Snickerdoodle

"What is a snickerdoodle?"

I was wondering after watching USPS holiday commercial. I guessed it is some kind of tasty baking good that you really want to bake... but did not know exactly what it is.

On Google, I found that "snickerdoodle" is just a type of cinnamon sugar cookie. Whoever named the cookie must have a whimsical sense of humor. What a cute name for a simple cinnamon cookie!


USPS TV commercial "Snickerdoodle"




Snickerdoodle
(Yield: about 35 cookies / Cooking time: 50 minutes)

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients
+ 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
+ 1 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon powder*
+ 1/2 tsp baking soda
+ 1 tsp cream of tartar**
+ 1/8 tsp kosher salt

* Most common cinnamon in the US market is Indonesian cinnamon. If you can, find Vietnamese cinnamon which has much higher oil contents from its thicker bark formed from the longer growth period (15-20 years).

** Cream of tartar is acidic byproduct from wine making. The reason to add cream of tartar in this recipe is not to add acidic taste to the cookies, but (1) to help baking soda produce carbon dioxide gas quickly (baking soda needs water, acidity, and heat to make the baking goods rise), and (2) to reduce unpleasant flavor (sodium carbonate) produced by baking soda by partially neutralizing the sodium carbonate. Of course, you will taste hint of acidic flavor in the cookies. You can use baking powder instead of baking soda, but then, you will need 2-3 times more baking powder than baking soda.


Wet ingredients
+ 8 oz unsalted butter (one stick), room temperature
+ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
+ 1 egg
+ 3/4 tsp vanilla extract



Cinnamon sugar
+ 1 Tbsp cinnamon powder
+ 2 Tbsp granulated sugar


Procedures:
1. Beat room temperature butter with paddle attachment until the butter is smooth.


2. Add sugar and beat sugar and butter together on medium speed until pale and fluffy .


3. Add an egg and increase the mixer speed to high. Add vanilla extract as well and beat until the mixture is very fluffy.


You will see that the butter volume has increased significantly



4. Whisk well all the dry ingredients together.


5. Pour the dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix on lowest speed until the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are incorporated. Please do not overmix, otherwise, gluten forms and the texture of baked cookies will be hard and tough


6. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula to make sure that there are no lumps of butter or flour. Again, do not overmix.


7. Place the dough in a fridge for 30 minutes to rest the dough to loosen gluten. Also, the chilled dough will be firm and easy to handle. While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

8. Portion the dough into 15 gram pieces. If you don't have a scale, just portion the dough into 35 even pieces.


I got 34 cookie portions.



9. Roll the portioned dough into cinnamon sugar and shape it round.


10. Arrange the cinnamon sugar coated dough in baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicon mat, about 2" apart to each other.


11. Bake the cookies in preheated oven for 10 minutes on the middle rack.

12. Cool the baked snickerdoodle in wired rack. Outside of the cookie should be crunchy and inside slightly moist.



Enjoy the snickerdoodle with your morning coffee!