One Hungry Mama

May 6th, 2010

{kitchen aids / recipe} What a Snickerdoodle Taught Me About Baking

I’ve been trying to lay off the sweets recently so, though I love a good Snickerdoodle, I’ve been scanning over posts like this recipe for Super-Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies recently on The Kitchn. BUT, I’ve also been trying to become a better baker. (Yes. That even confuses me.) There was something about how “super soft” was called out in the post title that made me think it would provide insight into how a recipe can be adjusted to go from cakey to soft. And that’s just the kind of technique info and recipe deconstruction that I’m looking for.

Turns out, I was right. Kitchn writer Faith Durand does, indeed, provide key tips for making softer, chewier cookies. Here are my take-aways:

• Add a high amount of moisture. Faith added an extra egg to her Snickerdoodles.
• Ditch the mixer. As she put it, “There is no creaming of butter [she uses melted] and sugar, so there’s very little air in the dough. Less air, less dryness, more moistness.”
• Bake fast and at a higher temperature to keep your cookies from drying out. You might even consider slightly underbaking to ensure that they stay soft and chewy.

If you like chewy cookies, too, definitely give Faith’s recipe a try. I’ve already bookmarked them. I’m also going to try applying her tips to these Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies which didn’t come out quite as chewy as I like.

Are you going to adjust any of your favorite cookie recipes? Tell us how they turn out!