Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Chocolate Snickerdoodles - made dough March 30, 2021 from Dessert Now Dinner Later 

This is the second of three cookie recipes I made to contribute to the lunch bags being passed out on Easter Sunday.

In keeping with the snickerdoodle theme, I tried out this recipe for chocolate snickerdoodles. This has the hallmarks of a traditional snickerdoodle in terms of having cream of tartar  in the dough and rolling the dough balls in cinnamon sugar before baking.

Beyond that though, this seemed like a chocolate cookie with a touch of cinnamon because of the coating. Maybe that's really what a chocolate snickerdoodle is - a cookie with a chocolate-cinnamon flavor profile. My friend, Annie the Baker, asked me if it was like having a Mexican chocolate cookie and I have to say it does. Mexican chocolate has that flavor profile

Because of my purist taste preferences, I think I would have preferred a straight chocolate cookie or a plain snickerdoodle. But if you like that chocolate-cinnamon flavor combination, this is a good cookie to try. It doesn't spread much, stays thick and has a great chewy texture.

Two tips: one, let the dough balls thaw slightly (if you froze them first) before rolling in cinnamon sugar so the coating will stick better. Two: for additional cinnamon flavor, sprinkle some of the cinnamon-sugar coating on top of the cookies as soon as you take them out of the oven.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coating

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. Add dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Portion dough into golf-ball-sized dough balls. Cover, chill and freeze for several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon. If dough balls are frozen, let thaw for a few minutes before coating completely in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Even space dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.