I reinvent Snickerdoodles on a regular basis, and here’s a fun new take: Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles.
The flavor of these is chocolate-forward, followed by the warm combination of spices. The combo is fantastic, and the texture of the cookies is soft and chewy.
I highly recommend mixing up the sugar and spices a day or so in advance. There is such a variety involved that the measuring and washing of the measuring spoon ends up being the most tedious aspect of the entire recipe.
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles
These luscious snickerdoodles are chocolate-forward, followed by a warming mélange of spices. The spice mixture can be done a day or two in advance, or right before baking. Using a teaspoon scoop, this makes about 50 cookies.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate, cookies, snickerdoodle
Servings: 54
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
parchment paper
baking sheet
teaspoon scoop
Ingredients
2 1/2cupswhite sugar
1teaspoonground cinnamon
1teaspoonground ginger
1teaspoonground cardamom
1/2teaspoonground allspice
1/4teaspoonwhite pepper
1cupunsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
2large eggs room temperature
2 1/4cupsall-purpose flour
1/2cupbaking cocoa sifted
2teaspoonscream of tartar
1 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Combine the first six ingredients; reserve a 1/2 cup in a separate bowl.
Beat the butter until soft. Add the bulk of the spice mix, continuing to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt. Slowly work this into the butter mix.
Use a teaspoon scoop or spoon to form small balls. Roll them in the reserved sugar-spice mix. Set them spaced out on the baking sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Due to the cocoa, it is hard to gauge doneness by color, so look for them to be set with some light crackling. These don’t crackle as much as standard snickerdoodles, though. Let them rest on the sheet for about 10 minutes, then transition them to a rack to completely cool.
Pie is good. Portable pie is something special indeed. These Baked Lemon Curd Hand Pies are a real treat.
This is a pairing of recipes that dirties numerous dishes and spaces, but the result is a good batch of hand pies. The recipe makes roughly 18 to 20, so make these for a group!
I usually experiment with freezing my baked goods to see how they keep, but I didn’t do so with these. My husband took them to work, where they were pretty much inhaled!
Use homemade lemon curd, if you have a reliable recipe, or use a trustworthy brand. I recommend going with one that is pretty thick, as a watery one might interfere with the seal of the pies.
This dough comes together quickly in the food processor. Make at least a few hours ahead of assembling the hand pies, or freeze the dough for later. Modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine July/August 2021.
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
food processor
food scale
plastic wrap
Ingredients
2 3/4cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonkosher salt
1cup plus 1 Tb unsalted butter
1/2cupice water
2teaspoonsapple cider vinegar
Instructions
Place the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut the butter into cubes and add, pulsing until the pieces are pea-sized.
In a liquid measured cup, combine the ice water and vinegar. With the processor running, pour in the liquid until the dough comes together. It will look crumbly but should come together if squeezed between fingers.
Turn out the dough and divide it in half. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours. Store in fridge for a few days or freeze for later.
These hand pies don’t take long to come together since the dough is already made and prepared lemon curd is used for the filling. Makes 18-20 pies. Modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine July/August 2021.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: hand pie, lemon, pie
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
flour for dusting
2 1/2-inch cutter
basting brush
parchment paper
baking sheet
Ingredients
hand pie dough
1cuplemon curd
1large egg room temperature
1Tablespoonwater
coarse sugar optional
Instructions
On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the prepared pie dough to be about 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut dough, reforming scraps to roll out again.
Dollop about a teaspoon of lemon curd into the center of half of the dough rounds.
In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water. Brush the egg mix around the edges that surround the curd; do not discard egg wash. Top each with a remaining dough circle, stretching them slightly to cover. Press edges firmly to seal, then apply the tines of a fork to bind the halves. Chill hand pies in fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat oven at 425-degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place hand pies on parchment. Brush tops with remaining egg wash, then use the tip of a knife to cut a small x in each to vent steam during baking. If desired, sprinkle coarse sugar over the tops.
Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, until pies are golden. Move to a rack or different sheet to completely cool. Store in a covered container. Best eaten within a day or two.
I’m happy to share the news that the release date for A Thousand Recipes for Revenge is now June 1, 2023. That’s right, you can get it two weeks sooner!
Along those lines, I’ll repeat the plaintive plea of all authors: please, please preorder! Those orders can make or break a new release. To help you along, here are some handy dandy links.
When you have no time to bake and you need sweets fast–or you don’t have an oven or can’t heat the house–no-bake treats are the way to go. These No-Bake Cookie Bars involve little fuss and are sweet and tasty.
Also, these are pretty cheap to make. I used a generic kind of vanilla wafers that were a dollar-something.
Since I live in Arizona, I had to store these in the fridge, but in most places, you’d probably be fine keeping them at room temperature.
These no-bake bars are super-fast to make and are ready to slice up after a few hours of chill time. Perfect for when you need a no-fuss dessert, fast!
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: chocolate, cookies, no bake, pecans, walnuts
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
9×9 pan
nonstick spray
aluminum foil
waxed paper
heavy glass
Ingredients
11ouncesvanilla wafer cookies generic is fine
14ouncessweetened condensed milk
1cupchocolate chips semisweet or milk
1/2cupchopped walnuts or pecans
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1/4teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Line a 9×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
Use a food processor or a gallon bag, rolling pin, and muscle to crush all of the vanilla wafers.
In a big bowl, stir together the cookies crumbs, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, nuts, vanilla, and salt. Completely mix and coat.
Dump the mixture into the prepared pan. Level it out, then use waxed paper and a heavy object such as a glass to evenly compress the crumbs. Chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.
Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Slice up and store in a sealed container either at room temperature or in the fridge.