Walking the Wall

If you could only smell this you’d agree that it deserves a big picture centered at the top of this post–it truly is a small bit of heaven. I simply do not bake. I cook only because we need food to survive and much of my cooking is simple cooking. Baking is not simple, therefore I don’t bake. I’ve been craving Snickerdoodles for years (yes, years), and especially in the past year when my sister would come over and bake cookies for her boyfriend (she got all the baking genes) and I’d beg her to make “real” Snickerdoodles.

I have vivid memories of my mom’s baking–smell, taste, sights, emotions–all wrapped up around hot cinnamon bread being pulled out of the oven, or Snickerdoodles. Snickerdoodles fresh out of the oven all crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I’ve been cheating for the last six months buying pre-package cut & bake sugar cookies and rolling them in cinnamon sugar. It’ll get you buy in a pinch, but it is far from the real thing.

Today was my first official day after the end of the semester with nothing looming to get done. I slept in until 11am and then putzed about the rest of the day. After a delicious supper I got the urge for Snickerdoodles and despite having a package of cut & bake sugar cookie dough, I had to try for REAL Snickerdoodles. I went to the store because people who don’t bake don’t have shortening, or baking soda, or even flour…strangely enough I did have Cream of Tarter, although I have no idea how it got in my cupboard.

My son, who isn’t all that fond of cookies, said they were the best cookies he’s ever had in his life (all his 17 years)–maybe because he’s rarely had a cookie made from scratch!