks for that cute placemat pattern, too. I’m so glad you joined in this year…thank you!
Thanks, Carol! We are having so much fun on this blog hop!
I love snickerdoodles! Looking at your photos makes me want to bake up a batch!
Me too! Mine are all gone…must make more!
What a fun story – love the picture of the old flour sifter! My sisters and I used to make Snickerdoodles for entries in the county fair. These definitely look like blue ribbon cookies! Thanks for the recipe and for the placemat pattern. Tha’s adorable!
Thanks, Deonn. I just might enter these in the Ohio State Fair next year!
Love the cookie idea and the candy cane placemat idea.
Thanks!
Snicker doodles are a big family favorite. We can never get away with making just one batch.
PLUS they are very easy to make!
I think I’m the only person in the world who never tried a Snickerdoodle. Your pictures of them are making my mouth water! They look absolutely deeeeeeelicious. I’m going to have to make these. Thank you for the recipe and for the pattern.
Jan, not to worry! You will be converted after just one recipe!
Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. Thanks for sharing your Mom’s recipe!!
I hope you like them!
those are some great looking cookies. Thanks for the pattern, it is so sweet.
If you make a placemat, send us a pic! We would love to see yours.
Snickerdoodles were the first cookies I learned to make. Yum! Love cinnamon. Love your pattern. Thanks!
Thanks, Marsha! Merry Christmas!
Love cookies..almost any kind. Your pkacemat is beautiful. Thanks for the giveaway.
Good luck! You could be the lucky winner!
This was the first cookie I learned to bake in Home Ec class in 9th grade. To this day, they remind me of school (which wasn’t my favorite place to be)….my girls love to bake them each Christmas. I’ve told them the school story and they understand why i don’t take any. I’m sure YOURS are delicious though!
Funny story! I am glad your girls understand!
One of my 20 year old sons always tells me, “mom, can you make snickerdoodles?” I love that vintage sifter!!! What a fun and great addition to a kitchen! Thank you for this wonderful recipe, which I will try on his birthday…2 weeks from now!!! elanagoldberg5@gmail.com
Happy Birthday to your son! I hope he likes the cookies…it’s an easy recipe.
Thanks. The boys were home for winter break but sadly just went back. Yes, he loved the cookies. I meant to reply but there was so much going on. Happy New Year’s!
Happy New Year to you as well! Glad the cookies were a hit!
I didn’t know until Home Town Buffet that these delicious cookies had a name! Looks like a fun recipe to make – thank you for sharing. I downloaded the pattern too – fun idea. Thank you!
You are very welcome, June!
I have not ever made snickerdoodles before but I am sure I would like them because I like anything with cinnamon.
I agree, anything with cinnamon is yummy!
I haven’t tried a snicker doodle cookie either, but I may have to try them this year. Thanks for the recipe and pattern.
It’s an easy recipe, I hope you like them!
Oh, my goodness! I haven’t had a Snickerdoodle in almost forever! My sweet mom used to make them, but she liked the hard, crunchy and well, overbaked. I’m sure yours would be must more to my liking being soft and chewy. that Hoosier sifter is awesome! Now I have one more recipe to add to my list this year. Thank you!
Hi Kathy! I do like a soft cookie…with a little crunch on the outside. It took me a few batches to get the timing just right, but now I will never bake another hard and crunchy snickerdoodle!
Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie – this recipe looks wonderful and I am going to make some! Thank you!
Good luck! They are fast and easy.
Thank you for the recipe and the adorable placemat pattern!! I can see that the 5 pounds of flour I just bought will NOT be enough now that I found this cookie hop!! Chicago is waaaaay to far from me for me to just pop over and buy a jar, so I’ll cross my fingers that I win!! Or I’ll just have to go online and buy my own, right? Merry Christmas!
Yes, you can order spices online…that is what I do because Ohio is way to far away from Chicago, too! I will be baking a lot from this cookie hop as well. I love to hear all the family stories behind the recipes.
Oh my goodness! Snickerdoodles are such a classic for Christmas; I just love them, and your recipe looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing, and Merry Christmas! :o)
Merry Christmas to you, too!
Snickerdoodles were a favorite in my house growing up, and still is a favorite.
Yes, same here!
I just made a large batch of snickerdoodle cookies to serve at a wedding reception. I’ll have to compare the two recipes and see how similar they are. Wish I’d had your type of cinnamon.
Hi Judy! You may be the lucky winner of the cinnamon, good luck! I order mine online.
