Cookies..

It seems that wedding, or engagement season, never really stops. Thank G-d. Hearing such wonderful news never ceases to warm my heart and put a smile on my face. I adore weddings, all of the dancing and the happiness and the romance of it all really gets to me. So when T and D got engaged (FINALLY!) I was more than happy to contribute some baked goods to their engagement party. It's especially nice to contribute things to one another as many of us are immigrants, here without our families. That said, once here our friends become our family and we want to be there for each other whenever possible. I'd long been wanting to make Snickerdoodles... something about the name is just so.. FUN! And then I always like stick in something more sophisticated, AKA less likely to be appreciated so I chose Ginger Cookies. Thankfully, they were both easy to make and well received. Using a cookie scoop to scoop out the cookies really makes life alot simpler. The Snickerdoodles turned out soft and not crisp as they were meant to, but they were nonetheless homey and delicious. The Ginger Cookies had a nice texture and a nice bite; I like them spicy! The dough for the Ginger Cookies can be refrigerated overnight and scooped at your leisure the next day. Both of these recipes are from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion, a really worthwhile purchase.

Snickerdoodles
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 tsp salt
2 3/4 cups flour

Coating:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Cream together the margarine, shortening, sugar, vanilla and baking powder. Add the eggs, beating until smooth. Be sure to scrape the bowl at least once. Add the flour, mixing slowly until combined. For the coating, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough into the sugar-cinnamon mixture, turning to coat. Place them onto the prepared baking sheets and flatten with a glass or with your fingers. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Sugar and Spice Drops aka Ginger Cookies
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 2/3 cups flour
Granulated sugar for coating the dough

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment. In a bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, molasses, leaveners, salt and spices. Mix in the flour. Place granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough into the sugar bowl, turning to coat. Transfer dough balls to baking sheets. Either you can flatten the balls with your fingers, resulting in a smooth cookie, or you can leave them be, resulting in a lovely, crackled top. Bake the cookies for ten minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

Enjoy!