Yesterday I went to a Christmas Cookie Party at an American friend’s flat. In case you haven’t been sucked into the (brilliant) American tradition of Christmas cookies, here is how a cookie party works.
Everyone brings a big batch of cookies (ideally made from scratch!) so that everyone can take home 2-3 of each kind. Sometimes you bring copies of the recipe for everyone. Most times you share a story about your cookies.
Because I spent all day Saturday volunteering, I was a bit stressed about finding time to shop. So I searched for a recipe that I could make with all the basics we have in the house. I ended up baking an old-fashioned traditional cookie called snickerdoodles!
You’ll love them, and here is the recipe if you’d like to try. Credit goes to JoyofBaking.com.
Ingredients
Cookies:
360 grams plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
227 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
300 grams granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Coating:
66 grams granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Method
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls (one to two hours).
Preheat oven to 190 degrees C and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape the dough into 2.5 cm round balls.
Coating: In a large shallow bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 5 cm apart. Then, using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie to about 1.5 cm thick.
Bake the cookies for about 8 – 10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Can store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 – 14 days.
Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
mmmm…! Made these this afternoon, they are the BEST ever! They look like the ones in the picture, but less crackled. Do wait for them to cool a little before taking them off the tray because they will stick otherwise. SO YUM!!!! A really crunchy outer shell!!!!