snickerdoodles

Sometimes I go weeks without any new recipe ideas. Other times, they just come to me out of the blue. One minute, I’m adding cashews to the filling of my Paleo Cheesecake, and the next, I’m totally consumed with the idea of Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles. Sometimes, it just hits me.

Y’all, I am all about these cookies. They’ve got everything you love about Snickerdoodles: a crisp edge and loads of cinnamon-sugar flavor. As an added bonus, they just happen to be vegan and gluten-free!

As I’ve mentioned before, there is a three-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe that’s been around forever. The gist is that if you mix 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, and an egg into a dough, you can make some seriously good peanut butter cookies. I’ve used that recipe as my starting place for a few recipes, this one included.

Here, creamy cashew butter provides structure and fat–no need for flour or butter. Cornstarch and baking powder are added to keep the cookies tender. You could certainly use a large egg in this dough, but I opted for a flax egg in an effort to keep these treats vegan. The cookies are sweetened with a combination of granulated and brown sugars and flavored with cinnamon and vanilla.

The dough comes together in just a few minutes. It will seem a little crumbly, but should hold together well when pinched. Roll it into balls and then coat them in cinnamon sugar before baking. Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles bake in less than ten minutes. They will be very puffy when they come out of the oven–you may leave them like that or tamp them down with a small spoon, as I have.

These cookies, y’all. They’re tender, loaded with Snickerdoodle flavor, and because they’re vegan and gluten-free, more people can enjoy them! I shared some with my vegan, gluten-free friend, VJ, and she was all about the buttery cashew flavor and huge hit of cinnamon. She said that she might like these more than traditional Snickerdoodles! I don’t know about that–Snickerdoodles are hard to beat–but I do know that you should make these.

Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles {Vegan & Gluten-Free}
makes about 2 dozen small cookies

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed*
2 tablespoons warm tap water
1 cup creamy-style cashew butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

Coating:
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.

Make a flax egg. In a small bowl, combine ground flaxseed and water. Stir together and let sit for five minutes, until thickened.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cashew butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Mix in flax egg and vanilla. Beat in cornstarch, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Dough will be crumbly, but should hold together when pinched,

Make the coating. In a small bowl, use a fork to stir together cinnamon and sugar until evenly mixed.

Scoop dough by the tablespoon and form into balls. Roll each ball in the coating and set on the prepared baking sheet. Dough balls should be 2 inches apart. Bake 8-9 minutes, until very puffy. Lightly press the top of each cookie with a small spoon. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for ten minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Repeat baking process with any remaining dough.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Note:

If you are not vegan, you may use a large egg (at room temperature) in place of the flax and water. Proceed with the recipe as written.

Oof. Sorry for the radio silence.

It’s been a crazy two weeks around here–I’ve been working my butt off. In addition to my regular child-wrangling, I’ve recently taken a job as a personal chef. I absolutely love it, but I am so tired, it’s stupid. In addition to my day jobs, I made seven cakes last week for various friends. They all turned out wonderfully, thank goodness, but that’s a lot of cake for someone who doesn’t have an assistant or a professional grade oven.

Unfortunately, my responsibility to this little blog got pushed to the side, but I’m back, and I have loads of new recipes to share with you!

Let’s start with cookies. After thirteen days of near-constant work, I think I deserve a few! And what is better than a classic Snickerdoodle?! Soft and chewy with an in-your-face cinnamon-sugar flavor–there’s nothing more comforting.

Now, you don’t need for me to tell you how to make Snickerdoodles. You’ve probably made them before. I mean, they’ve been around forever. But let me say that this particular version is the best I’ve ever had.

There are three little touches that make these cookies absolutely irresistible:

1. Brown Sugar. Most Snickerdoodles are made with all granulated sugar. Replacing 1/3 cup of the white stuff with light brown sugar ensures that these cookies stay soft for days! They actually get softer and chewier the day after they’re made. Plus, brown sugar and cinnamon are BFFs.

2. Cornstarch. I put cornstarch in almost all of my cookie recipes, but this recipe has double the usual amount: two whole tablespoons. This lightens the flour and, with the help of the brown sugar, keeps these cookies super tender.

3. Cinnamon. Yes, Snickerdoodles have to have cinnamon. But some bakers just add a teaspoon or so for a fairly subtle flavor. Not me! Between the cookie dough and the coating, this recipe has 3 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon! As I said above, these Snickerdoodles have a bold, in-your-face flavor.

Enough shop talk! You guys, I am seriously obsessed with these cookies! I have eaten way too many in the last two days, and I’m still totally in love. Make these for your friends and family, or even just yourself, and you will be too!

Snickerdoodles
makes about four dozen

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar,* packed
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Coating:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugars, followed by egg and yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in three installments, mixing until completely combined. Dough may look crumbly, but should hold together well when pinched with clean fingers.

Cover dough with plastic wrap, and chill for two hours, or up to three days.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Make the coating. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Scoop the dough by the tablespoon, and roll into balls. Roll each dough ball in the coating mixture. Place dough balls at least two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies 8-10 minutes, until puffy and no longer raw-looking. Let cool on pans for ten minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Repeat scooping, rolling, and baking with any remaining dough.

Cookies keep well covered at room temperature for up to a week.

Notes:

1. There are no substitutions for cream of tartar. It is required for this recipe.
2. Dark brown sugar may be substituted, however the final cookies will have a darker color.

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Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles {Vegan & Gluten-Free}