White Chocolate Filled Snickerdoodles

Hello all,

I couldn't imagine a more gloomy past couple of days. Rainy, dreary, and making me sleepy to be quite honest. But what better way to beat a rainy day then with a fresh batch of cookies?

I saw this pin on Pinterest for White Chocolate Filled Snickerdoodles and I almost shouted out loud with excitement until I realized I was working in the computer lab and would most likely be seen as a bit off my rocker.

I was so excited that I even broke out the real cinnamon for the occasion. No cassia for these cookies - pure Siagon Cinnamon my friends.

So my whole kitchen smells divinely spicy right now, but I did run into one small issue...why did I think white chocolate chips would melt like regular white chocolate? I can't tell you what happened inside my brain at the moment where I thought I could sub them, but sadly, as in all other chip cookies, they did not melt.

BUT the cookies are so out of this world that I don't even care. I know the real cinnamon is a bit pricier and harder to acquire than the grocery store type, but I am telling you it is worth every penny. Well, mine was given to me for free from my friend's dad (score!) but still. Worth. Every. Penny.

And in case your curious what I've been doing with myself now that my entire junior year of college is over...

I'm learning to cook! A girl can't live on cookies and brownies forever you know (though I'd love to try). So far I've succeeded in the following: Penne Alla Vodka, Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes, Spaghetti with Capers, Olives & Tomatoes, and even Stuffed Peppers! I did learn, however, that it is a bad idea to let me try and use my camera while attempting to cook. After almost dropping it in the vodka sauce, I decided learning was more important than photographing.

Slowly, but surely, I will learn to be as brave in the savory kitchen as I am in the sweet. Hopefully.

That's all for now; I'm off to scour the internet for a newly inspiring sweet treat to make and share with you all.

Happy Baking!

White Chocolate Filled Snickerdoodles 
Via Cookies&Cups


1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
24 white chocolate candies, such as Hersey Bliss etc.

1. In medium bowl sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl beat together butter and shortening before adding sugar. Beat until well combined.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
4. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture until dough forms. Store dough in refrigerator for an hour to set up before baking.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, then make small indentation with your thumb in the center of each. Place one white chocolate candy in the center and roll dough back into a ball, covering the candy completely.
7. Mix together 1 tsp cinnamon and 2 tbsp sugar in small bowl. Roll filled dough-balls in cinnamon sugar, then place on cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until they just start to brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on pan before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

Banana Bread Snickerdoodles

Friends,

I have found it.

The cookie to end all other cookies.

Don't laugh; I am dead serious here. It is called the Banana Bread Snickerdoodle and it has now become my most absolute favorite cookie in the entire world.

I am actually going to take a moment here to personally thank the creator of these cookies, Mrs. M.O.B. over at Mind Over Batter.

Dear Mrs. M.O.B.,

Your cookies are so amazing that I think you could end all the arguments currently happening on Earth by making just one cookie for every person on the planet.

Please let me know if you need help in doing so.

Best,

Jessica 

 

Now that that's out of my system - you NEED to make these cookies! She has you microwave the bananas and then take the juice from them and turn it into a syrup that goes BACK into the cookie dough. I know. It's that intense.

My whole kitchen smelled like a banana bread bakery during all of this. It was the best smell. ever.

A little bit more work than your average snickerdoodle I'll give you that. But it doesn't matter. If you consider yourself a lover of banana bread or snickerdoodles, you must must must make these cookies.

The recipe makes over 3 dozen, which sounds like a lot. However, see how much it makes when you are face-to-face with the delectable and dangerously delicious dough. Go ahead, I dare you; try not to eat an unhealthy-sized spoonful of it.

Enough said. Get going on making these cookies and start achieving world peace with their awesomeness.

