Recipe for cardamom-brown sugar snickerdoodles cookies
What I love about snickerdoodles: even if you're not a baker, and I am not, you always have all of the ingredients you need to bake these cookies right in your pantry. Cream of tartar might not be in constant rotation, but you know you have it somewhere in the rear of your spice rack, and even if it's almost ancient, like mine, it will give these cookies the bit of puff they need. The cardamom in this recipe lends the cookies a grown-up air, but kids will love them, too. We sprinkled ours with a pinch of extra cardamom after they came out of the oven. If you like your cookies sweeter, top the cookies before baking with demerara or another large-crystal sugar.
Cardamom-brown sugar snickerdoodles cookies
From the pantry, you'll need: all-purpose unbleached flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, ground cardamom, kosher salt, unsalted butter, light brown sugar, eggs, pure vanilla extract, granulated sugar.
This recipe, slightly adapted from Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One, makes 30 large cookies, enough to serve one person for a month. Needless to say, the cookies didn't last a month in my house!
Ingredients
2-3/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
2-1/2 tsp ground cardamom, divided
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 sticks (16 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, 1-1/2 teaspoons of ground cardamom, and salt.
In the bowl of a Kitchen-Aid type stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar, and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla, increase speed to high and beat until very light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Then, add the flour mixture, a bit at a time, beating on low to incorporate the ingredients.
Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat (silicone liner) or parchment paper, and set aside.
Stir together the granulated sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon of cardamom in a small mixing bowl. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop balls of dough into the sugar mixture, and coat. Roll the cookies between your palms to press sugar mixture into the dough, and arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 10-11 minutes, until tops of the cookies are crackled and the edges are just barely brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Amaretti cookies
Mexican chocolate cookies
Chocolate spice cookies
Sweet and salty peanut chocolate chunk cookies
Lemon lavender cookies
Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Persimmon cookies, from Pinch My Salt
Pistachio cardamom cookies, from Savory Simple
Italian pignoli (pine nut) cookies, from Food Blogga
Orange cardamom cookies, from The Full Plate
Chocolate dipped lime cardamom cookies, from Evil Shenanigans
Posted by: pam | January 26, 2012 at 10:21 AM
I love cardamom. These sound great.
Posted by: Kathy - Panini Happy | January 26, 2012 at 10:54 AM
I've definitely become a cardamom fan as of late - adding a pinch to lots of recipes where cinnamon is also involved. What a great idea to add it to snickerdoodles!
Posted by: Laura | January 26, 2012 at 11:24 AM
These sound great...love cardamom!
Posted by: Isabelle @ Crumb | January 26, 2012 at 11:50 AM
I love me a good snickerdoodle cookie. So simple, and yet so good.
The idea of using cardamom instead of cinnamon sounds lovely... it's one of my favourite spices, and so very under-appreciated in my opinion.
Posted by: vanillasugarblog | January 26, 2012 at 12:21 PM
oh I bet these smelled so good while baking.
Love this Lydia!
Posted by: Kalyn | January 26, 2012 at 12:58 PM
They look dangerously good. I am a big cardamom fan!
Posted by: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) | January 26, 2012 at 02:09 PM
Pam, Kathy, Laura, Kalyn: I love cardamom, too, and it was a great addition to these traditional snickerdoodles.
Isabelle, I agree. We don't use cardamom enough. It's great in savory dishes too.
Vanillasugar, the smell was wonderful, and by the time the cookies came out of the oven, we couldn't wait to pounce!
Posted by: Paz | January 26, 2012 at 03:40 PM
Looks delicious! On my list to make! :D
Posted by: susan from food blogga | January 26, 2012 at 05:52 PM
The addition of cardamom makes Snickerdoodles seem all grown up!
Posted by: EB | January 26, 2012 at 05:54 PM
Always my favorite cookie!
Posted by: Megan's Cookin' | January 26, 2012 at 06:21 PM
I love cardamon and I bet these are terrific!
Posted by: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) | January 26, 2012 at 06:25 PM
Paz, EB, Megan: I think snickerdoodles are everyone's favorite cookie!
Susan, the cardamom really makes these special.
Posted by: Jeanette | January 27, 2012 at 03:06 PM
I used to make snickerdoodles all the time as a kid. They were one of the easiest cookies to make. Love the addition of cardamon in this grown up version.
Posted by: carol, boston @cabinetstew | January 28, 2012 at 01:18 PM
I'm sorry I can't actually comment because I have to get up RIGHT NOW and make these...
(ps this lovely blog is not so good for my waistline!!)
Posted by: Marie | January 28, 2012 at 02:50 PM
They look pretty amazing and I'd love to have them with my afternoon tea. Thanks for sharing! :)
Posted by: Laura | January 30, 2012 at 08:54 PM
Cardamom is a common ingredient in Yemenite cooking. It is used together with ginger both in sweet and savory dishes such as soup. The soup spice blend is called "hawayijj for soup". If you can get your hands on it, use a tablespoon in soup. Delicious!