Maple Pecan Snickerdoodles

I love finding new things to bake.  While shopping for chocolate chips I discovered that Nestles makes Maple flavored chips. That's new!  It had a maple pecan snickerdoodle recipe on the package.  I made a few adjustments to it to suit me and it is a delightful cookie!

Snickerdoodles are basically balls of sugar cookie dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked.  You can find my recipe here.

  

Maple Pecan Snickerdoodles

3/4 cups butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package Maple morsels (chips)
1 cup chopped pecans

3 Tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

  

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat to avoid sticking.

Place the butter in a mixing bowl and mix for several minutes.  I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  I can let the butter mix while assembling the other ingredients.  It will turn pale and be super soft.

  

Add the sugar and beat until combined. You may have to scrape down the bowl a few times.  You WILL have to scrape down the bowl a few times.

Add the eggs and the vanilla.  Mix some more.

  

Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt to the mixture.  Mix gently to avoid flour flying about the room.

  

When the dry ingredients are full combined, add the chopped nuts and maple chips.

  

Place the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir to mix.

  

Use a one inch cookie scoop to make a small ball of dough.  Place about three balls of dough in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  Gently roll the balls with a fork and place the covered balls on a cookie sheet.

 

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for about 2 minutes before removing them to a cooking rack.

I liked the crunchy nuts and creamy maple chips in the snickerdoodle cookie.  They added an interesting texture and flavor.

  

Snickerdoodles

  

Isn't that a great name for a cookie?  I have no idea where it came from but it is a perfect name for a childhood favorite.  One of my best friends from way back in the day used to make them.  Sometimes, if I was lucky, Katy would bring some by.  There had to be plenty because I had two brothers and two sisters and cookies did not last long at our place.  Better to take two right off the bat.  It wasn't as good of a deal if she invited me over to eat some at her house.  Over there I would have to be polite.

I have some company coming over for a bit tonight.  I asked Lee what kind of cookie I should make.  "Snickerdoodles",  was his long winded remark.  Sometimes it's hard to get a word in edgewise.  I don't know if he thought the kids would like them or he just wanted them for himself, but I made them and I'll keep some for him.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided use
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided use
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375.  Get out the cookie sheets and silpats, or lightly grease the sheets.

I use a KitchenAid mixer.  This can be done by hand, I am sure Katy didn't have a stand mixer!  The reason I am sure is because I had never heard of a stand mixer back then. Cream the butter and 1 1/4 cups of the sugar.  While you still have the sugar out, put the other 1/4 cup in a small bowl and set aside.

  

Add the eggs and the vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  It will tend to stick on the sides, so stop and scrape down occasionally. Yes, I know the mixer is supposed to keep you from having to work.  It's just a bit of scraping.  You can do it.

  

All recipes tell you to put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl to mix them and then to add to the mixer.  I rarely do this.  I don't know if it is laziness or frugality...an extra dish to wash will use more water or soap or something.  I'll just go with frugality.  You can use an extra bowl if you like.

I put one cup of flour in the mixer.  Then I added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  The rest of the cinnamon (1 teaspoon) should go with the sugar in the small bowl. stir it until mixed.  Then add the rest of the dry ingredients on top of the flour.

  

Under no circumstances should you leave out the cream of tartar.  You may have never heard of it, but it is necessary for these cookies.  This is what gives them the lift and the soft insides.  You gotta do it.  They sell it right with the spices.  You can't miss it. I even have two, because the last time I used it it looked close to empty so I bought more.

 Mix the spices into the flour gently with a spoon or knife.  Turn on the mixer, slowly,  to finish mixing. Add the other cup and 1/2 of flour and mix that in.

You can shape the dough into one inch balls or you can use the small cookie scoop.  They do not have to be round.  When they cook they will spread out into a nice round shape.  The scoop is faster and less messy than the hand method, but I don't think Katy had a scoop, so you don't need one either.

  

Set up an assembly line.  Cookie dough, bowl with sugar and cinnamon, cookie sheet, wet rag to wipe your hand.  Scoop up a few balls of cookie dough and put them in the sugar.  Turn them with a spoon to coat them. Using your fingers, now, pick them up and arrange them on the cookie sheet.  Leave room for them to spread out.  Wipe your sticky little fingers and do a few more.

When the cookie sheet is full cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.  I did it for 7 minutes.

When you take the cookies out of the oven they will be puffy and look great.  Then as they cool they will fall a bit and get crinkly.  This is good.  They will be all crispy on the outside and chewy and wonderful on the inside.  When they have cooled for a few minutes, transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

  

Don't put the cinnamon and the sugar away until all the cookies are in the oven. Sometis there is just not enough to coat all the cookies and you will need to add more.  Don't worry too much about measuring.  Just add 1 Tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.  You can't use it for anything else if there is leftovers.  It will have cookie bits in it.  Wait...Cookie Dough Coffee.  Nah.  It has raw eggs in it.  Maybe another recipe, though!  You'll have to toss it.

Make sure you try at least one when it is still a bit warm.  If you never had a Snickerdoodle before, this will be a special treat for you.  Even with my vast experience in cookie eating, it happens every time with my first bite. The edges of my tongue tighten up and I know I would be gleeking if I was chewing with my mouth open. They are that good.  Thanks for the memories, Katy.

 

 

Tea Party

I had a friend over recently.  It was a good excuse to have a tea party!  But then, I like any excuse to have a tea party.

   

I made cucumber sandwiches and baked maple pecan snickerdoodles, chocolate croissants, chocolate dipped strawberries, and strawberry puff pastry diamonds.  And tea and coffee, of course!

   

There are recipes for these tidbits on this site if you want to search for them.  I recommend trying them. These are all very nice.

And the company was lovely, too!

Playdough

I recently had a friend of mine visit me.  She is in second grade and a delightful child.  We needed something to occupy our time and I thought she might like to help me make some playdough.  I have had this playdough recipe since my older daughter was in pre-school.  I made it for my kids and the kids I had in my daycare.  It is big fun and so easy.  It is non toxic in small amounts, but has a lot of salt, so shouldn't be eaten.

Similar to commercially made playdough, it will dry out if left in the open, but can last a long time if you return it to a sealed container after each use.

Playdough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt, that reminds me.  Gotta put salt on the list.
2 teaspoons cream of tartar, go ahead and buy it.  You need it to make snickerdoodles
1 Tablespoon oil
1 cup warm water

Optional

food coloring
food flavoring

 

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan.  I used 1/2 teaspoon peppermint flavoring and 4 drops of red food coloring.  If this got on a carpet, I didn't want any staining.  It gave the playdough a faint pink appearance.

 

Use whatever flavors and colors you like, and have in the pantry.

 

Heat over medium heat.  My friend needed a chair to help and I made sure to keep her far from the flame of my gas cooktop.  Don't walk away.  This doesn't take long.

 

Keep stirring until the dough forms into a ball.

That's it!

 

It is quite warm when you finish, so wait a bit before little hands start forming shapes. 

 

Why, yes.  We DO allow 7 year olds to get tattooed in Virginia.

  

Doesn't everyone?