Because I have a cookie club with a few of my friends across the country, I’ve been baking A LOT of cookies this past year. It’s great because I can stretch my creativity and cookies ship easily, meaning I get to share them with ease.
This is a snickerdoodle recipe I’ve been using most of my life, with a handful of updates. The original recipe from a cookbook I no longer remember the name of (it was ANCIENT) called for shortening. Um, no. I don’t like the flavor of shortening, and can’t get behind baking with it. My mom had written in the margin of the cookbook “oil” next to shortening, and I used that for awhile, but I began to notice the taste of my cookies seeming a little off.
So now I use butter, which called for an adjustment to the flour. I also mix spices into the cookie dough, as well as roll the dough balls in sugar and spices. And while cinnamon is the classic spice for this kind of cookie, the Chinese 5 spice is an excellent substitute.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or baking silicone.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and Chinese 5 spice in a bowl, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed, beating until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
Add the eggs and beat until combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until the dough comes together. Chill for 10-20 minutes to make the dough easier to handle.
In a wide, shallow bowl, mix together the extra sugar and Chinese 5 spice.
Scoop the cookie dough and roll into 1 1/2-inch wide balls. Roll the shaped balls in the sugar and spice mixture, then place on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space around each cookie.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are slightly golden and the tops have cracked a bit. Cool fully on a rack before packaging or eating.
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