Holiday Snickerdoodle Cookies

I handed Danielle a new little holiday cookie book and asked her if there were any she wanted to try. She liked a recipe called Toffee Studded Snicker doodles. I picked up a package of chocolate toffee pieces in the baking island and tried the cookies. I only had 1/4 cup of shortening and since the recipe also called for 1/2 cup butter, I just used the amount of shortening I had on hand, and the cookies were fine. This plate of cookies doesn't have very much cinnamon/sugar coating and the cookies with the nice cinnamon coating did not make it to the blog posting for some reason. I am too lazy to investigate. I can say, I really am not a toffee person, but the small pieces of it in these cookies is just a little crunchy and not too bad. Decide for yourself if you want to make ordinary (but wonderful) Snicker doodles, or dress them up with a package of toffee bits for the holidays.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup shortening (I used 1/4 cup)
1 cup, plus 3 Tablespoons sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups (8-ounce package) Heath Bits O Brickle Toffee Bits
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees (I do 375 as I have a very hot oven)
Beat butter, shortening, and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, beat thoroughly. Stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture.

Stir together remaining sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 9-11 minutes (I do 8--hot oven) or until lightly brown around edges. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies. ( I think I have around 4 dozen cookies. We like them just a little bigger. :)