Holiday Spice Snickerdoodles
I recently went to a surprise potluck lunch at work in honor of a coworker who is about to get married. He is originally from India, so the lunch was going to feature primarily Indian food.
I always prefer to bring dessert to a potluck, but that was definitely true in this case. I can’t eat spicy food and so have no experience cooking things like curry! I quickly signed up for dessert, and then wondered what to bring that would complement the other items.
I asked some of my other Indian coworkers what flavors are traditional in Indian desserts, and they mentioned cardamom. I love cardamom and use it in a lot of recipes, particularly with cinnamon. That gave me the idea for these delicious snickerdoodles flavored with holiday spices, instead of plain cinnamon sugar.
You can make these with any spices you like, including a spice mix like apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice. But this combination is delicious and was a big hit at my pot luck party!
Holiday Spice Snickerdoodles
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place the rack in the center of the oven. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together at medium high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture at low speed and mix until just combined.
Use a cookie scoop or spoon to shape 1-inch balls of dough. Roll each ball in the sugar and spice mixture.
Line baking sheets with a nonstick liner (like Silpat) or parchment paper. Place cookies on the pans, spacing 2 inches apart. You should be able to fit 12 cookies on one sheet pan.
Bake the cookies, one sheet at time, for 14-15 minutes. When done, the cookies will be golden brown. Allow to cool on the pan for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.
