Snickerdoodles

I am a self-proclaimed snickerdoodle snob. That is of utmost importance to this story. My husband knows of my snobbery. When he asked me to bake cookies on Friday, I assumed he’d want chocolate chip cookies as that has been our go to. He surprised me by requesting snickerdoodles. Here’s the thing, I may be a snickerdoodle snob, but I had never actually made them until that day.

I started out with a sense of dread. Being the snickerdoodle snob that I am, how could I possible pull off my very own snickerdoodle and be proud of it? I told Corey of my concerns and he proclaimed, “How can you not like your own cookies? That’s like not liking your own child!”

With those sentiments, I set to work. I knew of a recipe that I’d eaten and enjoyed, so I used that to guide me on my baking journey. And let me tell you, that’s got to be my favorite snickerdoodle recipe! I’ve now learned after making these cookies and my previous attempts at chocolate chip cookies in my oven versus my mother-in-laws oven that my oven likes to make my cookies flat. Apparently I’m still getting used to my oven, and after some research, it’s possible that it’s actually a little too hot for my poor cookies. Nevertheless, with some experimentation, I did get some that weren’t so flat, and even the flat ones had the taste and texture I look for in a snickerdoodle cookie.

The reason why I’m a snickerdoodle snob is that too often I get a hard, crunchy cookie. I don’t want a snap or a biscuit when I eat a snickerdoodle—I want a soft cookie with the perfect blend of cinnamon and sugar. So I think I did pretty good for my first try, and even though my oven flattened my cookies, I think the recipe I used is a pretty darn good snickerdoodle recipe!

The recipe itself comes from Six Sisters’ Stuff, and was inspired by the snickerdoodles at Disneyland. So hope on over there, and do yourself a favor by making the best snickerdoodles ever.

Click here for the recipe.

Is anyone else a self-proclaimed cookie snob of some sort? Do you have a go to snickerdoodle recipe that you would say is the best ever?

Also, I’m totally a wedding cake snob. Just throwing that out there. This weekend was my anniversary (the very first!), so we pulled out a bit of our wedding cake we’ve been saving in the freezer for that precise moment, and it was still so good! Wedding cake should be delicious as well as beautiful.

And with that, I’ll bid you adieu until next time!

Classics Worth Reading

I've got classics on the brain this morning, most likely because I'm in the process of reading one. (Although, if I'm honest I haven't gotten very far. Such is life at times, especially when someone introduces you to The Great British Baking Show....) I began to wonder how many classics I've read, how many of those I've actually thoroughly enjoyed, and what makes a book a classic anyway.

I know there are some people out there that wholeheartedly devour classics and probably don't understand people that don't enjoy them as much as they do. And I should say that that is wonderful! There are all sorts of readers and the classics are classics for a reason, right? I know others where classics just wouldn't be for them at all, and that's also completely fine. I think I fit somewhere in the middle of the scale. There are some classics I find brilliant and some I would have been okay with never reading, not necessarily because of poor writing but I think most of it boils down to a style thing. Or an I-can't-stand-your-character thing (Here's looking at you Madame Bovary). Even the greatest of stories can be ruined if it's not your style.

I may get in trouble for this, but even if you can't manage to make it through one of these books that has stood the test of time, there are some pretty decent movie representations of many of them. (Confession: I thoroughly enjoy the movie adaptation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn starring a young Elijah Wood much more than I enjoyed reading the book. Go watch it!)

For further thoughts on what makes classics the classics and to know that I'm not the only English major/reading enthusiast that hasn't read many classics, check out this post on the Scholastic blog. There are some good points on there as to why we may be hesitant to read some of the classics.

Here's the moment you've all been waiting for! The number of classic books is quite extensive, but here are just a few that I think are worth your time should you get up the courage to read a classic. (Yes, I do think that reading some classics takes courage and perhaps a very good attention span.)

Okay, just kidding, one more side note. I'm looking at lists of classics to refresh my memory and feeling a little ashamed at how few I've read, not to mention how many I only know because of movies or episodes of Wishbone. Now, on to the list for reals!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
For some reason I feel like I'll get some eye rolls for this one. Maybe not... Anyway, it may be interesting to note that the first time I read this one I actually didn't like it at all. I felt that Darcy turning up everywhere was too coincidental. However, I was only around 13 when I read it the first time. I didn't read it again until I was around 20, and that time I absolutely loved it. I could appreciate the story and style so much better by that point. The other thing to take from this is that sometimes we aren't quite ready for a book. This is now one of my favorite stories.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I finally read this one around the same time I had that second reading of Pride and Prejudice. An interesting note is that this is one of those books that has ended up on the list of the most frequently challenged books.The movie adaptation has also become a classic in the world of film. One of the things I love about this book is just a look at everyday life through the eyes of children. I enjoy the writing style. Not only that, but of course the difficult situation of Atticus Finch is compelling and thought provoking.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ironically, this is another one that has been challenged. I've read this one a couple of times, written papers on it, even watched the movie. It's a classic dystopian novel where books are illegal. I've enjoyed it each time I've read it, and it's worth a read. In fact, I need to give this one another read. It's been awhile.



Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Specifically, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I don't know that I've ever thought of these stories as being a classic, but I found it on one of the random lists of classics I looked at. So there! Plus, I thought it would be good to include this on the list because this is a classic that even those who are anti-classics can read and enjoy.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Okay, so I didn't actually see this one on any of the lists, but I figure someone will agree with me that Tolkien deserves to be among the classics. This is another book that took me a couple of reads before I could appreciate it for what it is. I first read in in middle school for an assignment and I thought it was awful. The funny thing is that some of the things that annoyed me on that first reading are now things that I really enjoy about it now. I guess tastes change over time, right? Tolkien isn't always the easiest to read, but The Hobbit is a good introduction to his style. It's not quite as difficult to read and enjoy. It's a great fantasy that fits right in with the hero's journey. Dwarves, elves, a dragon that would eventually be voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch--what's not to love?

So there you have it. That's a short list of classics you can choose from. There were more I considered putting on the list, but I didn't want to make it too long for you. So don't worry. There are other classics worth reading. If you want to see another list of classics you should read and why, check out this one from Abe Books.

What classics do you think are the most worth reading? Or perhaps more fun would be to share which classics you think don't necessarily need to be read ever. I can think of a couple...

Until next time!