I grew up having various types of Snickerdoodles. What are Snickerdoodles? In my experience in growing up in northern New England, they are a spiced cookie with a cake like texture.
I have tried many many recipes over the years. They've been altered, rewritten and altered again. I like this one, but I think it's one or two versions away from being perfect!
Being that it's a cake like texture anyway, I chose to substitute a good portion of the sugar and butter typically called for with some of my homemade, unsweetened, apple sauce. I also added some chia seeds. Grind the chia seeds. I DON'T recommend adding more than about a teaspoon of whole chia seeds as too many will alter the texture of the dough into a bit of a slimy mess (they absorb moisture and become a bit gelatinous).
Many Snickerdoodle recipes have cream of tarter in them but none of my favorites did, so I have foregone it in this version.
One of my feller's coworkers came over after work and enjoyed these, saying they reminded him of his time in college in New England. In contrast, my feller really didn't like them at all. He didn't like the cake like texture. You win some, you lose some.
These are probably the healthiest of the cookies I'll be posting this week... considering the butter and bacon that lay ahead... but back to the cookies at hand!
Snickerdoodles - A Modern Twist - Version 2
Yield: 6-8 dozen
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup reduced fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon chia seeds, ground (use a mortar and pestle if needed)
1/2 teaspoon lg flake kosher salt
Spiced Rolling Sugar
1/4c sugar
1T cinnamon
1/2t freshly ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Beat butter then sugar then add eggs and mix until creamed. Add in the apple sauce, milk and vanilla and beat until well blended.
In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, spices, chia seeds (ground) and salt.
Add flour mixture to the wet mixture, a cup at a time until just blended. If the dough is a little too sticky you can pop into the fridge for a few minutes, but I liked the texture better if I didn't pop it into the fridge. Shape into teaspoon sized balls and roll in the spiced rolling sugar. Place 2
inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until set and crackled. Cool on a wire wrack.
As shown in the photo at the top of this post, I like to serve them with homemade apple sauce for dipping.
Art by Gerard Conte ©2011
