Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Cookies

Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Cookies - made dough February 17, 2020 from Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Normally I would look askance at a cookie that had the temerity to spread to thinness. I mean, come on, cookies need to be chubby. Since those delicious (and empty) calories can make you chubby, they should be chubby, right? Yes, that's how my mind works.

However, I might have to make an exception to that (completely logical) stance with these cookies. As you can tell from the pictures, they spread. Not only did they spread but they spread out. They started out as compact, thick discs (frozen), more like chubby round balls with their tops slightly - just slightly, mind you - flattened. 15 minutes in the oven and the middles spread out like a package-laden Christmas shopper settling in on public transportation. The one who decides to sit next to me.

I was a little miffed about that spread. Then I tasted the cookies. And I forgave. The flavor on these is superb. What's a little weird is they almost taste like ginger molasses cookies while not having a lick of ginger or molasses in them. The flavor is all driven by the brown sugar which had the good sense to transform in a deep caramel flavor without the stickiness of caramel.

The weird part? I don't even like ginger molasses cookies all that much but, despite its similar flavor profile, I loved these cookies. They're chewy and packed with great flavor. Now I just have to figure out how to prevent their spread.

I did end up packaging these up for my next care package to a deployed military service member for Soldiers Angels. They vacuum-sealed well enough and hopefully the deployed troops won't be as snobby as I am about thin (thin!) cookies as long as the flavor is there.

Update: I did make these a second time and made the adjustments suggested for high altitude (in parentheses below in the recipe). Unfortunately, while they didn't spread as much, they still spread thin. Fortunately, the flavor wasn't affected. So you can make the recipe as is or adjust accordingly, depending on your location.

2 cups all-purpose flour (for high altitude, add 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons baking soda (for high altitude, use 1 3/4 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar (for high altitude, decrease by 1 generous tablespoon)
1 large egg

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add egg and beat until just combined. Add dry ingredients in two additions and beat after each addition, just until combined. Do not overmix.
3. Portion into balls (the larger the cookie dough ball, the more it'll spread). Cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake 8-10 minutes (mine took closer to 15) or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven, let rest on baking sheets for 3-5 minutes then remove cookies to wire cooling racks to cool completely.