It’s March: I’m so very happy that our backyard chickens are laying again. These pale green and dark brown eggs were perfect candidates for this weekend’s baking project.
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About three weeks ago, we welcomed into the brood: two little foster kids. The girl is 23 months old. Her brother is three and a half.
It has definitely been an adjustment.
So over the weekend, The Boy and I made a batch of snickerdoodles together. We’re gifting them back to the group home he and sister stayed in for three weeks before they came to live with us. We’re also attaching a Thank You note and Starbucks gift card to let them know how very much we appreciate them for doing what they do: taking care of kiddos who have been yanked from their incapacitated biological parents and have no other place to go.
Way better than an email update, right?
Let’s hope they like ‘em.
[K]
Snickerdoodles are cookies made with butter, white sugar, and cinnamon. The signature cracked surface is made possible with the addition of cream of tartar and baking soda. These are boosted with a vanilla bean, and are crispy on the outside, but chewy on the inside.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ cups (344 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped of seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Minute 1: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile:
- Minute 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Minute 5: Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Beat in eggs on medium speed, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between additions.
- Minute 8: Beat in vanilla extract and bean. Stop mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Stop the mixer, remove the bowl, and finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula. Refrigerate dough, in the bowl, for 30 minutes.
- Minute 10: Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F for a gas oven or 325 degrees F for a convection oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Minute 12: To make the topping: in a small bowl, toss together cinnamon and sugar.
- Minute 40: Spoon dough into heaping tablespoonfuls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes in a gas oven or 8-10 minutes in a convection oven, until slightly browned around the edges. You may need to do this in two batches.
- Minutes 55 through 70: Remove from oven and cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Snickerdoodles will last, in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 3 days
Source: Adapted from Joy the Baker Cookbook, Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles, page 220.
Beautiful sentiment AND cookies!
Oh, Kim, they are going to LOVE your gift, especially as The Boy helped make it:) I am admiring you and cannot wait to meet the young’uns:) If you need any advice, let me know – I at least managed to teach my girls how to be curious and adventurous eaters:)
Cheers, my friend! Many hugs to you and your family:)
Thinking of you, Mom, and hope everybody is doing well.
I agree with Dorothy–what a wonderful gesture.
My dad loves snickerdoodles AND vanilla…must make these for him!