Baking Surprise for the Mama

Yesterday was my mama's birthday and I wanted to do something nice for her. I thought I'd bake something that she could sink her teeth in when she came home from work. She loves cinnamon and anything sweet. So I made it my task to bake her the best snicker-doodle cookie ever!

I was so tempted to purchase pre-made sugar cookies but those cookies would not be filled with love, gratitude, or even hard-work. So I set out to find the perfect recipe. I used the snickerdoodle recipe from Lovin' From the Oven which is one of my favorite baking blog. This blog belongs to a family friend of mine who is an amazing baker. Let me tell you, her baking photos will make you start drooling over your keyword.

The funny thing is that I thought I would be great at baking after taking so many lab courses over my college years. But for some reason, I feel as if I'm a lot better in the lab than in the kitchen; baking-wise. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fact that I can taste your own baking that scares me. Because in the lab, you can't taste your own chemicals. I am subject to people tasting if it's great or not and that's what scares me. LOL

But hey, it's the thought that counts.

I love having the iPad in the kitchen because you can pull up anything real quick. Super handy I must say!

 This was the fun part! I love rolling it into a ball!

I get so nervous when I have to put it in the oven.

Packaging the treats!

Happy Birthday Ma!

My favorite helper in the kitchen. She makes sure I don't burn the cookies. "Hey Mom, cookies done!"

Here is the recipe if you would like to try your hands at baking the yummiest Snickerdoodle!

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with
an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and
beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and
cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for
30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the
topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a
ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it
onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies
may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are
removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be
soft and chewy in the middle.