To Try Tuesday - Chai Snickerdoodles

I am a big fan of Chai.  There is just something about the Chai spice mixture - cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, and cloves - that tingles on your tongue. As it has gained in popularity here you are seeing it as a flavoring component to more and more desserts such as Chai Creme Brulee, Chai Cheesecake, or even Chai Pancakes.

When I saw this recipe for Chai Snickerdoodles on Sophia's Sweets I knew I just had to try it.  They have been sitting in my To-Try since March of this year and I am very glad that I finally got around to making them.

I have to admit that a lot of them time I am not very good about mise en place.  I tend to grab things as I need them which can sometimes lead to my downfall.  This time I decided that I would get everything measured and ready to go before I started making the cookies.  Turns out that this is a really good idea and one that I will really have to embrace in the future as it really does make life easier.

I think that I may have let my butter get a little too soft (or possibly the sticks were a little bigger than usual) and it didn't cream as well as it should have with the sugar mixture.  After adding all of the ingredients I felt that the dough was a little soft so I added some extra flour.  This seemed to fix the problem.

The original recipe calls for baking the cookies in little balls, leaving space for them to spread.  Mine pretty much stayed in the ball shape, and I am not sure if this was because I added extra flour or if this is just the shape of the cookies.  I baked one batch like this to see how they turned out.  For the next batches I rolled them in the sugar mixture, put them on the baking tray, and then gently used my fingers to press down and make a slighter flatter cookie.  I preferred them this way as it gave them a little extra crunch on the outside.  If you like a softer cookie then leave them in the ball shape.

The flavor of the cookies was great.  Just enough spice to keep you coming back for more and they were not overpowering at all.  I think that this would be a great dough to keep in your freezer for when the urge to bake hits you.

Chai Snickerdoodles

(recipe adapted from Sophia's Baking)

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup butter, soft
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar and spices; remove 1/2 cup of this mixture and place in a medium-sized, shallow dish or bowl (like a soup plate). Add butter to bowl and cream with sugar mixture until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. Add to sugar mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
4. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in reserved sugar-spice mixture. Place on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between balls to allow for spreading.  Gently flatten with fingers.
5. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until edges are firm to the touch, but not quite browned. Cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen.
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