Maple Snickerdoodles

Maple Snickerdoodles - made dough April 17, 2021 from Butternut Bakery 

This is another cookie that was part of my mass baking day. I was a bit concerned when I made this dough as it was pretty soft after it was mixed and I had to chill it in the fridge before I even portioned it into dough balls. Usually when a cookie dough is that soft, it'll spread more, even when baked from frozen dough.

Now these did spread but not as much as I would've expected given the softness of the dough. And I thought I'd balk over these because of the addition of the maple syrup because, remember, I'm a snickerdoodle purist. 

Turns out I was wrong again. These were delicious. The maple flavor is subtle but still ups the  flavor profile a notch. The texture was perfect, crisp at the edges, chewy in the middle.

As always, watch the bake time. You want to bake just until the edges are set and the middle no longer looks raw. Don't wait until the middle is uniformly puffy, that'll always surely be overbaked by then. Bake just until you see some fissures near the center but not completely over the whole cookie. When baked properly, the middles will sink for this look (below).

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

scant 1/4 cup maple syrup (I used Trader Joe's maple syrup)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

Coating

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar and salt. Add in two additions to butter mixture, beating until just combined after each addition. If dough is too soft, cover and chill for 30 minutes before portioning into dough balls.
3. Portion into golf-ball-sized dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 
5. In a small bowl, combine together 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough balls in mixture, coating completely. Evenly space on prepared baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.