I wonder if you’re finding yourself sharpening pencils, buying new notepads, tidying up your desk or your office (like I did Sunday night) or scrolling through online sales, looking for a new outfit. It seems to me that I reenact some sort of back-to-school ritual every September, silly as that is.

And I’m like one of Pavlov’s dogs, looking around for the homemade cookies my mother baked and had waiting for me when I came home from school. Yes, I had one of those mothers, but don’t worry, she didn’t bake all the time. She made big batches of our favorite cookies, froze them, and doled them out judiciously. (I think the limit was two a day!) That’s why when Abby Dodge proposed her updated Snickerdoodle cookie recipe for back-to-school September (and her latest Baking Together column), I was thrilled.

It's too bad my mother isn’t still around to regulate cookie intake, because the first batch of Abby’s Cornmeal Snickerdoodles disappeared at an alarming rate (though I did stash some in the freezer). They’re deceivingly light. The fine cornmeal adds a je ne sais quoi – a sparkly quality, ever so slightly crispy-crunchy, yet still with a tender, chewy bite. Overall, the texture is wonderful, and that tangy vanilla-meets-cinnamon-sugar flavor as comforting as ever. These are quick to make, so start your ovens, people!

While you’re at it, make someone’s day by adding a batch of Abby’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies to your cookie inventory.