Snickerdoodles

My Cookie of the Month for January

This is my second month of baking a Cookie of the Month for my new cottage bakery business, and this month’s choice was an easy one. After repeatedly being asked by co-workers, “Can you bring more Snickerdoodles?” last month, I decided January belonged to this cinnamon-sugar classic.

Snickerdoodles may have roots in a Pennsylvania Dutch “Snipdoodle,” a cinnamon-sugar coffee cake. With Pennsylvania Dutch roots on my mother’s side of the family, I like to imagine my ancestors finding comfort in baking cinnamon-scented treats for their families on a cold, snowy January day.

For my Snickerdoodles, each ball of dough is rolled in a mixture of sugar and my favorite cinnamon, Penzeys cinnamon. But cinnamon and cream of tartar aren’t the only notable flavors in these cookies. The other ingredients matter just as much.

As you may already know, I use ingredients sourced close to home whenever possible. In fact, 57% of the ingredient cost for the Snickerdoodles I baked this week came from Wisconsin producers: Meadowlark Community Mill flour from Ridgeway, rich Weyauwega butter from central Wisconsin, Cathy’s Pure Vanilla Extract handcrafted just north of Madison, and S&R cage-free eggs from Whitewater.

If you ever have the opportunity to bake with fresh, locally milled flour, you’ll taste the difference. I find the cookies taste fresher, with a richer, heartier flavor. While it’s also believed to offer more nutritional benefits than commercial flour, what I notice most is how alive the baked goods feel.

My kitchen décor may be all Pillsbury Doughboy, but these days I reach for locally milled flour instead.

A couple of friends have asked whether recipes need to be adjusted when using fresh flour. I’ve read recommendations to chill the dough and to weigh the flour rather than measuring by volume. Since I already chill most of my cookie dough, that wasn’t a change. Although I tried weighing the flour, I found it wasn’t necessary for this recipe. As with any baking, familiarity matters. Try fresh flour with one of your favorite recipes and see what you notice.

We’ve made it halfway through the long, dark, cold month of January here in the Midwest. As I’ve been baking Snickerdoodles for others this week, I’ve been reminded that small, simple comforts, like a warm cookie shared, can go a long way. I hope you’re finding ways to bring comfort and care to those around you this month.