On the first day of Christmas, Jena’s Tiny Kitchen gave to you Snickerdoodle cookies.

I have no idea why these cookies are called Snickerdoodles. They don’t have anything to do with a Snickers bar, nor do they contain anything that remotely reminds you of a Snickers bar. But the name is fun to say, and that’s what we’re going with.

Can you believe it’s already December?!!! It’s the end of the decade. 2020 is 31 days away! It feels weird to think of it like that. But, in the build up to 2020, I will be bringing you one recipe a day! I’m hoping that my recipes will help with your Christmas parties, gifting (because who doesn’t like to receive food as a present), meals with families and friends, and even your New Year’s parties.

Last year I gave you a few non-food gift items that you could make, but this year it’s all about the food. First up we’ve got the Twelve Cookies of Christmas. This entails a variety of cookies over the first 12 days of December, that’ll get you in the mood for the Christmas holidays. Cookie boxes are also a great gift for party hosts, movie nights, or just because you have baked a lot and need to get the cookies out of your house before you eat them all.

These Snickerdoodles use brown butter, which requires a little bit of extra effort, but will be very much worth your while. I promise. Essentially you are just cooking butter beyond simply melting, you’re turning the milk solids brown and boiling off a lot of the water within the butter. It gives anything a much more caramel-like flavour when added to a bake.

Ingredients

227 grams unsalted butter
150 grams caster sugar
50 grams soft brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
350 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

40 grams caster sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Melt the butter in a light-coloured saucepan (if possible) over a low heat. Once melted, turn the heat to medium and cook for about 5 – 7 minutes, until you can see small brown bits on the bottom of the pan, and the butter starts to smell like caramel. Take the butter off the heat, and pour into a heat-proof bowl, or bowl of your standing mixer, to cool down. Using a light-coloured saucepan will enable you to see the browned butter bits more easily. If you use a non-stick pan, simply use your wooden/silicon spoon to check for brown butter particles.
2. Once cooled slightly, add the sugars (except the 40 grams for the topping), eggs and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined.
3. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Pour this into the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Cover, then place the bowl of batter in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
5. In a small, shallow bowl, combine the 40 grams of caster sugar with the cinnamon, ensuring they are fully mixed.
6. Remove the batter from the fridge, and use a cookie scoop (or tablespoon) to scoop out the dough. Roll the dough into a ball in your hands, then roll the ball through the cinnamon sugar mix, coating the entire surface. Place on the baking tray, and repeat until the tray is full, with at least 5 cm between each ball (the cookies will spread). Place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
7. While the first batch is in the freezer, you can scoop, roll and coat the remaining dough, place on a plate, and get that into the freezer too.
8. Remove the baking tray from the freezer, and place in the oven. Cook for 10 – 12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove, and allow to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes. Move onto a wire rack to completely cool.
9. Repeat with the remaining dough balls in the freezer, until all dough has been used.