Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Wow...I think I just drooled into my keyboard. This sounds amazing.

We're hosting my family for Thanksgiving this year, and among the guests is my ultra-frugal, no-bargain-is-too-good-to-pass-up, and "I'm an expert on all things" father. Several years ago, he had a bad experience with a Butterball brand turkey. He called the company to complain and got coupons for three free turkeys in the mail. Well...as you might expect, that made the pain of the terrible turkey go away in his mind and Butterball was redeemed. Nonetheless, last year, he opted away from the Butterball brand and went with a less expensive grocery store variety. While cheap, it was terrible, and he was sorely depressed when they didn't send any coupons in the mail. He's called three times to see what variety we've purchased and how we're cooking it. I think I'll tell him we're having this. Perhaps the only thing Dad likes better than a bargain is a tasty treat out of a smoker! Happy Thanksgiving!

This has got to be the yummiest tasting turkey ever. I love the salty turkey meat with the sweet honey finish. Awesome recipe.

gluten content may be different from brand to brand... up to 3%.

Thanks - all good comments and suggestions. I suppose it could be the flour -- not sure what I used to use, but I used Lily White All Purpose this time. The yeast seemed to be ok since they did rise...and since I have never used a scale to measure flour, that should not be making a difference....I am sure Alton Brown would have some suggestions :)

Just a suggestion - Check the way you're measuring the flour - using a scale rather than measuring cups may make the difference here.

could be your flour? did you switch brands or is it too old?

or the water that you use is too chlorinated?

Wow, this recipe looks amazing!!!

This is an interesting thread. ALL of my cookies come out flat, and I've never been able to figure it out. I use only butter, always room temp, and I cream for 3 minutes with a handheld mixer. America's Test Kitchen FAmily Cookbok says you should no longer feel the grains of sugar in properly creamed butter, but I have never managed to make them disappear--does that sound right to you all?

My cookies TASTE great, but sometimes I wish they were a little thicker to bite into.

You're not supposed to roll out snickerdoodles. You roll the dough into balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar then bake.

@ec-washington - The butter should be good quality as in Land O Lakes and room temperature. I have tried all butter, but get a puffier cookie when using half butter and half Crisco. The recipe I use is from Betty Crocker and this recipe also calls for cream of tartar. Wishing your brother well.

I don't know about anyone else, but I've never made or seen a tall puffy snickerdoodle, even in magazine photos. They come out of the oven looking puffy, but quickly deflate into a flat, chewy circle.

If you want puffy, you'll probably need to add baking powder. My snickerdoodle recipe calls for cream of tartar and baking soda, which is what baking powder is made from. I think that adding more baking powder would throw off the recipe's chemistry of rising.

But. . .I just happen to have a recipe that's been in my collection of things that sound/look interesting that I might like to try. . .someday. But I love my flat-ish snickerdoodles just the way they are and never felt the urge to try anyone else's recipe. This one, from Gale Gand, calls for baking soda, one tablespoon (yes, tablespoon!) of baking powder, and no cream of tartar. Sounds to me like the cookies would come out really puffy--like pregnant.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/snickerdoodles-recipe/index.html

I agree with creaming the butter and sugar well so that it's light and fluffy--get as much air as you can into this mixture before incorporating other ingredients. Another thought is what size eggs are you using? Large is standard for most baking, although Ina Garten prefers extra large; going up one size may provide the extra boost you're looking for, but hopefully they wouldn't be too cakey. Also, how fresh is your cream of tartar and baking soda? That could also be affecting how your snickerdoodles bake up. Lastly--do they taste good? The taste is where it's at, and most people would gladly eat a tastie cookie rather than a pretty, yet bland cookie. Good luck, and if you modify your recipe/technique with success, PLEASE let us know. I always wonder how people make out in their endeavors.