28
Nov
2016

apple cider snickerdoodles

categories: Desserts
apple cider snickerdoodles

This week we were invited to participate in a holiday cookie exchange hosted by the queen of cookies herself, Rebecca Firth from Displaced Housewife! She invited seventeen bloggers to make cookies, then secretly send them to one of the lucky names on the list—our mystery recipient will be receiving a batch of these sweet treats we are sharing today! We spent Thanksgiving in Portland with family, and when we arrived back home, a surprise package was waiting on our doorstep! Inside was a festive box tied with a silver bow and a shiny red and white striped ribbon, and a handwritten note from Laura at Tutti Dolci, revealing herself as our secret santa. Nestled within were dozens of brown butter chai snickerdoodles, carefully wrapped in wintry white paper with red snowflakes. Well it must be snickerdoodle season, or simply serendipitous synchronicity, because we made a similar selection for our sweet submission: apple cider snickerdoodles!

golden cider and a crisp granny smith apple, plus sugar and spice and everything nice
we use brown sugar for its caramelly flavor
and white sugar for a light texture
tangy apples like granny smith are best here

So what exactly is a snickerdoodle? They are almost like a sugar cookie, but are leavened with cream of tartar to make them extra light and pillowy, and rolled in a blend of cinnamon sugar before baking. To give these soft and chewy treats a tangy boost, we stirred grated granny smith apples into the dough, along with an entire pint of raw unfiltered apple cider which we simmered on the stove until it reduced to a deep amber syrup, bursting with intensely bright tart-apple flavor.

two cups of cider reduced to 1/4 cup of tangy syrup
rolling each one in cinnamon-sugar
all dressed up and ready to bake
warm from the oven

The dough is simple to prepare, and easy to make ahead! Keep it chilled in your fridge until a cookie craving strikes, and you’ll always be just 10 minutes away from warm cookies, fresh from the oven! You can even freeze the dough to keep your cookie consumption steady throughout the winter. And if your cookie cravings are in need of a further cookie fix, you will find plenty of holiday baking inspiration from the talented bloggers who participated in this collective cookie exchange. To see all the other creative cookie creations, click the links below and search #HolidayCookieParty2016 on Instagram.
• Bakerita – Brown Butter Shortbreads with Dark Chocolate
• The Beach House Kitchen – Double Chocolate Peppermint Sugar Cookies
• Chez LaRae – White Rollout Cookies
• Cloudy Kitchen – Anzac Biscuits
• The Daley Plate – Romany Creams
• Displaced Housewife – Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles
• Fig & Bleu – Cornmeal & Cherry Shortbreads
• Food Fashion Party – Stuffed Shortbread Cookies
• The Jam Lab – Thandai Shortbread Cookies
• My Kitchen Love – Chocolate Toffee Shortbread
• No Crumbs Left – Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Now Forager – Vanilla Bean Marshmallow & Pink Peppercorn Shortbread Cookies
• Rainy Day Bites – Melody Cookies
• Tutti Dolci – Brown Butter Chai Snickerdoodles
• Vanilla & Bean – Cocoa Nibby Pecan Shortbread Cookies
• Wife Mama Foodie – Gluten Free Icebox Cookie
• Wood & Spoon – Espresso Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

c is for cookie. and cider.
this was so cute, thanks Laura!
Laura's brown butter chai snickerdoodles

Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
makes about 36 cookies

2 cups (473ml) apple cider (see note)
3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup (148g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (160g) brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup (80g) granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated

For the topping:
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pour the cider into a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Let boil uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cider is reduced to just 1/4 cup of thick, amber-colored syrup, about 30 to 40 minutes. Pour the cider syrup into a heatproof cup or container, and place in the fridge until room temperature or cooler, 15 to 20 minutes.

While the cider is cooling, preheat oven to 375ºF, line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats, and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt until evenly blended. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, and beat well until blended, light, and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides, add the egg and the reduced cider, and continue beating until blended. Add the grated apple and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture, and stir until combined. The dough can be baked immediately, or refrigerated until ready to use.

