Snickerdoodles

I feel that we are all friends here at Thoroughly Nourished Life, and so I feel as if I owe you an explanation, and some cookies. Let’s start with the explanation. I am the type of friend who thinks most explanations are best coupled with sweet treats. Glucose fuels the brain after all.

This past week was super awesome busy followed by an enforced period of rest. Most of the busyness was good, and some was business busyness. The enforced period of rest included me, an 8-hour long iron infusion drip (accompanied by lovely nurses and terrible pay TV), being taken care of by my darling boyfriend (best cure for post-treatment woosies) and two days on the couch watching Harry Potter movies with the occasional break for gluten-free Oreos and decorating our Christmas tree. So friends, that is where I have been. On adventures of a different kind.

Now, onto the cookies. On occasions where I am forced to spend long periods of time sitting still, which is something that as a twenty-six year old woman I am still not very good at, I divert the extra brain activity that usually gets burned up by fidgeting/walking/running/cooking into thinking about what I am going to bake next. Lately, given that it is the beginning of the festive season and all, I get to thinking about cookies. I have cookies on the brain from my sunrise run to my sunset snuggles. And I need to share these thoughts of cookies with my Thoroughly Nourished Friends so that you can make them for your loved ones and get the season off to a sweet start.

These Snickerdoodles have long been a family favourite. My sister makes amazing Snickerdoodle cookies, we’ve both been known to rock out the spiciest sweet Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with accompanying cream cheese frosting, and so when searching for the place to start my Christmas baking there was no hesitation in my mind. These Snickerdoodles are my riff on the classic. I replaced some of the plain flour with almond meal for a chewier, denser cookie, and added some mixed spice (or pumpkin spice for my US readers) to the usual cinnamon sugar coating.

Snickerdoodles

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies. Makes about 28 cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup almond meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 200 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar, extra
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

Method

1. In a medium size bowl whisk together plain flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Place butter, 1 1/2 cups caster sugar, and vanilla essence into a large bowl. Using handheld mixer on medium-high beat until light and fluffy. This will take about 2-3 minutes if your butter is nice and soft.
3. Add eggs to butter and beat well.
4. Slow mixer to low and gradually incorporate flour mix. Once completely incorporated cover bowl with plastic wrap and cool dough in refrigerator for 45 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 170C (338F) and line three large cookie sheets with baking paper.
6. Whisk together 2 tablespoons caster sugar, ground cinnamon, and mixed spice in a small bowl.
7. Take generous tablespoons of Snickerdoodle dough and roll into balls. Work quickly as the butter in the dough will begin to melt with the heat of your hands. Place balls of dough into the sugar and spice mixture and roll around to coat completely. Place on prepared cookie sheets.
8. Repeat with remaining dough. Leave plenty of room between balls of dough because Snickerdoodles spread substantially during baking.
9. Place trays in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Switch trays around halfway through baking time.
10. Once cooked remove from oven and cool on racks.

Hungry for more cookie recipes? Try Coffee-Vanilla Sandwich Cookies for holiday morning tea, or perhaps some Mocha Pecan Biscotti for early Christmas gifts.