Molasses Snickerdoodles

We are headed toward the holidays and the weather is a big indication of it. It's been rainy and chilly here--definitely coat weather. I'm too big (and too hot) for my coats thanks to the little bun in my oven (now I know why they call it an oven--I'm just an incubator right now!), so I've been able to get by with just hats and scarves (but still flip flops since my feet don't fit in all my shoes). And it's getting dark early now. So some comfort treats are what it's all about. And nothing says winter comfort like a sweet, spiced molasses cookie. Good thing I happened to make some. And in a snickerdoodle form, no less. I think this method really helped with the texture of this particular version of molasses cookie--after all snickerdoodles are pretty amazing anyway. They have a crisp outside and a tender inside and pair will with milk (and maybe ice cream. Or whipped cream. Or pie). Definitely a recipe worth taking the molasses spot on your holiday baking list.

Butterscotch Snickerdoodles

Butterscotch is one of those flavors that doesn't get enough attention. Fall is all about apples and pumpkin and winter gets cinnamon and ginger, but I think butterscotch needs to go into the holiday mix too. It's not quite right for spring or summer--not light and fresh enough. But right about now, butterscotch definitely works. Rich and flavorful, it lends itself to holiday treats. So a butterscotch enhanced cookie dough--which itself is soft and super tender--loaded with butterscotch chips and rolled in a cinnamon sugar coating sounds like an excellent idea for a holiday cookie. Dave really enjoyed these cookies (I did too), claiming they were the right notes of butterscotch and cinnamon, and really lending a new layer of delicious to the snickerdoodle family.

Oreodoodles

Seeing as how Oreos are by far my favorite packaged cookies, how could I not tackle this recipe (and subsequently gobble them up). Seriously these cookies are fantastic and definitely pair best with a tall glass of milk. These chocolatey cookies are slightly crisp on the outside with tons of extra Oreo dust encasing a gently tender cookie. Not only are these cookies rolled in Oreo crumbs, but they're dotted with crushed Oreos and chocolate chips inside, too. Now wonder a glass of milk is a must have with these guys.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles

Where do I start with these cookies? Pumpkin, so of course they taste like fall. Cheesecake, yup a creamy filling inside each cookie. And Snickerdoodle, because, hello? Snickerdoodles! But I need to be honest--these cookies are a touch time consuming and the dough will work against you a bit. But your patience will be rewarded with an amazingly good cookie. The cookie is soft, coated in cinnamon sugar and full of pumpkin flavor. Plus a creamy center surprises you with a lovely cheesecake filling. These would be a perfect cookie for a fall festival or even your Thanksgiving dessert table (I promise you, it is not to early to start thinking about your Thanksgiving menu!).

S'mores Snickerdoodles

Yes, you read that right. Say it with me now. S'mores. Snickerdoodles. Together in sheer cookie bliss. I'm a huge s'mores fan--to the point I have been known to save room for dessert because a restaurant serves up s'mores or a s'more inspired treat. Not to mention the brownies, whoopie pies, banana bread and other treats I've made from this chocolate-graham-marshmallow combo. And the doodle obsession is well documented with snickerdoodles in all kinds of flavors popping up here (with two other new ones I found that are definitely going to hit the the cookie tins this holiday). So of course without question I immediately set upon making this cookie infusing all the flavor bits I love about s'mores with all the best features of a snickerdoodle--soft and puffy inside and rolled in a wonderful coating to bake up to one amazing cookie. My friend Mere was the recipient of these cookies for her birthday last month--it really is a great summer birthday cookie, right? The cookie is light and tender, with chunks of graham cracker, marshmallows and chocolate chips throughout, not to mention a slightly cinnamon enhanced graham cracker crumb coating. I wasn't sure I'd love the traditional snickerdoodle cinnamon flavor paired with the classic s'mores palette, but I ran with it anyway. Which is good because the result is amazing. Seriously, these might be my new favorite cookie. For real.

Snickerdoodle Mini Scones

It's been a while since I whipped up some scones, so I thought one Saturday morning I'd make up a batch. And since I know snickerdoodle is one of Dave's favorite flavors, it seemed appropriate to make that my flavor base for these scones. On and I made them mini. Because, well, mini. The result? Tender, flaky scones teaming with cinnamon and sweetness. Topping and glaze? Yes and please.

Tangerine Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are a holiday must have and one of Dave's (and my) favorite cookies.  But I'm always looking for a twist, especially with this type of cookie.  Besides the classic variety, I've made chocolate snickerdoodles, gingerdoodles, mapledoodles, and pumpkindoodles,  So given the opportunity to add a little citrus flavor to the mix, why not?  I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed that these aren't more tangerine-y, but they are still a good cookie.  The tangerine flavor is subtle and light, but I think I could have enhanced this in two ways--first, used more zest; and second, maybe turn these into orange snickerdoodles and used a big ol' navel orange, which would have yielded more zest as well.  But over all these are a great nsickerdoodle, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a cinnamon sugar shell, and just a hint of something different with the light citrusy notes.

Snickerdoodle Truffles

Yes and please.  These truffles are amazing.  Like I was super duper excited to find the recipe, then make them, then eat them.  And I ate a lot of them.  The truffle inside is a creamy cookie dough seasoned just like a snickerdoodle, and the white chocolate coating is flavored with ground cinnamon.  Add a drizzle of chocolate for texture (and in this case color), flavored with cinnamon oil. Then, just to make it the most authentic of snickerdoodle treats, it's dusted with a bit of cinnamon sugar.  Positively amazing and delicious.

