An Old Timey Favorite, Even Better!

While I was checking out recipes for more low-fat treats for my family, I ran across a good article about low-fat baking.  It’s an interview from Cooking Light with some kitchen folk who discuss how to change your recipes to be lower fat.  I was fascinated by what you can do lower the fat content in baked goods, and yet maintain the consistency of the end product.  I especially loved the fact that in Cooling Light’s recipes, they don’t use sugar substitutes (equal, splenda, etc.) for sugar, or applesauce for butter (which, as I’ve mentioned previously has been a fiasco with the guys).  Just on that last fact, I’m considering a subscription to their magazine…

I found a recipe for snickerdoodles that I wanted to test– not for my family, but for my sister Tina.  Her husband Jeff LOVES snickerdoodles; my family, not so much.  So I can have them all to myself, but I’ll give them to Tina to try; she’s always looking for ways to reduce fat in their diet.   This recipe uses half the butter and eggs as the standard recipes and replaces that with a little more sugar and corn syrup.  I replaced the corn syrup with golden syrup (cane syrup) that is primarily used in the UK; I think the flavor of golden syrup is way better than that clear stuff.

It’s basically the same technique as the chocolate chocolate chip cookies; cream butter and sugar, add egg, then flour.  Snickerdoodles are a little more time-consuming because you form balls of dough which you then roll in a cinnamon-sugar mixture.  These cookies bake for just five minutes to ensure that they stay soft, just like the originals.

Here’s how I made them:

I whisked the dry ingredients (flour, cream of tartar, baking soda) in a bowl.

The dry stuff

Then I creamed the butter and sugar.

It’s going to look like coarse sand because there’s less butter.

I added the egg, vanilla and golden syrup (original recipe has corn syrup),

The wet stuff

and beat til blended.

Ready for the dry stuff

Then I dumped in the dry stuff and mixed until it came together.

The dough is stiff, but malleable

I chilled the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes; in the meantime, I mixed the sugar and cinnamon into a glass pie plate.

Heavy on the cinnamon

When the dough was ready, I formed small balls and rolled them in the sugar cinnamon mixture.

Make a bunch first, then roll.

I placed them on cookies sheets lined with thin silicone pads, then pressed them down with a flat-bottomed glass.

Press gently, firmly, but do not completely flatten

They baked for 5 minutes, then cooled for 2 minutes on the sheets.  I then moved them to racks to finish cooling.

Soft, cinnamon cookies!

I tasted one– they were soft, tender and full of cinnamon flavor; they come out of the oven very soft and firm up a bit when cool, so I think they’ll stay soft for a few days.  I packed them into a plastic tub for Tina; she better share them with Jeff!