Make the topping by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Pick up a heaping tablespoon of dough, and roll it into a 1-inch ball between your palms. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour as needed, a tablespoon or two at a time. Roll the ball of dough around in the bowl of cinnamon-sugar until it is evenly coated on all sides. Place ball on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, leaving about 3 inches between each ball. Bake until the edges of the cookies are beginning to brown, and the center looks set, but still pale in color, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the two baking sheets halfway through to ensure even cooking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature, and enjoy!

notes:
— Apple cider refers to fresh, unfiltered, usually unpasteurized juice pressed from apples. It has much more tangy apple flavor than clear juice. It is not the same as hard cider, a carbonated alcoholic beverage made from fermented cider.
— Before starting, try pouring 1/4 of water into your saucepan, to get a visual idea of what that amount of liquid looks like. Be sure to pour the water out before adding the cider though!
— The dough can be refrigerated until ready to bake, and in fact this makes rolling out the dough easier. For longer-term storage, the dough can be frozen, just be sure to let it thaw completely in the fridge before use.
— The cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Be sure to wait until they are completely cool before storage, otherwise steam will cause the cookies to soften.

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26 Comments on apple cider snickerdoodles

  1. rebecca | DisplacedHousewife
    November 29, 2016 at 10:05 am

    Snickerdoodles are my jam…I can’t wait to take these babies for a test drive!!! Beautiful you guys!! xoxo

    Reply
    • husbandsthatcook
      November 30, 2016 at 1:01 pm

      Thanks Rebecca! We loooove snickerdoodles too! Let us know how they turn out!

  2. Samantha @mykitchenlove
    November 29, 2016 at 10:13 am

    Everyone HAS to make these!! I’m literally eating them for breakfast with coffee …. the apple is a perfect complement to the snickerdoodle texture and flavour. A brilliant recipe Adam and Ryan! Thank you for sending me a dreamy batch of cookies! Happy holidays to you and yours! This was such a fabulous way to kick off the holiday season.

    Reply
    • husbandsthatcook
      November 30, 2016 at 1:03 pm

      Awww yay!! This makes us so happy! So glad that they made it in one piece, and that you guys like them as much as we do! Happy holidays to you as well!

  3. amisha
    November 29, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    Beautiful cookies! I love how you reduced the apple cider to create this beautiful goldeny syrup to add to the cookie flavor! Gorgeous shots you guys!! Love loved these cookies!

    Reply
    • husbandsthatcook
      November 30, 2016 at 1:04 pm

      Thanks so much Amisha! The reduced cider works perfectly, since you get all the apple cider flavor without all that extra liquid in the dough! So tangy and delicious!

  4. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
    November 29, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    I am so excited to try these! They sound so full of apple cider flavor! What a nice change up to the classic snickerdoodle cookie!

    Reply
    • husbandsthatcook
      November 30, 2016 at 1:05 pm

      Thanks so much Mary Ann! Wish we could taste ALL of the cookie recipes that everyone made! They’re all so creative!

  5. Teresa | Now, Forager
    November 30, 2016 at 10:09 am

    First, these cookies are amazing. Everything you do is delicious. Second, you win at the prettiest cookie packaging! Is there anything you two aren’t amazing at? Can’t wait to make these!

    Reply
    • husbandsthatcook
      November 30, 2016 at 1:06 pm

      Thanks Teresa, you’re too kind! But actually, you really are too kind because we can’t take credit for that packaging! 😉 That was the adorable box we received from Tutti Dolci! She’s so sweet!

    • husbandsthatcook
      November 30, 2016 at 1:06 pm

      Thanks Soe! We have too many cookies in the house, come help us finish them!

  7. Asha Shivakumar
    November 30, 2016 at 12:59 pm

    You meticulous explanation of the recipe and the cookie itself is simply amazing. I adore snickerdoodles and apple cider, so so good. As I was reading the recipe, you’ve added 2 kinds of sugar, I think thats genius. Both create magic and it shows.
    I will be making them this month for sure.
    Big hugs.
    xx

    Reply
    • husbandsthatcook
      November 30, 2016 at 1:07 pm

      Thanks so much Asha! So glad you read the recipe, and liked what you saw! Hope you enjoy these as much as we do! So tangy and sweet!

  8. Jenny
    December 13, 2016 at 8:06 am

    I saw so many snickerdoodles this year and this is the first time that I actually read what they really are!! Haha. These look delicious!

    Reply
    • husbandsthatcook
      December 15, 2016 at 1:09 am

      Thank you! Haha we are happy to educate (esp. when it comes to cookies)!

  9. Barbara
    December 21, 2019 at 10:57 am

    King Arthur Flour has Boiled Cider available on their website. It is also available through other online sources if you google Boiled Cider. It is Apple Cider Syrup. Great stuff and saves some time.

    Reply
    • husbandsthatcook
      December 30, 2019 at 1:11 pm

      That’s so good to know! We will definitely try that the next time we make these cookies! Thanks for the heads-up! xoxo

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