Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles is such a great word. I love the way it sounds. I have to say, before I first investigated the ingredients, my mind had conjured up something involving peanuts that had been crafted in Willy Wonka's lab. They are in fact lovely little vanilla cookies, rolled in a sugar and cinnamon mixture prior to cooking.

It seems that the name has nothing what so ever to do with Snickers, as you would thing. According to Wikipedia, the name is German in origin, derived from Schneckennudeln, which means 'snail noodles'. Another hypothesis suggests that the name has no particular meaning or purpose, and is simply a whimsically named cookie that originated from a New England tradition of fanciful cookie names. I think I like that version better, as none of the images I have ever seen resemble a snail... thankfully.

Cookie Dough:

•    360 g Plain flour
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    2 teaspoons baking powder
•    227 g  unsalted butter, room temperature
•    300 g caster sugar
•    2 large eggs
•    1 teaspoon pure vanilla

TIP: I added a teaspoon of ground mixed spice to make the cookies even more festive.

Coating:

•    60 g granulated sugar
•    2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1.    Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth
2.    Beat the eggs with the vanilla extract, and add to the butter and sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a small handful of flour if you like as this can help prevent splitting
3.    In a separate bowl, sieve together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
4.    Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate until firm (about one to two hours).
5.    Preheat oven to Gas Mark 5 / 375 F / 190
6.    Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or greaseproof paper. 
7.    Shape the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) round balls.

Adding the coating:

1.    In a large shallow bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
2.    Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and place on the prepared tray, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
3.    Using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie a little to about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick.
4.    Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown and firm around the edges. The centers of the cookies will still be a little soft.
5.    Remove from oven allow to cool for 1 or 2 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool.


Can store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 7 - 10 days.

Difficulty	Easy
Servings	50
Calories per serving	90 kcal