Alice Medrich's Snickerdoodles
Mar. 11th, 2019 06:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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bakeitupThese are lightly adapted from the recipe in Alice Medrich's Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies, which has tendered me many a standby recipe.
The things I like best about these snickerdoodles, which are possibly my favorite cookie, period, are: how incredibly soft and cake-like you can make them when you give them a shorter bake time, the flexibility of the dough for adapting to other kinds of cookies (snickerdoodle jam thumbprints, anyone?), and how long and beautifully the dough keeps in the fridge or freezer. Also, since the cinnamon is on the outside, it's a great opportunity/excuse to use the Really Good Cinnamon.
To make these cookies you need to be able to accurately measure things in spoons and cups, mix and fold a thick batter with wire whisk and spatula, cream butter and sugar (which can be done with a stand mixer), and move the cookie sheet in and out of the oven. It also requires fine-motor control when rolling the cookies into balls before baking.
:
This recipe contains wheat, gluten, dairy, and eggs.
Makes easily 4 dozen cookies!
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sufficiency of baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl/electric stand mixer if you're a lucky devil, beat the butter with 1-1/2 cups of the sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in batches and mix on low speed until the dough comes together into a crumbly mass. It really won't stick together itself, but don't panic - just make sure there's no loose flour left. Using your hands, gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon. Pinch off tablespoons of dough and shape into 1-1/4-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-9 minutes for soft, chewy cookies (the cookies will look puffed) or 10-11 minutes for crispy cookies (the cookies will have puffed and started to settle down); shift the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes (although if you nip one off the baking sheet while still hot, it's somewhat like biting into a cinnamon cloud of delight), then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
(Let me tell you, unless you are a crunchy cookie devotee, the soft bake time is the way to go! Soooo delicious.)
Note: These cookies are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are made. If you plan to store them, use the bake time for soft, chewy cookies. Crispy cookies can be reheated briefly in the microwave for that fresh texture. The dough may also be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature
The things I like best about these snickerdoodles, which are possibly my favorite cookie, period, are: how incredibly soft and cake-like you can make them when you give them a shorter bake time, the flexibility of the dough for adapting to other kinds of cookies (snickerdoodle jam thumbprints, anyone?), and how long and beautifully the dough keeps in the fridge or freezer. Also, since the cinnamon is on the outside, it's a great opportunity/excuse to use the Really Good Cinnamon.
To make these cookies you need to be able to accurately measure things in spoons and cups, mix and fold a thick batter with wire whisk and spatula, cream butter and sugar (which can be done with a stand mixer), and move the cookie sheet in and out of the oven. It also requires fine-motor control when rolling the cookies into balls before baking.
:
This recipe contains wheat, gluten, dairy, and eggs.
Makes easily 4 dozen cookies!
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sufficiency of baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl/electric stand mixer if you're a lucky devil, beat the butter with 1-1/2 cups of the sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in batches and mix on low speed until the dough comes together into a crumbly mass. It really won't stick together itself, but don't panic - just make sure there's no loose flour left. Using your hands, gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon. Pinch off tablespoons of dough and shape into 1-1/4-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-9 minutes for soft, chewy cookies (the cookies will look puffed) or 10-11 minutes for crispy cookies (the cookies will have puffed and started to settle down); shift the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes (although if you nip one off the baking sheet while still hot, it's somewhat like biting into a cinnamon cloud of delight), then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
(Let me tell you, unless you are a crunchy cookie devotee, the soft bake time is the way to go! Soooo delicious.)
Note: These cookies are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are made. If you plan to store them, use the bake time for soft, chewy cookies. Crispy cookies can be reheated briefly in the microwave for that fresh texture. The dough may also be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature
