White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies -- Pearl's Paper Towel Recipe

Mid-July. Lila's anniversary was Wednesday — twelve months. She brought a coffee cake to group Tuesday. We ate it slowly.

I ran into a woman from St. Brigid's at the grocery store Thursday. She squeezed my arm too long and asked how I was holding up. I said fine, thank you. She said you are so brave. I said thank you. I am tired of brave. I did not say that.

The kids and I went to the Quincy library Wednesday afternoon. Nora got a stack of picture books. Liam got two chapter books and a Calvin and Hobbes collection that was older than I am. He read it on the couch all afternoon and laughed out loud every fourteen seconds.

Clinic Monday: a regular patient, Pearl, 84, came in for blood pressure check. She told me she's stopped going to her senior center because her best friend died last month. I told her to come back next week to talk. She nodded. She came back Friday.

Group Tuesday with the substitute, Anna. She was kind. She read from a book. We were polite, as Bernadette had instructed. I missed Bernadette.

Meghan called at 11 Tuesday. She said Brian wants to repaint the kitchen. I said let him. She said I do not want a yellow kitchen, Katie. I said tell him no. She said I told him no. He bought the paint anyway. I said I cannot solve this for you, Meg.

Sunday dinner at Ma's. Roast chicken, the lemon, the rosemary, the potatoes done in the chicken fat. Dad ate two helpings and went and laid down on the couch. He is fine. He has been retired a year. He is allowed.

Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. The kids both ate three. They are eating more this summer. They have grown taller. I noticed Wednesday at the library when Liam reached the top shelf without standing on his toes.

Food of the week: Pearl's grandmother's cookie recipe, which Pearl wrote out on a paper towel and gave to me. I baked them Saturday. Cinnamon, brown sugar, oats. They are excellent.

Pearl wrote the recipe on a paper towel with a ballpoint pen — her grandmother’s, she said, adjusted over the years. When I got home Saturday I smoothed it out on the counter and baked them while the kids watched cartoons. White chocolate snickerdoodles turned out to be close enough to what she described — cinnamon, brown sugar, that particular warmth — that I’m convinced her grandmother would have approved. Some weeks you need something simple that came from someone else’s hands first.

White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for rolling)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (for rolling)

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
5. Combine. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips.
6. Prepare cinnamon sugar. In a small bowl, stir together the 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
7. Roll and coat. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
8. Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look just slightly underdone. They will firm up as they cool.
9. Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. The first one may burn. That is normal.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 95mg