Snickerdoodles
I will forever associate the month of December with the smell of cookies. This could be because I own a bakery that makes many, many cookies in December, but probably, and more likely, it is owed to my dear Mother churning out a seemingly endless quantity of cookies. She does this at every holiday season, but especially at Christmas. The olfactory sense is the closest link to our memory, so it stands to reason, that the familiar smell of warm butter with candied, browning sugar lands me right back to my youth. I spent, literally, every day in the kitchen with my Italian heritage mother (we had a very tiny house, so it really was the predominant room.), and I regret not a single moment of it.
My kids, and pretty much every one calls my mom “Nonni,” like the Italian nonna, for grandmother. In my family’s world, holiday cookie baking is the “gift.” We delivered cookies every Christmas morning to people I often had never met. I knew their shutters and doors from the previous years, but often not their names. And all my Mom needed to know was that they needed cookies at Christmas and that was enough; she is just like this and in my teenage years, this style of giving did not resonate so clearly, but oh how I appreciate it now.
Nonni’s famous offering was the date pinwheel and perhaps next season I will figure a gluten-free version and share it with you, but until then I’ll share this perfectly buttery and straightforward recipe for the best Snickerdoodle you will ever have. This version is low on stress and high on happy and if there is one cookie everyone loves, whether you know them by name or house color, it is the Snickerdoodle. Wrap them in wax paper tied with twine, put them in a tin or colorful box, regardless, just give them, they are the gift!
This snickerdoodle is as happy as it gets (the name alone!). It is a tough one to screw up, which makes it a perfect recipe to collaborate with family and friends. Cold temperatures and dark evenings seem to draw everyone inside, so why not fire up the oven for warmth and make some snickerdoodles for fragrant sustenance and joy? And if you’re low on time but plentiful with sentiment, our ovens are always going and our piping bags are always full of buttercream. Cherbourg Cyprus is even making pizelles this season.
The holidays can be a hard time to be gluten-free, nut-free, and/or dye-free. Let us be your source for safe and delicious treats for yourself and your loved ones. We so appreciate your trust and we always look forward to seeing you.
Be Sweet &
Happy Baking,
Geri
Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
8 ounces salted butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar + 1 C. for rolling
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 C. Cherbourg flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cinnamon (for rolling)
Directions
Cream butter, beat in granulated sugar, add eggs one at a time, add vanilla, and beat well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together Cherbourg flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly and gently add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing as you go.
Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and let chill for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Whisk 1 C. sugar and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon in small bowl and set aside.
Roll dough into large balls (around 85-90 grams). Roll balls in cinnamon sugar and place on parchment paper-lined cookies sheets, leaving plenty of room between each cookie.
Dampen or just barely moisten the bottom of a wide ramekin or glass cup, dip in cinnamon sugar, and lightly flatten each cookie.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is almost set. Take out of oven and leave on the cookie sheet to finish baking and to set the centers.
