January 21, 2021
I used to make delicious snickerdoodles by buying a package of sugar cookie dough (slice and bake), making balls out of the dough and then rolling the cookie balls in cinnamon sugar. It was a good hack. I was proud of it. And people liked them. But these snickerdoodle are certainly do not taste the same as slice and bake. No way, no how.
My daughter Mia loves these cookies. She’s a bit addicted to them if I must be honest. Is it the coconut oil in them? Or their chewiness attributed to the change in oven temperature midway through baking? Could it be that anything rolled in cinnamon sugar is delicious?
These cookies are ethereal, and the coconut oil makes them smell oh so good. Crispy on the outside, chewy middles, the perfect combination. I hope you love them as much as Mia does. And that slice and bake hack I told you about . . . it does still work in a pinch!
Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Stella Parks
For the Cookies
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), firm but pliable
Heaping 1/3 cup (85 grams) coconut oil
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, cold from the refrigerator
2 1/3 cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour
For the Cinnamon Sugar
1/4 cup (57 grams) granulated sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated cinnamon (optional)
Directions
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 400º F. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, coconut oil, sugar, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Mix at a low speed to combine, then increase to medium speed and beat about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl after about 3 minutes. When done the ingredients will look soft, fluffy, and pale. You may need to scrape the bowl with the rubber spatula again.
Add the egg and continue beating until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add the flour. The dough will be stiff and perhaps a bit crumbly.
In a small bowl mix the cinnamon and the sugar together. If you have a fresh cinnamon stick, using a microplane, grate the end of the fresh cinnamon into the mixture.
Make the dough into balls that are 2 tablespoon portions. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture and then place it on the prepared pan. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each ball into a 2 inch disk, about 1/2 inch thick. Continue this process until you have used up all the dough. Generously cover the prepared dough balls with the leftover cinnamon sugar, creating a thick layer.
Bake the snickerdoodles for about 5 minutes, then REDUCE the temperature of the oven to 350ºF. Bake for another 6 minutes, baking until the cookies are firm around the edges, but obviously underbraked in the center. Cool directly on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes. Then you can transfer them to a cooling rack.