Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Snickerdoodles - nutmeg cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar

Snickerdoodles / Muskaatküpsised

I'm not the first blogger to write about Snickerdoodles (SmittenKitchen, EggBeater, Pinch My Salt, Andrea Meyers have all beat me to it), but I love the photo I made, so I want to blog about them as well :) Additionally, my recipe uses metric measures, making it more useful for a lot of Internet-users out there ;)

I don't know whom to credit for the recipe. All the cookbooks I consulted - be it Nigella Lawson, Rachel Allen or someone less famous - had almost exact recipe, almost verbatim, and mine is a combination of quite a few of them. The only changes I made was making my cookies a wee bit smaller. I also seems to me that the photos of Snickerdoodle cookies in the British food magazines and cookbooks depict cookies that are slightly rounder (as opposed to the very thin and flat ones in American foodblogs and cookbooks).

These cookies keep for a week in a air-tight cookie jar.

Snickerdoodles
(Snickerdoodles-muskaatküpsised)
Makes about 3 dozen cookies (2 cookie sheets)

Snickerdoodles / Muskaadiküpsised

250 g plain flour
0.5 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
125 g unsalted butter, softened
100 g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon sugar:
2 Tbsp caster sugar
1 Tsbp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180 C/370 F.

Mix flour, nutmeg, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Cream egg and sugar until pale and fluffy, whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Fold in the dry ingredients and press into a neat dough ball.
Mix cinnamon sugar ingredients in a small shallow bowl.
Take small walnut-sized pieces of cookie down and roll them into small balls (I was diligent enough to weigh that each dough ball measured 12-14 grams :)). Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar until covered, then place onto a lined baking sheet, leaving about 3 cm between cookies.
Flatten the cookies lightly with the palm of your hand or by pressing with the fork.
Bake in the pre-heated 180 C oven for about 12-15 minutes, until cookies are light golden brown.
Remove from the oven, leave to cool for a couple of minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

8 comments:

Pene said...

It s also possible to freeze the dough balls & then they can be baked when you want them later.

Alison said...

years ago I remember reading in some cookbook that small "dainty" cookies were a mark of pride for home cooking; that commercially made cookies were larger because it took less time. Ever since I always make small cookies, for serving with tea when my friends visit. Besides it just seems nicer to have them bite-sized!

I will have to try your recipe before the next time I have guests. Though I live in the USA, I have a kitchen scale and use it often, especially for baking

margie said...

I love snickerdoodles, and my mom still includes a batch almost every time she sends me a package. I know a lot of people make them so that they are chewy-crisp, like a thin sugar cookie, but I grew up eating them thicker, and very soft and chewy.

Now I'm craving cookies...

thepassionatecook said...

they look and sound lovely! i had never come across them before... a good one to try with the kids!

Roxy said...

Snickerdoodles are out of the oven and smell delicious!

Klary Koopmans said...

Pille, I experimented one day and made chocodoodles ;) Simply replaced 25 gram of flour with cocoapowder. Really good!
http://klarykoopmans.blogspot.com/2010/02/chocodoedels.html

Gitte said...

Pene, great advice. I love a good Snickerdoodle, they are so delicious.

Sif said...

I just came back from the most wonderful vacation in Tallinn - heaven for a medieval-nerd like me. I'm about ready to emigrate now!

But first I will bake your snickerdoodles. They look great.