Great American Cookies Snickerdoodles

Rather than trying to beat the competitors - especially if they have an exceptional product - Mrs. Fields Famous Brands waves the cash at 'em. With the acquisition of Great American Cookies in 1998 by the company that made chewy mall cookies big business -- Mrs. Fields is now peddling her baked wares in more than 90 percent of the premier shopping malls in the United States.

That's how you make the dough! One of the all-time favorites you can snag at any of the 364 Great American Cookies outlets is this clone of the classic snickerdoodle. Rolled in cinnamon and sugar, it's soft and chewy like the other cookies, and will seem to be undercooked when you take it out of the oven. When it cools it should be gooey, yet firm in the middle. And a couple bites will make you wonder: "Got milk?!"

Recipe Ingredient
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Topping

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle.

Makes 16 to 18 cookies.