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Blondies

Prepare yourself for a new Thanksgiving dessert.  These will make your forget about the pumpkin pie altogether.  A thick bar consisting of a soft and chewy snickerdoodle base topped with a wonderfully smooth and creamy pumpkin pie filling garnished with cinnamon sugar, one bite and you'll be sold.  The cinnamon in the snickerdoodle base is the perfect bridge to the spiced pumpkin filling.  Dave was sold just by reading the recipe, but once he tasted them, he declared them perfect.  As did I.  In fact, these pimpkin pie snickerdoodle blondies were miles better than I thought they would be.  I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie in general, so I anticipated these bars being just okay.  I was wrong and I'm proud to admit it.

Jen at Beantown Baker is a genius for coming up with this winning combination.  I followed her recipe pretty closing, although I did add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the snickerdoodle batter and decreased the brown sugar by a half cup.  Jen also suggests adding a white chocolate & cinnamon topping, but Dave and I agreed to leave them with just the cinnamon sugar.  Either way, you have to try these bars.  Don't be intimidated by the ingredients list.  You're whipping up two batters essentially, but you can use the same bowl for both (I did at Jen's suggestion).  They came together pretty quickly and wherever you celebrate this Thanksgiving, everyone will be thankful for you and these pumpkin pie snickerdoodle blondies.

Mapledoodles

When I showed Dave this recipe, he only looked at the title and said yes.  My husband is a man of simple tastes and a true New Englander, he loves his maple syrup.  So a cookie, based on the classic Snickerdoodle no less, that tastes like maple?  Yes is all he needed to say.  You'll be pleasantly surprised by the subtle  maple flavor from the sugar and the glaze.  The cookie is both crunchy (at the edges) and soft (in the middle) and the topping combined with the glaze (which, can I just say how awesome this glaze was?  Perfect consistency, not too sweet and made a ton.) offer a unique cookie that is a grown up spin to a classic cookie.

This recipe is from King Arthur Flour.  I had forgotten about it when I went to the store and thus forgot to pick up the maple sugar.  However, Dave and I were at an apple festival a few weeks ago and a local Massachusetts maple grower had a booth set up, selling maple syrup, maple candies and, lucky me, maple sugar.  Turns out it was cheaper to buy it from the vendor and I felt good about buying local (the vendor's farm is about an hour from our house).  The recipe is flawless and I definitely recommend drizzling the glaze on the cookie, rather than slathering it on, so that you can appreciate the taste and texture of the sugar topping and not be overwhelmed by a lot of glaze.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

I craved these when I saw them up for bid in the Bloggers Bake for Hope bake sale.  So when I was outbid, I decided to cheer myself up by baking up a batch.  They were just as good as I imagined.  Soft texture, but firm and lots of cinnamon flavor.  Snickerdoodles are one of Dave's favorites and he approved.  We served them as dessert for his parents, topped with vanilla ice cream and they were wonderful.

This recipe came courtesy of Lark's Country Heart, and she fetched $35 for these babies.  I changed nothing (and wouldn't) in this recipe, so they should turn out just as perfect for you.  These would be great to take to a cook out this holiday weekend.


Snickerdoodle Blondies

Ingredients

2 2/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon


Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and add brown sugar, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine butter mixture and flour mixture and stir to incorporate.  You'll end up with a thick, muffin-like batter, so just stir until all the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet.

Transfer batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan and spread evenly.

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over the pan.

Bake at 350 degree F for 23-28 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, but cut into bars while still warm.

Makes 24 bars.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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Snickerdoodles

Is there really a more fun cookie name?  It's just the best.  And it's absolutely one of my must-have holiday cookies.  I'm not sure why, but that cinnamony flavor reminds me of winter, and the best part about winter is the holidays (and the cookies).

I found this recipe in the Penzey's Spices catalog several years ago.  I love Penzey's spices.  The quality is great, the prices are very good, and the flavors are amazing.  Plus, they have wonderful recipes showcasing various spices and how to incorporate new flavors into your meals in each of their catalogs and on their website.   I made very minor changes to how I combine the ingredients, and they are perfect every time.

Sinckerdoodles

3 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.  Cream butter, then add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer.  Add eggs, milk and vanilla, beating slowly after each addition, then beating well and scraping the bowl occasionally.  Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until combined.  Scrape the bowl to ensure all the flour is incorporated. 

This is a soft dough, so you may want to refrigerate it to make it easier to work with, but it's not necessary.  Because I often am making two (or more) recipes simultaneously, I have chilled it for 30 minutes to an hour and it's fine.  But I've also started baking it right away and still have been successful.  If you're making these is a warmer climate, it would probably be a good idea to chill the dough for a short time.

Form the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar.  Place on an ungreased or parchment/silicone lined cookie sheet.  Flatten with the bottom of a glass.

The flattening part is important.  Once I accidentally popped my cookie sheets it the oven without flattening (I simply forgot that step in my haste to get the sheets in the oven) and got Snickerballs.  The dough doesn't spread that much and while the Snickerballs were tasty, the texture was off.  I also have found that I prefer a certain type of glass.  I had been using a regular drinking glass, but though the cookies were getting too flat, and then too crispy in the oven.  So last year I switched to a standard shot glass, like this:

I forgot to take my own picture, so I borrowed this one
from http://www.crystalimagesinc.com/shotglass1.html

But I noticed that if I pressed too hard, I got the ring from the bottom of the glass as well as the imprint of "Made in the USA" on my cookies.  While this mostly baked out when the cookies puffed a bit, I wanted something different.  This year I spotted the perfect tool in the cabinet. 

It's called an over-under glass, and no, I didn't steal it.  Dave and I got them when we ordered from a certain shot menu at Dave & Buster's.  We haven't actually used them to make said shots at home, but they really are the perfect tool for flattening cookies!

Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges start to crack and turn lightly golden.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.  Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then move to complete cooling on rack.

Makes 7 1/2 dozen.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess