Snickerdoodles from "1001 Cookie Recipes"

This year I inherited the book, 1001 Cookie Recipes: The Ultimate A-To-Z Collection of Bars, Drops, Crescents, Snaps, Squares, Biscuits, and Everything That Crumbles. The previous owner of the book had only tried 1 recipe out of 1001, so I was skeptical of the potential results.

Browsing through the many recipes, I noticed that most of them called for vegetable shortening. Shortening is an ingredient that I try to avoid. I don't consider myself a "health freak," but I try to avoid unnecessary calories when appropriate.
The ORIGINAL recipe (as seen in the book) - pg 387:

Dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs

Cinnamon Sugar:

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Abbreviated instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt
• In large bowl, cream shortening (or butter), and sugar. Beat in eggs. Beat in vanilla extract. Gradually blend the dry ingredients.
• In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
• Pinch off 1 inch pieces of dough and roll into balls. (Or use a cookie dropper.) Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
  

Instead of (my substitution):

• Vegetable shortening - I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Cooking and Baking
  

Some pictures:

In the cinnamon sugar.


On the baking sheet.



Final Thoughts:

• Would I make them again? Yes. These cookies (even using a butter/shortening substitute) were very soft and cake-like.
  
• Suggestions: Before baking, press dough slightly on baking sheet so it doesn't look like a perfect ball. Just a nice circle will do.