Almost Instant Gratification

In the world of comfort foods, I think cookies rank #1. Small enough to nestle in your hand, they're not as big a commitment as a piece of cake or pie. You don't even need a plate or fork to eat one. They can be eaten warm, fresh from the oven or cooled, out of the cookie jar. You can nibble on one daintily, or wolf down a handful. Packed in a lunch box, a cookie is a piece of love from home. Dunked in coffee, it's a pick-me-up indulgence. Where would we be without cookies? I shudder at the thought.

When the urge for a small calorie splurge strikes, it's nice to have a recipe in your repertoire that you can make using only what's on hand in your pantry. This recipe is so easy, it's perfect for beginners, and so satisfying that you'll make it again and again. Review the tips that I gave last time and in under 1/2 hour you can have delicious, moist, chewy, satisfying Snickerdoodles. Plus, they're whole wheat, so they're healthy, right?

The key to making these so that they're chewy and not crunchy is to seriously underbake them. When you remove them from the oven, they should be just set, still a little moisty looking in the middle. Also, this is not a good recipe to make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate. It does best if you mix and bake without delay.

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles (from Taste of Home)

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg plus 1 egg white

Topping:
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

1- Arrange racks to divide the oven into thirds. Preheat the oven to 400 deg. F.

2- In a small bowl combine the flours, baking soda, and salt.

3- In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula several times.

4- Add egg and egg white; beat well.

5- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well.

6- In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Using a small scoop, shape dough into walnut-sized balls; roll in cinnamon-sugar. (I always run out of the cinnamon sugar, so you might make more in the 3 to 1 ratio of sugar to cinnamon.)

7- Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cookies will puff up and flatten as they bake. Remove just after they have set. If the centers of the cookies looks slightly underdone, let the cookies rest for a few minutes on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook as they cool. Remove to a wire rack to continue cooling. Or straight to your hand for munching.

Makes about 5 dozen.