Tuesday, October 13, 2009


simple snickerdoodles

i'm back in the kitchen! the first thing i unpacked was the boxes with my baking supplies, pots, pans, and the rest of my kitchen. it wasn't long after that i stepped up to my giant butcher block prep station. i had been craving snickerdoodles for this now cooler weather, but without the internet, i had no recipe. luckily i scanned my cookbooks (oh, yeah, that's how people used to get information...books!) and found a similar cookie in "baking in amercia" by greg patent.

in the recipe's original form, the measurements for ingredients included 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs. so the cookbook calls them 1,2,3,4 cookies, but they taste like snickerdoodles to me.




oh, and here's my new work table. it's higher than a regular counter top, huge (note the scale of the mixer vs. leftover space), and i can cut and prep right on it. sorry for the blown out picture - i'm still getting used to this thing called light. it's not pittsburgh and we actually have windows that allow bright, fresh light in the kitchen (and every other room).



cookie process

the author divided the original recipe by 4. i doubled that version, so it made half of the original. ha, confusing. i'm including the book (quartered) version which makes 12 large cookies.

1,2,3,4 "snickerdoodle" cookies (baking in america)
2/3 c all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick), room temp
1/2 c sugar
1 egg, separated

1. sift flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon and set aside
2. in a large bowl, cream butter and 1/4 c sugar for 3-4 minutes
3. in a small, beat egg yolk until thickened, gradually add 1/4 c sugar and beat 2-3 minutes
4. add egg yolk mixture to butter mixture
5. in a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg yolk until stiff and add to butter mixture
6. stir dry ingredients into batter mixture
*the recipe says the dough will be stiff, mine was not, so instead of following the next few steps, i used a cookie scoop to create balls*
7. dust surface with flour and turn out dough onto flour, dusting with a bit more
8. pat dough into 3x4 inch rectangle and cut into 12 1-inch squares
9. roll each piece into a ball and place them 3 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet
*i dip the top of the ball into cinnamon sugar before putting on the cookie sheet*
10. flatten cookies to about 1/4 inch using the bottom of a glass
11. bake for 12 minutes, until golden with porous tops - do not over bake or they will be too crisp

12. cool on pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack



i have always loved snickerdoodles and these were just as good as i remembered. slightly crispy edge, chewy center with a sugary-cinnamon bite. husband was so excited to come home from work to fresh baked cookies and even though they contain no chocolate, he devoured three of them right after dinner. these really are best warm from the oven, but kept tightly sealed, they're still good a few days later.

3 comments:

Liz said...

I am so glad you are a stay-at-home-mother-to-be-wife.... Now you can catch us up on all of your delicious creations once again! (I'm sure Nate won't mind coming home to new treats and cooked dinners either.)

AbbotCottage said...

i am really glad to see ur ok after moved to chicago. Wish u happy with da new house ok! Take care urself n of course ur baby. Goodday!

Thomas said...

Those look so yummy and airy, with delicious crisp and chewy center? Amazing! Maybe J and I will make them this weekend. But I'd have to buy eggs. And cinnamon, which sadly I don't have. Or cream of tartar. Can I substitute? ;)