It has been an icy cold January here in New York, and I am not a fan. I’m a February baby, so I’ve always had affection for winter, and I’m from Western New York, so I know about snow and cold. But until I went to college and had to walk three or four blocks to class when it was fifteen degrees out, I didn’t really understand it. And then I moved to New York and have to walk nearly half a mile to the subway in the morning and home at night, and thirty degrees is starting to sound warm.
Most people seem to have one of two things going on with the heat in their homes: either it gets so high that they have to crack a window (and then freeze later) or it’s never quite high enough. Mine, thankfully, is almost but not quite too warm, but last winter my roommate and I were without heat for a week, and it was terrible. The weather report says it’s supposed to get to forty degrees over the next few days, which is heartening, but if you’re still feeling cold this weekend and you want to feel productive, I have a suggestion.

Bake.
Your house will be warm, it will smell delicious, and you will have first cookie dough and then cookies to devour, both of which will make you forget how stupidly cold it’s been outside. To help you with this, here is one of my favorite recipes.
It’s for snickerdoodles (basically sugar cookies coated in cinnamon), and the reason I love this recipe is that most people will have all the ingredients in their kitchens and so there’s no reason to run to the bodega in the freezing cold. All you need is butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cream of tartar (but I’ve forgotten to add it and it was fine!), baking soda, salt, and of course, cinnamon.  Following the directions precisely will bring great results, but if you don’t have time to chill the dough or cookie sheet, they will still be delicious cookies.
Anyone have a favorite cold day recipe to share?
And, by me for Fucked in Park Slope, a post about my favorite Park Slope bus.