I didn’t grow up with Snickerdoodles, but somewhere along the way, as an Adult, I think someone brought them into work. Needless to say I’ve fallen in love with them and think of them as a traditional holiday cookie. Thank you for sharing your mother’s recipe. I look forward to making them “this year”. I’m sure they are the best. What a wonderful holiday placemat design too! Thank you.
QuiltShopGal
http://www.quiltshopgal.com
I hope you like mom’s recipe! Glad you like the placemat. Send us a pic if you make one, we would love to see it!
My mother always made snickerdoodles at Christmas, and now it’s my job. It’s on my agenda for tomorrow!
Yay! Let us know how they turn out.
What fun. I love making snickerdoodles, too. Thanks for the recipe and the placemat design.
You are very welcome!
Like others, Snickerdoodles are the favorite cookie of my sons and myself. It was the first cookie they learned to make on their own since we could never find ones in the store that was near what was made at home. Now they make them for their own family’s. Obtaining the best cinnamon would be the crowning touch (excuse the pun). Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Haha, very punny! I think homemade cookies are so much better than store bought, I hope you like these, we are just a bit partial to mom’s cookies!
I haven’t done Christmas baking the last couple of years but these do look yummy! I have a handheld crank flour sifter that was my mom’s so it’s at least 50 years old. Don’t pick me for the cinnamon since I’m in Canada.
Thanks, Lisa…if we pick your name we will throw it back in the hopper!
Your snicker-doodles sound exactly like my mom’s: soft and perfectly chewy in the middle! So yummy! Thanks for sharing the place-mat pattern too! I’m new to your blog and added myself as your newest follower. V:)
Valerie, thanks for following us! Check out our free pattern page as we have some very popular patterns listed there…all are free!
These Snickerdoodles look so yummy; I’m glad you finally think they’re an amazing cookie. Ohhh, I’m so envious of your Mom’s sifter. I remember my Grandma’s hoosier cabinet and the sifter. How I’d love to have that cabinet now. I’m rather a fan of Watkins cinnamon but had no idea there were different varieties. I’d love to try out “Tung Hing”. Thanks for the pattern and the recipe.
LJ, I would love to have the sifter in my house too! I always double sift my flour with a small hand crank sifter.
Love Snickerdoodles. One of the first cookies I ever made.
Lots of people say it’s one of their first cookies to make. Maybe because it’s easy AND delish!
Those cookies look so good! Snickerdoodle is my hubby’s favorite!
Yum! My hubby likes them too!
My daughter’s favorite cookie is snicker doodles. We try new recipes all the time and decide which are our favourite. Ill certainly try yours!
Let us know what you think!
Snickerdoodles are always a hit in this house too! What a blast to the past to see the giant sifter. Oh to have a hoosier cabinet…that would be a treat!
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to you as well!
Snickerdoodles!!! I had forgotten all about them! They were the first cookies I learned to make and that was through a 4-H program. I loved them and made them quite often. Thanks for bringing these wonderful cookies back to me!
Yay! We hope you like the recipe!
I had never eaten a Snickerdoodle until I met my husband. They are now my favorite cookie and I ask him to bake them throughout the year! We would love to win some of your special cinnamon to try on our cookies! The Candy Cane Placemat pattern you are sharing is also a fabulous bonus! Thank you so much and have a great day!
Thanks, Brenda! Once you try the cinnamon, you will be hooked!
Those snickerdoodles look so delicious! Your flour bin is awesome! My great grandmother had a hoosier cabinet. I’ve also been sad over the fact I wasn’t able to get it from my grandmother when she passed.
Mom just loves her flour bin! I wish I had one too!
Thanks for sharing your great recipe and the darling table runner. I can’t wait to make both of them!!
I hope you like them both!
That was like cookie porn! Oh my goodness, I tried to remove some from my computer screen to eat but that did not work! Thanks for sharing the recipe and those gorgeous images!!!
Haha! Well, the cookies are all gone now and I guess I will just have to make some more!
I used to make Snickerdoodles a lot before I was married. Hubby doesn’t like them so much, so so much for them. They are delicious. Love your candy cane placemat.
When we lived in China for a year in 2012, we found out that mostly in Asia cinnamon is used to enhance the flavor of meat. It was so interesting an idea for us US thinkers. A good Snickerdoodle is so hard to resist! Thank you for the picture of a hoosier. Now I actually know what it is, other than a fan from the Mid-West. I agree with the responder who loved vanilla from Mexico. I used to take mine out of the refridgerator just to sniff it if I weren’t baking often enough. Thanks for your great blog!
I have never seen these before but they look delicious. Plus anything with cinnamon in is a winner to me.