These are a classic cookie although they happen to be one of the few cookies that my Mom never made for us growing up. Therefore, I really associate them with when I first saw them in my junior high school cafeteria and they are easily one of my very favorites.
I have very little interest in most cookies more than a day after baking them because their flavor starts changing or the way they lose moisture is too much of a loss in quality for me. So when I develop any recipe that makes a cookie I’m happy with a few days after baking I’m very happy to share them.
These are moist with a good bit of chew to them, partly due to the inclusion of bread flour. You can use half all-purpose flour for this recipe, if you prefer.
Snickerdoodle Cookies
The classic cinnamon sugar cookie with the slight tang and chew you expect. This cookie stays moist and retains its quality for several days.
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle
- 1 cup salted butter (softened, or melted and browned, then cooled at room temperature until solid again)
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 cups bread flour (21.60 oz. as weighed; bread flour is used to enhance the chewy attribute of this cookie)
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
Rolling Sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (regular or fine granulated)
- 4 tsp. ground cinnamon (Vietnamese cinnamon is my favorite; see Recipe Notes about substitute spices)
Instructions
Snickerdoodle
- In a medium-sized bowl, measure out the flour and leavening powders, stirring to blend, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the butter, salt, and sugars and use an electric hand mixer to beat the mixture for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, cream and vanilla and blend again. Add the powders and stir by hand, just until blended.
Rolling Sugar
- Blend sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set it aside.
Getting It Together
- Use a #30 disher/cookie scoop to measure out the balls of dough and place them on a sheet pan lined with wax paper. Roll them in the cinnamon sugar and place them back on the sheet pan. You should yield about 33 cookies or so. When all are coated, lightly flatten them just a bit, then freeze the pan of dough for at least 2 hours. (If you forget to flatten them before freezing them, you can just lightly flatten them after they've baked for about 8 minutes).
- Bake the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on a lightly greased, foil-lined cookie sheet at 350F; baking them from a frozen state ensures that they stay thick. Bake them for 8 minutes, turn the pan 180 degrees, and then bake an additional 6 minutes or until the trademark cracks start to appear on the tops. Keep any extra cookie dough wrapped well in your freezer for up to a few months. I keep all cookie dough in the freezer for convenience baking, later.
Notes
King Arthur Flour (one of my favorite sites to browse) used to sell a Speculaas spice blend that is wonderful to use during the Christmas season. You could certainly find recipes online to make that type of spice blend, though, or purchase it from someone else, which is what I’ll have to do when I run out. It’s a Dutch spice blend that contains a few unusual spices such as coriander, white pepper and aniseed, as well as the usual “warm” holiday spices. When making snickerdoodles at Christmas, I use half cinnamon and half Speculaas spice blend in the rolling sugar to give the cookies a little more special flavor. Browning the butter is always a nice way to add some flavor to your cookies. It does add some time to the preparation, and you should always make sure it’s cooled (before using in recipes that ask for melted butter) and, additionally, cooled enough at room temperature to become solid again (for recipes that ask for softened butter).
