snickerdoodle

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Snickerdoodle

A snickerdoodle is a soft sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. It has a characteristically crackly surface, and can be crisp or soft, depending on preference. Some variants include nutmeg, raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts. In modern recipes, the leavening agent is usually cream of tartar which, in baking, is most commonly used in cakes but not often in cookies.

Snickerdoodles

Origins

Imported from different countries of the world the original American cookie came from English, Scottish and Dutch immigrants. Snickerdoodles' name along with another famous small flat sweet cake, cry babies, derived from the New England states. Not until about one hundred years ago did cookies become prevalent. American cookbooks did not hold a special section for cookie recipes but were thrown in the back of the cake section. They were presented with absurd names such as “Jumbles,” “Plunkets,” and “Cry babies”. Cookbooks seem to have as much flavor and culture as from the region they are from. New England cook books are known for having out-of-the-ordinary names for their prepared dishes, with no deeper purpose but for the joy of saying them. These "out of the ordinary names" consist of Graham Jakes, Jolly Boys, Branbie, Tangle Breeches and Kinkawoodles. Although Snickerdoodles have become a tasty delicacy in this region of America, the question remains, where did they originate? Various food historians have proved that there are biscuits and cookies that are similar to the Snickerdoodle that have been recorded in the Ancient Roman era and Medieval Europe. In Renaissance England, a cookie called a “jumble” (Olver, 2007) was popular in the cuisine. Later, Germans were known to have added more spices and a variety of different dried fruits, eventually evolving into the gingerbread cookie. Cookbooks from the 18th and 19th centuries have also been known to contain cookie recipes comparable to the Snickerdoodle cookie.

The originating of the name “Snickerdoodle” has been a very irksome question. There are theories as to where it derived, such as from a children's book. According to Lynn Olver, “the word `snicker' may have come from a Dutch word `snekrad,' or the German word `Schnecke,` both describing a snail-like shape.” With so little information on the Snickerdoodle, it is difficult to find evidence as to where the “doodle” part of the name came from.

Between the two sources, one focused more on the origin while the other centered more on the name and how it came to be. Both alluded to the idea that the background and name originated in Germany. However, the first article tended to go more into depth. We feel that these two articles did a great job getting their messages across and we were able to understand them to the fullest extent.

Works Cited

Olver, Lynne. "FoodTimeline, Cookies, Crackers and Biscuits." 27 Aug. 2007. FoodTime Line. 23 Sept. 2007 <http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html#snickerdoodles>.

"Snickerdoodles." Berkeley U. 24 Sept. 2007 <http://www-atdp.berkeley.edu/Studentpages/dhunter/snickerdoodle.html>.

Stradley, Linda. "Snickerdoodle Cookies." 2007. What's Cooking America. 24 Sept. 2007 <http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/Snickerdoodle.htm>.

External links

• Speculation about the origin of the cookie
• Recipe at kingarthurflour.com

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