Before I start with the baking, I want to announce something. I’ve been working on a new project with some high school friends of mine and I’ve been so excited about it. I’ve wanted to spill the beans for a while now but it hasn’t been quite ready. Well, it’s officially open for business now: Cooking the Books. We’ll be reading a different book every month or so, updating as we read, and then each cooking/baking a recipe from that book and posting it along with our trials and tribulations, successes and triumphs. And we’ll also be meeting up when we can. Thanks to Facebook, I reconnected with these lovely ladies, Gina, Jeanine and Brianne, and Gina came up with this wonderful idea. Who says Facebook is nothing but Mafia Wars & exes you don’t want to confirm as friends? This venture is promising and I think it’s going to be a LOT of fun. So I hope all my loyal readers here will travel on over there and bookmark my new group blog, Cooking the Books.

Okay… now I know I’ve talked about snickerdoodles before (in this post on dog treats named snickerpoodles). They fascinate me. The name alone, snickerdoodles… what an amazing name. How did they get a name like that? Usually there are sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies. They’re always indicative of what the ingredients are. But (and pardon my French) what the fuck is a snickerdoodle? So how DID they get the name?

According to Wikipedia:

The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln, which means “snail dumpling.”^[1] A different author suggests that the word “snicker” comes from the Dutch word snekrad, or the German word Schnecke, which both describe a snail-like shape.^[2] Yet another theory suggests that the name comes from a New England tradition of fanciful, whimsical cookie names.^[3] There is also a series of tall tales about a hero named “Snickerdoodle” from the early 1900s which may be related to the name of the cookie.^[4]

So there you go. Basically a snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie made with cream of tartar and rolled in cinnamon sugar. It is characterized by a cracked surface and can be crisp or soft depending on preference. In modern recipes, the leavening agent is usually baking powder.

Anyway I was going through the vast recipes on the interwebs looking for a Thanksgiving cupcake recipe when I happened upon Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. I saw them and made that noise Scooby-Doo makes, “Arrooo?” Snickerdoodle cupcakes!? YES! Of course, at the time, I was very sick and under the influence of cold medicine. But who am I kidding? I’d have acted that way despite that. I decided not to use these for Thanksgiving, but I still wanted to make them since they seemed like an autumnal tasting treat. I have something else up my sleeve for Thanksgiving 😉

You can’t really see it in the picture, but the top of the cupcakes cracked just like the cookie is supposed to. Cute, Martha.

The seven-minute frosting was so much easier than it sounds. It tastes fantastic and looks beautiful. I actually halved this recipe and halved the frosting recipe as well, I just didn’t need 28+ of these, especially when next week I’ll be making another recipe entirely. However, while I got 15 cupcakes, even with just half the frosting recipe, I got enough frosting to frost another 15 cupcakes at least. So if you half the cupcake recipe, maybe think about using ¼ of the frosting recipe.

SNICKERDOODLES CUPCAKES

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
4. To finish, combine remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (Ateco No. 809 or Wilton No. 1A*), pipe frosting on each cupcake: Hold bag over cupcake with tip just above top, and squeeze to create a dome of frosting, then release pressure and pull up to form a peak. Using a small, fine sieve, dust peaks with cinnamon-sugar. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are frosted; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

*I actually used a Wilton 2A tip and it worked out just fine.

SEVEN-MINUTE FROSTING

Directions:

1. Combine 1 ½ cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230° degrees.
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating to combine.
3. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230° degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

As far as the frosting goes, you can make a coconut or coffee variation: for the coconut, add ½ teaspoon pure coconut extract at the end of step 3, whisking to combine. For the coffee, Add 2 tablespoons pure coffee extract at the end of step 3, whisking to combine.

This was a really awesome recipe. Two thumbs up for both cupcakes and frosting. Score one for Ms. Stewart.