a tale of two cookies
Some time ago, (years), I read about snickerdoodles. I had no idea what they were, so I googled and discovered they were sugar cookies. Plain cookies, sprinkled with sugar when they come out of the oven.
I made them and they were nice, since then I've made them several times, but I've added craisins.
Dried cranberries. And now they are nicer.
Recently, while shopping, I noticed something new in the store.
Blessed & Lucky nut spread; cinnamon spice and *maple bliss. There is a third variety with honey, which I didn't buy.
see that? real crushed cinnamon sticks. You may be able to see the tiny specks of those through the jar there, at the bottom, those 'freckles' in the paste.
They make the spread a wee bit crunchy, nice enough but uncomfortable on my very sensitive teeth.
so I left the jar in the cupboard until I had a brainwave.
I decided I would use the cinnamon spread as a substitute for butter the next time I made snickerdoodles.
I was in baking mood this morning, so today was the day. That didn't turn out well.
The snickerdoodle recipe uses quite a lot of flour which I dump in all at once and just keep mixing until it is combined.
It turns out nut spread and butter are not the same when it comes to absorbing other ingredients.
I creamed the nut spread and sugar, which wasn't easy, added the eggs and vanilla, then dumped in all the flour.
It wouldn't mix in.
I had a bowl full of dry crumbly mix with a few lumps of buttery nut mix.
(In hindsight, I should have added the flour a little at a time. Or used half and half butter and nut spread, melted).
I needed the mix to be a consistency that would allow me to place spoonfuls on a tray for baking.
And I didn't have it. :(
I melted the last of the margarine in the fridge and stirred that in and really it didn't make a heck of a difference. Still had a bowl full of dry crumbly mix.
So I beat up a couple more eggs, stirred those in and was able to pull it all together in a lump.
I wasn't sure spoonfuls would work, and by now I was sick of the whole idea, so I divided the lump between two cookie trays, and spread them out as flat as I could and baked them.
When they came out of the oven I sprinkled them with a cinnamon/sugar mix and left them to cool.
So what did I have now?
Two giant square cookies, 38cm x 25cm.
I wasn't sure if they would cut or crumble, so I made a cup of coffee, cut a slice from the banana cake I'd made earlier and read all the blogs on my list.
Then I tried cutting the cookie slabs.
That went well.
I sliced them up into squares about 6cm and shoved the whole lot into a couple of storage containers. I ate the few that didn't fit.
They tasted very faintly of peanut butter, with maybe the barest hint of cinnamon, in texture a little chewy and a little dryer than the original snickerdoodles, but nice enough with something hot to wash them down.
I won't be making this again though.
I'll stick with the craisin snickerdoodles.
They're nicer and easier to make.
*maple bliss nut spread. Sweeter than just peanut butter and very nice.
Available in Woolworths for $5.13 I think, last week when I bought some more they were on special for $3.95.
I made them and they were nice, since then I've made them several times, but I've added craisins.
Dried cranberries. And now they are nicer.
Recently, while shopping, I noticed something new in the store.
They make the spread a wee bit crunchy, nice enough but uncomfortable on my very sensitive teeth.
so I left the jar in the cupboard until I had a brainwave.
I decided I would use the cinnamon spread as a substitute for butter the next time I made snickerdoodles.
I was in baking mood this morning, so today was the day. That didn't turn out well.
The snickerdoodle recipe uses quite a lot of flour which I dump in all at once and just keep mixing until it is combined.
It turns out nut spread and butter are not the same when it comes to absorbing other ingredients.
I creamed the nut spread and sugar, which wasn't easy, added the eggs and vanilla, then dumped in all the flour.
It wouldn't mix in.
I had a bowl full of dry crumbly mix with a few lumps of buttery nut mix.
(In hindsight, I should have added the flour a little at a time. Or used half and half butter and nut spread, melted).
I needed the mix to be a consistency that would allow me to place spoonfuls on a tray for baking.
And I didn't have it. :(
I melted the last of the margarine in the fridge and stirred that in and really it didn't make a heck of a difference. Still had a bowl full of dry crumbly mix.
So I beat up a couple more eggs, stirred those in and was able to pull it all together in a lump.
I wasn't sure spoonfuls would work, and by now I was sick of the whole idea, so I divided the lump between two cookie trays, and spread them out as flat as I could and baked them.
When they came out of the oven I sprinkled them with a cinnamon/sugar mix and left them to cool.
So what did I have now?
Two giant square cookies, 38cm x 25cm.
