Snickerdoodles - 3 Ways

I’ve said it before, cookies make an excellent holiday gift.  They’re inexpensive and easy to make and almost everyone loves them.  This year I made snickerdoodles, three ways, for the people I work with.  I started by adapting a Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodle recipe by Isa  Chandra, and eliminated the cinnamon and cayenne pepper.

Using the same recipe, I replaced the cocoa powder with some cake flour and the chocolate extract with more vanilla and I got a traditional snickerdoodle that I dipped in cinnamon sugar before baking.  The third variation of this recipe was ginger snickerdoodles.  For the ginger version, I replaced the maple syrup with molasses and added some ginger and nutmeg.

I use an 1 1/2 inch diameter “ice cream” style scoop to keep the cookies uniform in size.

Many craft stores sell decorative boxes or bags to package them in.  Martha Stewart makes some very nice ones but I bought these boxes at The Container Store last year.  I love the button and elastic closure.

Here are the three recipes but I’m also including links to my other cookies just in case snickerdoodles are not your thing or you want to make a more extensive sampler.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Approximately 20 cookies - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1/2 cup sunflower oil (you can use other oils but I think this has the best flavor)

1 cup unrefined sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons rice milk (or other unsweetened non dairy milk)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups unbleached white flour

1/3 cup unbleached cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar for the topping

Preheat your oven to 350°

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, maple syrup, rice milk and vanilla

Sift together the flours, baking soda and salt.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones until everything is well blended.

Using a 1 1/2” scoop, form round balls of dough (about walnut size)

Press the dough into the cinnamon sugar mixture flattening it into a 1/2” disc.

Put the cookies on a cookie sheet sugar side up, leaving a few inches between the cookies, they will spread.

Bake for 11 minutes.

Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Approximately 20 cookies - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1/2 cup sunflower oil (you can use other oils but I think this has the best flavor)

1 cup unrefined sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons rice milk (or other unsweetened non dairy milk)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or another teaspoon of vanilla)

1 2/3 cups unbleached white flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar for the topping

Preheat your oven to 350°

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, maple syrup, rice milk and extracts.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones until everything is well blended.

Using a 1 1/2” scoop, form round balls of dough (about walnut size)

Press the dough into the sugar, flattening it into a 1/2” disc.

Put the cookies on a cookie sheet sugar side up, leaving a few inches between the cookies, they will spread.

Bake for 11 minutes.

Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Ginger Snickerdoodles

Approximately 20 cookies - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

1/2 cup sunflower oil (you can use other oils but I think this has the best flavor)

3/4 cup unrefined sugar

1/3 cup molasses

3 tablespoons rice milk (or other unsweetened non dairy milk)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons powdered ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar for the topping

Preheat your oven to 350°

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, molasses, rice milk and vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones until everything is well blended.

Using a 1 1/2” scoop, form round balls of dough (about walnut size)

Press the dough into the cinnamon sugar, flattening it into a 1/2” disc.

Put the cookies on a cookie sheet sugar side up, leaving a few inches between the cookies, they will spread.

Bake for 11 minutes.

Allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before removing them from the pan.