Brown Sugar Snickerdoodle Cookies

1. Stage

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

2. Stage

Begin the cookie dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or with hand mixers, beat the butter until it's soft, smooth, and light. Scrape down the bowl, add both of the sugars to the beaten butter, and mix until they are fully incorporated and lighter in color. Beat in the salt followed by the egg. Mix until the batter looks uniform.

3. Stage

Add the flour to the dough: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch and baking soda. In three additions, beat this slowly into the butter-egg mixture until you see a few dry streaks remaining. Switch to a stiff spatula and gently mix the cookie dough until no more dry flour remains.

4. Stage

Shape the cookies: Thoroughly whisk together the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Form balls of dough with a medium-sized cookie scoop or a tablespoon measure and plop them in cinnamon-sugar, swirling to coat.

5. Stage

Slightly flatten dough balls on lined cookie sheets: On a parchment-lined cookie sheet, place the dough balls 3 inches apart. Flatten the dough slightly (to about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick) using the bottom of a glass, and sprinkle a little more cinnamon sugar over the flattened surface.

6. Stage

Bake: Put into the 350°F oven. Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes longer (12 to 14 minutes total), until the edges of the cookies look golden and the tops are crackled but still pale.

7. Stage

Cool: Cool on the baking sheet and eat as soon as possible. Snickerdoodles will keep in an airtight container, at room temperature for 3 days.