Snickerdoodles
I guaranteed a cookie recipe leading up to Christmas, and not one to break promises, I give you: the Snickerdoodle, a cookie whose amusing name completes perhaps only with the likes of brutti ma buoni.
The Snickerdoodle — a soft, cinnamon-sugar spiced number — is among the American cookie classics, in the same ranks as Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter. And yet: after nearly nine years of blogging and the sharing of countless cookie recipes, I had yet to post a recipe for them on Pancakes & Biscotti. Now: I love Snickerdoodles — I have nothing against Snickerdoodles. I do however have a problem with posting recipes requiring 1.) finicky ingredients, i.e something you have to buy specifically for the recipe and may never use again, made even worse if the recipe calls for a small quantity of said ingredient and 2.) an ingredient that is difficult to find.
This, my friends, is the case of cream of tartar, the one and only reason why I had yet to share a recipe for Snickerdoodles. Cream of tartar, for those who are unfamiliar, is, by definition, “a dry, powdery, acidic byproduct of fermenting grapes into wine. Its sciency name is potassium bitartrate, aka potassium hydrogen tartrate or tartaric acid (hence the commercial name).” Translated into more culinary terms, it is used to make light and fluffy meringues, to stabilize whipped cream, and as a leavening agent when combined with baking soda (extensive article here for any other food nerds). It’s also a key ingredient in Snickerdoodles, where the acid in the cream of tartar gives the cookies their distinctive tangy flavor and chew. However, I’ve yet to see it any supermarket here in Italy — rendering them inaccessible to Italian readers — and most Americans don’t have it in on hand in their pantry. And so: no Snickerdoodles.
…until now, that is. The genius blog Hummingbird High has devised a Snickerdoodle that retains all the characteristics of the classic recipe, minus the cream of tartar, thus making them accessible to all this holiday cookie season (Christmas come early?!) Their recipe makes for ‘doodles that are unabashedly buttery, soft and chewy in the middle and slightly crisp around the edges. The cinnamon sugar bath they take a dip in before baking makes them warm, spicy, and especially festive — think of these as sugar cookies, dressed up in their Christmas best — and as for all cookies this time of year, they’re perfect served alongside this homemade hot chocolate. I found stopping at just one particularly difficult, as did my enthusiastic taste-testers, who polished off the first batch in near reverent silence. Side note: upon first bite, I instantly thought of the cinnamon-y French toast my mom would whip up for us when I was little. Meaning one could arguably eat these at breakfast. No?
A couple of notes: The scoops of cookie dough can also frozen and baked whenever you want a batch; put them on the baking sheet and let them sit for 30 or so minutes before rolling in the cinnamon sugar. These would also be nice with a little ginger mixed into the cinnamon, though this wouldn’t be a classic snickerdoodle recipe. A note on cream of tartar: cream of tartar does have a long, nearly indefinite shelf-life (if stored in a dry, cool place) and so if you do decide to buy it for any baking endeavors, it is a good investment.
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SNICKERDOODLES
Makes 20 cookies. Recipe from the blog Hummingbird High.
Ingredients for the topping:
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces or 50 grams) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Ingredients for the cookies:
2 ⅓ cups (10.5 ounces or 298 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups (10.5 ounces or 298 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Start with the topping — whisk together the cinnamon sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl and set aside.
2. On to the cookie dough! In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with electric beaters, beat together the sugar and butter on high speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Reduce the speed of the beaters/mixer to low and add the egg and vanilla, beating until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line your baking pan with parchment paper. Begin to portion the cookie dough into balls (an ice cream scoop is useful here) rolling each in the cinnamon-sugar topping, making sure they are coated generously. Place the cookies at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans.
5. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey. The cookies will look puffed when you pull them out of the oven, but will fall and crack into the perfect cookies as they cool. Cool the cookies on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
