Snicker-dee-doo-dah, snicker-dee-day!
There is something about certain words and the mouthfeel that they give which will make me develop either a like or dislike of them, almost in spite of what the words themselves mean. For example, I find I can’t feel much for the word ‘fluctuate‘ - saying it makes my mouth feel awkward, almost as if it were full of marbles (I will never forget that look on Audrey Hepburn’s face when she finds herself in this predicament in ‘My Fair Lady’!), but a word as mundane as ‘sequential‘ can feel round and voluptuous as it rolls off my tongue, not akin to the sensation of a small piece of chocolate melting in your mouth.
‘Snickerdoodle’ is a bit of a strange one. It’s a bit long, and yet bounces off the palate easily and quite vibrantly. It sounds and feels a bit childish, and yet there’s something oddly comforting in its pronunciation. And when a cookie has such a name, it makes it almost impossible to resist making them, just to see what kind of physical tastes are associated with such a word!
These speckled, almost cakey cookies are as fun to eat as their name implies!
Yet another recipe from Nigella Lawson’s “How To Be A Domestic Goddess”, trying this recipe has only served to strengthen the love I have for this woman, the way she writes about food and the recipes she provides. Though the cookies didn’t form the crackled appearance that they are apparantly famous for, the flavour and texture did not fail to impress, and their spicy cinnamon breath is inherently comforting. The dough could not be any easier, and the process of making these (scoop, roll, roll, squish) is soothing in that way that easy, repetitive actions are. We’re already down to a half-batch, so I have a feeling I might be running another batch through the oven come this weekend!
Snickerdoodle Cookies (recipe from Nigella’s “How To Be A Domestic Goddess”)
Ingredients
250g plain (all-purpose) flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
125g butter, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
For coating:
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Mix together sugar and cinnamon for coating and place on a plate and set aside.
2. Combine all dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar till pale and creamy, then beat in egg and vanilla till well combined.
3. Stir in dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon till you have a smooth mixture. Take a tablespoon-ful of dough and roll into a ball. Roll in the cinnamon sugar coating and slightly squish down onto a lined baking tray. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving about 5cm (2 inches) between each cookie.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or till they start to go golden-brown. Remove from the oven and rest on baking tray for a minute before removing to a wire rack to cook.
5. Make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy with a cookie or two 
Technorati Tags: snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, recipes, cinnamon, cookies, biscuits
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Comments
lisa I heart snickerdoodles =) They are a Christmas staple in our family! I’m so glad you tried them and liked them.. they definitely are good for putting a smile on your face. 
Helen Now , let me melt a Snickers bar and sandwich it in between 2 of these…..food porn. Joke aside, these look delicious!
jules the only snickerdoodle I’ve ever met was a rediculously rich chocolate cake covered in whipped cream and melted snickers bars…a bit OTT.
your cookies looke much more delicious
Tanna I used to make these all the time when I had little boys in the house. I could never tell which they liked more the cookie or the name! The are so simple to make, simple ingredients and such huge winners.
Love your talk about words in the mouth - this word is perfect.
gattina It’s such an interesting post, like it! And your plump cookies look so cute, so comforting!
Traci Snickerdoodles are awesome. I usually have all the ingredients around for them at any given time, and I slightly underbake them so they’ll be extra chewy…. they’re heavenly with a chai latte. Glad you enjoyed them so much
Ellie Brilynn - Hope it’s not an overhype again 
I did thoroughly enjoy them, and they are super-great for dunking into a hot chocolate/tea/glass of milk!
Kat - It’s nice when such a simple recipe tastes so wonderful…but then, I’m a bit of a cinnamon hound
Lis - I can see how they’d be awesome for christmas, the warming cinnamon is definetely something to help you feel in the mood for celebrating!
I-Ling - for you, I’m sure we can work something out
Helen - LOL!! Oh dear, now that would be food porn indeed! And one way to reach a glorious, sugar-induced rush
Jules - Whoa, that does sound like overkill! Much sugar, eh? Glad you like the cookies
Tanna - I think these cookies would make anybody love ‘em, though I’m sure the name helps And I’m glad you agree about the words thing
Gattina - Thanks hon! And you’re right, cute and comforting definetely describes these little discs!
Traci - Howdy and thanks for stopping by Good note on that underbaking thing, I’m making another batch tonight so I’ll give it a try!
Mandi Too funny, Ellie. I just made snickerdoodles for the first time today and was going to post on them! Maybe I’ll wait a week or so LOL.
peabody Snickerdoodles are my favorite….I like to add fresh nutmeg to the batter though…that is how my mom made them.
Ellie Mandi - awesome! I can’t wait to read your post!
Peabody - I’d love to buy fresh nutmeg but I simply don’t use it enough to warrant it, I’m afraid that it’d go off by the time I got halfway through it!
Paz - be my guest
madhu Made these today and wow thanks they were delicious. Topped some of them with crystallized ginger and they were great too!
In fact I do have Nigella’s book (and yes I too love love love her writings) but somehow going through your blog made me want to bake these straight away!
I’m happy to hear such a good review of these cookies. I’ve been thinking of making them just because I like their name, but I wasn’t sure whether the actual cookie would live up to that.