Snickerdoodles!!

Snickerdoodles were the very first cookies I was taught to bake from "scratch," by my Aunt Marie.  When I was a child, the refrigerated, slice and bake rolls of cookie dough were all the rage and the closest most of got to homemade cookies.  They didn't taste terrible then, but nothing rivals baking from scratch.  

In my mind's eye, I can still see little me in the kitchen with my Aunt.  I remember feeling as if she was teaching me precious secrets in the kitchen as we baked.  And she was.  She taught me that baking was more than following a recipe -- it's using all your senses, and putting a little bit of your heart in too!  I can see her hands quickly showing me how to shape the dough, as she explained each step.  I loved that time with Aunt Marie.

Snickerdoodles were the only cookie I baked for years after.  And decades later, this is still my all-time favorite cookie to bake. Sharing it with others is like sharing part of my childhood.