Brown Sugar Snickerdoodles

Snow day! There’s something about snow that makes me want to bake. I think it’s the way the snow drifts in the wind like sifted flour and clumps up along walkways like dough. I have a feeling I’m not alone in this association. Snickerdoodles are a classic cookie from New England and we New Englanders are no strangers to snow.

Snickerdoodles are normally made with just granulated sugar, but brown sugar makes for a richer flavor – good to know if you find yourself snowed in and low on granulated sugar, with a hankering for snickerdoodles. Doesn’t this happen all time?

The following recipe turns out a buttery, crisp and sweet snickerdoodle, perfect for snow storm baking.

Note: I recommend using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.

Brown Sugar Snickerdoodles – makes 24 cookies

1 C butter, softened
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2C flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t cream of tartar
2 T sugar
1 t cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Cream the butter, sugar and egg.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Sift the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix together to form a dough. If using a stand mixer, run on low for at least a minute.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish.

Scoop the dough and roll each into one inch balls. Roll each ball of dough in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place each onto a baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. (Seriously. These fellas will spread out as the melt).

Bake for 9 – 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Serve with milk and watch the snowflakes fall from your living room window.

Chocolate Chip Raisin Walnut Cookies

These are somewhat lower in fat (sour cream replaces some of the butter), higher in protein (walnuts) and higher in fiber (raisins) than your average chocolate chip cookie.

The recipe also calls for slightly less sugar than most, but the addition of raisins makes up for the sweetness. Corn syrup and sour cream lend a delicate fluff to the texture which, in combination with the walnut’s crunch make for an addictive cookie.

Chocolate Chip Raisin Walnut Cookies – makes 3 dozen

1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C brown sugar
2 T cane sugar syrup (like Lyle’s Golden) or corn syrup
1/2 C butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 C sour cream
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 C flour
3/4 C walnuts
3/4 C raisins
1 C chocolate chips

Mix wet ingredients and brown sugar in a small bowl. In a medium bowl mix flour, salt and baking soda. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts and raisins.

Refrigerate dough for about 15 minutes to chill. This will make it easier to scoop and also make it less likely for the cookies to spread out on the cookie sheet as they bake. While the dough chills, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop by tablespoon onto a slightly greased cookie sheet – these have less fat than most cookies, so they’re not as self-greasing. (Frugal tip: I like to save the wrappers from sticks of butter for the purpose of lightly greasing pans.) Place dough mounds about an inch and a half apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove cookies from cookie sheet and allow them to cool on a cooling rack.

Serve with an ice cold glass of milk on a “pretty, pretty dish”, as my mother says. Recognize the plate Mom?

Ingredient origins: Egg – New Hampshire, Vanilla – Madagascar, Brown Sugar – Florida, Corn Syrup – UK, Butter – Maine, Sour Cream – Texas, Baking soda – Who knows?, Walnuts – California, Raisins – California, Chocolate chips – California.

Lactose-Free Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread is a minimalist. Containing only three ingredients: butter, flour and sugar, simple is what shortbread is all about. In fact, Simple would be Shortbread’s middle name, if it wasn’t mononymous already. That’s how minimalist shortbread is.

I made these the other day for a friend who avoids butter. Instead, I used Earth Balance, and they came out great. The final product had a nice buttery flavor and a rich texture.

Dairy-Free Shortbread Cookies – makes about 18 cookies

1 1/4 C All purpose flour
1/2 C Earth Balance
1/3 + 1/4C granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and and the first 1/3 C of sugar in a medium bowl. Cut Earth Balance into the flour mixture until blended. Using a rounded tablespoon, scoop dough onto cookie sheet.

Using the underside of a rounded teaspoon, make little indentations (this helps hold the sugar in the next step).

Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 C of granulated sugar.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.