Snickerdoodles

1. Preheat Oven

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. This will ensure it's hot and ready for baking when you are.

2. Prepare Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and kosher salt. This ensures that all the dry ingredients are well combined and evenly distributed throughout your dough.

3. Cream Butter and Sugar

In a large bowl, beat the room temperature unsalted butter and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar together using an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is crucial because creaming the butter and sugar incorporates air into the dough, making your cookies light and chewy.

4. Add Egg and Vanilla

Add the large egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat until the mixture is creamy. The egg helps to bind the ingredients together and adds moisture, which is key for the texture of your cookies.

5. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, beating on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix, as this can make the cookies tough.

6. Prepare Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar with the ground cinnamon. Roll the dough into golf-ball-sized balls, then roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.

7. Bake Cookies

Place the dough balls on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, making sure to space them at least 3 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are just set and dry in the center. This timing is important to achieve that perfect chewy texture without overbaking.

8. Cool Cookies

Once baked, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely. Cooling them on racks prevents overbaking from residual heat on the baking sheet.

9. Enjoy

Enjoy your snickerdoodles once they are completely cool. They should be soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced with cinnamon.