Snickerdoodles and S'more granola bars.

Snickerdoodles

These cookies can be such a great conversation starter:  why are they called snickerdoodles?  Where did that name come from?  Why are they so darn delicious?

I'm not sure if anyone actually knows the answers to those questions.  It's part of its mystique.  But they're pretty significant to me because when I made my first batch I believe they were the first kinds of sugar cookies I'd ever successfully created.  I usually stayed away from sugar cookies because I wasn't usually a fan of the crispiness.  I'm a soft-cookie fan myself.  And I just really liked chocolate and chunks in my cookies.

But I fell in love when I first made these because they were so simple to make and essentially had no mess.  And they if I baked them just right, they'd have a slightly crispy bite to the exterior of the cookie while having a super soft and chewy interior.  And everyone just loved the hint of cinnamon sugar with every bite.

This particular batch was a different recipe than the one I normally use - it uses baking powder instead of cream of tartar and baking soda, and I didn't necessarily have to refrigerate the dough for two hours if the dough was firm enough (which this time it was not because I let the butter sit out so it got a little softer than usual).  But I think they turned out just as good as the first time I made them.

I made these cookies to bring to a dinner that Nathan and I went to at the Gabourys' apartment.  The cookies didn't have the crisp bite that I wanted, but they were a hit nonetheless!  They're so much fun to make.

Graham cracker crumbs and homemade granola

Ah, s'more granola bars!  These were an accidental discovery while I was looking for the snickerdoodles recipe on the joyofbaking website.  They have video demonstrations on the side column and I saw this one and was intrigued.

Layering the ingredients

So the recipe calls for mini marshmallows, and the lady in the video demonstration said that you could use pieces of homemade marshmallows (who the heck makes homemade marshmallows?!).  I had mini marshmallows, but they were fruity flavored ones (they're really not as bad as they sound in my opinion, but I know many who would disagree) and there weren't enough, so I decided to open a new bag of big marshmallows and chop them into pieces.

Bad idea.

They're really annoying because when you chop them up they get all sticky - they stick to your fingers and don't come off, and they clump together instead of distributing evenly.  Really, really annoying.  Don't try this at home, kids.  You're only setting yourself up for trouble.  Stick to the mini marshmallows.

Delicious s'more granola bars

The recipe said the granola bars would come out crispy but if you keep them in an airtight container they'll get chewy after a few days.  But actually, it was really difficult to cut them after they cooled because they were still so soft (even after I put them back in the oven!), and I really wanted to cut them in a shape just like the Quakers chewy granola bars, but it just wasn't working out.  So I had to cut them into squares.  They bars do get chewy, too!

Oh my goodness, they things were very tasty and super easy to make.  Definitely a recipe to keep and repeat to share with others.  I think it's the maple syrup and cinnamon mixed into the oats that really make the granola-y part taste so good.  And they're super fun to eat!

In addition to all of that, the recipe uses less than a stick of butter, no eggs, and doesn't really require an electric mixer because there's not much to mix.  It's as easy as pie.  Except it's not pie.  And making pies isn't easy.  Haha :]

They were so easy and tasty to make that I made a fresh batch today and gave some to Libby because she wasn't having a great morning so I thought these would cheer her up after a long day.  Just an excuse to bake some more!