I wasn't sure if they would cut or crumble, so I made a cup of coffee, cut a slice from the banana cake I'd made earlier and read all the blogs on my list.
Then I tried cutting the cookie slabs.
That went well.
I sliced them up into squares about 6cm and shoved the whole lot into a couple of storage containers. I ate the few that didn't fit.
They tasted very faintly of peanut butter, with maybe the barest hint of cinnamon, in texture a little chewy and a little dryer than the original snickerdoodles, but nice enough with something hot to wash them down.
I won't be making this again though.
I'll stick with the craisin snickerdoodles.
They're nicer and easier to make.
*maple bliss nut spread. Sweeter than just peanut butter and very nice.
Available in Woolworths for $5.13 I think, last week when I bought some more they were on special for $3.95.
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Now that is quite a cooking story. I think you are amazing the way you experiment with recipes and glad this one turned out to be eatable, and edible, in the end.
ReplyDeleteI thought that was another poodle mix dog breed.
ReplyDeletemake your ordinary sugar cookies and sandwich them with the spread in the middle. You had a great idea. Too bad it didn't work.
ReplyDeleteWell, you couldn't blame it on too many cooks.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that at one of the earlier stages, it would have made great home made suet for the birds
ReplyDeleteI admire your adventurous spirit - and your fortitude in soldiering on until you created something viable.
A cookie pioneer!
I too thought anything called SNICKERDOODLES would be more than just pain sugar cookies. Who comes up with these names!!
ReplyDeleteYou saw my oatmeal cookies.....spread out like a sugar flood after baking. I substitute with what I have, and get what I get. Never a good idea, but it's what I do.
I like Delores' idea. And am NOT going to look for this spread when we do the shopping later today.
ReplyDeleteI've seen baking on tv rescued by the addition of more ingredients but it has never worked for me.
ReplyDeleteWaste not want not.
ReplyDeleteAlthough not every recipe can be bettered by the cook; sometimes you just have to give in.
Glad it sort of worked out ok in the end.
I always made my own biscuits then the oven broke so I stopped baking, I eat much less biscuits and cake so thats got to be good, some were wonderful but some were not so but if you try you never know what you will come up with.
ReplyDeleteMerle...........
Well, at least you didn't waste it; and what the hell it was worth a try...and as you say, it turned out okay and a having it with a hot drink will work.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! :)
I like where you were going with this idea. That's how new recipes are born. With a little persistent tweaking, who knows...
ReplyDeleteBut, I've had similar baking brainwaves which didn't turn out - and I didn't persist with them either :)
I love the sound of the maple spread. I'm a maple syrup fan and I think it would be a favourite.
But, the boys devour everything I buy. Everything yummy, that is.
So I have to either resist... or hide.
Mimsie; edible but I won't make it again. I'll stick with the sugar cookies.
ReplyDeletejoeh; a snickerdoodle poodle, hmmm.
Delores; sandwiching with the spread would be too much sweetness for me. a good idea though.
Joanne; nope. I'm the only one to blame here.
Marty Damon; I almost threw the mix out, but didn't want to waste the ingredients.
lotta joy; I had that same spreading trouble with my honey snaps, AND I burnt the first dozen.
Elephant's Child; you're a very smart woman.
Andrew; rescuing isn't always possible, cookies and slices are quite forgiving, but a sponge cake gone wrong can't be fixed. all you can do with it is cut into squares and make lamingtons.
Main meals can often be saved by the addition of something, pastry can't. Cooking is really a hit and miss science.
Friko; over the years I've thrown out lots of half done recipes, just never told anyone about them.
Merle; I make biscuits very rarely, I'm not much of a biscuit person. I eat or give away what I make, then don't make any for ages.
Lee; I very nearly did waste it. Now I have a couple of dozen cookies which may or may not get eaten. I can't even give them to the neighbours, most of them are on restricted diets for some reason; several are diabetic.
Vicki; I won't bother with tweaking this one. I already tweaked the original until I'd made them with Craisins which turned out to be the perfect addition, since their slight tartness is lovely in the overall sweetness.
You could try the maple spread and tell them it's awful, then keep it for yourself?
Huh, I wish. They'd guess my plan and taste it anyway... just to make sure :)
DeleteNo, hiding is the best option for "special things".
The spread sounds nice. I wonder whether you could spread a little on top of the biscuits before they go into the oven?
ReplyDeleteBut I would probably just eat it spread on toast.
Vicki; they're too clever, hope you have a good hiding spot.
ReplyDeleteJackie K; I won't be trying that, I think it would bake hard. Or melt in.
I eat it as I do regular peanut butter, in a sandwich.