Banana Bread Snickerdoodles By Mind Over Batter
makes roughly 4 dozen cookies

3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 medium very ripe bananas, peeled and chopped
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
 1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp banana syrup (recipe follows)

For banana syrup:

1. Place chopped bananas into large microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 2-3 minutes, or until the bananas start to let out juice.
2. Mash bananas through a fine mesh strainer, put banana mash aside.
3. Take banana juice and place in small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Heat until syrupy, about 2 minutes (it should reduce to about 2 tbsp). Allow to cool before using.

For cinnamon sugar:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Mix together with hands until well incorporated.

For cookies:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cinnamon into a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl cream butter until fluffy, about 1 minute. beat in both sugars and the mashed bananas until fully incorporated.
3. Mix in egg, vanilla extract, and banana syrup until well combined. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredient mixture roughly one cup at a time. Be sure to chill dough at least one hour before baking.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper (or grease liberally with cooking spray).
5. Use a cookie scoop or small spoon to scoop out tablespoonfuls of dough. Roll into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie ball slightly with the bottom of a glass.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until cookies are slightly firm. Let cool five minutes on pan before transferring to wire cooling rack.

Snickerdoodles

Surprise! A Baking Post!

I know you all must think I was never going to bake again but, Fear Not! It just took a little time to get acclimated and get my lazy self over to the grocery store (it's much more inconvenient when you have to walk there and back with all your baking supplies). But I made it. I really should invest in some of those reusable shopping bags though, the plastic ones really dug into my arms. >_<

So what are we baking today you might ask? Well, for starters, I am angry at nature for teasing me and the rest of the Northeast with that little bit of cool, crisp, amazing Fall Weather we had a few weeks ago. Now, it decided it wants to be 80 degrees and humid out. Oh New Jersey, can't you just pick one season and stick with it? For me?

Since Nature won't give me Fall, I figured I'd whip up something that reminded me of my favorite season instead: Snickerdoodles. In all honesty, you can have Snickerdoodles at any time of the year and still find them out of this world, but there's just something about the cinnamon-sugary goodness that reminds me of Autumn leaves and sweater weather.

This recipe comes to us from (you guessed it) How Sweet it Is. I really mean it when I say this: I don't pick her recipes on purpose. I don't. I'm always on FoodGawker and I click "add to favorites" and then when I finally click through the link, it's her blog. In all honesty, it doesn't put me at much of a disadvantage though, seeing as how this recipe is just about the best Snickerdoodle recipe I've found to date. To quote one of my roommates here at college, these cookies are "banging."

So here is my wonderful cozy (little, but cozy) kitchen at college. I'm lucky enough that the light is pretty good in here with the windows.

Now I have to tell you, the recipe is simple enough, but this dough is uber sticky. I put it in the refrigerator as the recipe recommended, but I would suggest to even split the dough into smaller batches and only work with a small batch at a time. If you leave it out for awhile, it quickly resorts back into a sticky mess. I learned this the hard way, and ended up getting cookie dough on pretty much everything I touched. Thank goodness no one had to use the kitchen sink while I was doing this!

Once you roll it in the cinnamon sugar though, it becomes easier to handle. Then just a quick press of the fingers on each cookie and into the oven it goes. What comes out, my friends, is an aroma that I wish I could have in my kitchen every single day of my life, and cookies that are melt-in-your-mouth awesome.

Just grab a glass of milk and you're totally set. This batch makes about 16-18 cookies, and if you plan on sharing these, I'd say to double the recipe. I made these Sunday afternoon, and by Monday there was only one left. They store pretty well though. I think the addition of the little extra fat in the milk helps to keep them moist, and the increase of cinnamon in the cinnamon sugar makes these a new Fall Favorite for me.

Snickerdoodles 
Via How Sweet it Is


1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until well incorporated.
2. Add flour, baking powder, salt and begin to incorporate. Add in milk and mix until well combined into dough.
3. Stick dough into fridge for 30 minutes
4. Preheat oven to 375.
5. Roll roughly one tablespoon of dough into a ball and then roll in cinnamon sugar.
6. Place unbaked cookies on cookie sheet, leaving space for spreading
7. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.