It’s only been a week and I’m already twitching. I couldn’t stand it…why do I always get the baking bug when it’s either miserable hot or I’ve lived up to my nick name of Gracie. 🙂 I got Baked Elements: The Importance of Being Baked in 10 Favorite Ingredients
Speaking of crutches I am apparently a rock star on them compared to I guess everyone. I am going to take it as a compliment that EVERY and I am not exaggerating when I say EVERY nurse and doctor I have dealt with since my slap shot to the foot a week ago tells me that I really know how to use crutches. I remind them that being a hockey player that this is no my first crutches rodeo. Turns out that it wasn’t just a bone contusion but a hairline fracture. It became apparent when I went to put pressure on it and it swelled up three times bigger than the other foot and hurt like well… a whole bunch of bad words. Which most people will find this crazy but I”m happy it’s a break and not a sprain, those heal up faster.
Crazy Cocker Spaniel is a big help by constantly laying on or near me…and doing a great job of hitting the foot about 10 times a day.
MDP is also being helpful but in a much better way. 🙂 Each day he leaves me a little snack and beverage center out so I don’t have to get up much and he has been doing all the cooking and cleaning. It really is porn for women. 😛 He makes a mean french toast and we had some awesome rib eye and corn tonight.
Doctors think Ibuprofen is the magic answer, they are so very wrong. It seems to be there answer for everything. I got 12 pain killers for my broken foot. Which I am supposed to take two of at a time (one doesn’t do much)…every six hours. So that lasted two days and yes…I would be in pain now.
I’m amazed at how many people WON’T open a door for you when you are on crutches.
I am AMAZED at what wonderful friends I have. When I put on Facebook that I was needing to go to Urgent Care in the middle of the day I can’t believe how many people were willing to take me. My goalie ended up driving up from Seattle and having to sit around while they re-x-rayed me and then put on a partial cast. That’s my new foot accessory until I go to the orthopedic surgeon on Thursday…which yet another person gets to take me. You would think one would like being shuttled around. You would be wrong. I just feel like a big giant burden.
So that’s that. Since I couldn’t make something with malted milk from the book I went with the other thing that I love the most…Snickerdoodles. I really like these. You need to make sure that you get your butter pretty brown (but not burnt) in order to really get the nutty flavor in these. Otherwise they will just taste like regular snickerdoodles (not that there is anything wrong with that). 🙂
So there you have it…feel free to leave me a comment about a book to read or something exciting going on in your life as sitting around is getting really, really old. And I get to keep doing it…joy.
Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. cream of tarter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 TBSP plus 2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
¾ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 TBSP whole milk
1 cup plus 3 TBSP granulated sugar, divided
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat swirling the pan occasionally until the foam subsides and the butter turns nut brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour the browned butter through a strainer directly into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium-low speed to release the heat and bring it to room temperature, 5 to 7 minutes. A lot of people are shy about getting their butter brown too brown. You want it to get a nutty aroma. That is what will give it a different flavor than just a regular snickerdoodle.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon, nutmeg (not everyone likes nutmeg but I really think it adds something to the snickerdoodle), and the salt.
In a small bowl, combine the eggs and milk and whisk lightly.
Once the butter is cooled, turn off the mixer, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the brown sugar, and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again for a few seconds. Turn the mixer to low and stream in the egg mixture, continue beating on medium speed until thoroughly combined, 30 to 45 seconds.
Add the flour mixture in three parts, beating after each addition for 10 to 15 seconds, or until just barely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gather the dough into a mound in the middle. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. I waited about 4 hours but remember the longer you go the more flavor you will have.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a wide-mouthed bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of cinnamon until the mixture is uniform in color.
Using a small 2-tablespoon-size ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, scoop the dough into balls and roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture (Alternatively, measure the dough using a tablespoon and use your hands to form it into a ball before rolling in the cinnamon sugar mixture.)
Place the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 9 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are cracked and the fissures are set. I like my cookies on the softer chewy side. The cookies will continue to bake on the sheet once taken out. If you want a crisper cookie than bake for another 1-3 minutes depending on your cookie preference.
Set the pans on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely.
Adapted from BAKED Elements, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Amanda Sue says
I’m so glad I know about you now!!! My friend Xaviere from churchofcupcakes.com liked your picture of these, and it popped up in my ticker. You have a new follower now!!! These look delicious. 🙂
Becca - Cookie Jar Treats says
I haven’t had snicker doodles in such a long time. I think the last time I made them they didn’t turn out as I would have hoped. Silly Martha Stewart has a different recipe on her website than in her book, so I tried to combine the two…and well it wasn’t all that great, to me at least. Anyways these look really good.
Ok here is a really random story for you to read. Feel free to ignore it… or maybe you will read it.. I dunno,
So once upon a time there was a snowman named Pokey. Pokey lived in the Magical Winter Wonderland Forrest of Santaville. On a cold and snowy night, Pokey decided to shuffle over to Mrs. Clause’s bake shop. Candle light flickered behind the curtained windows. Pokey heard varies crashes and bangs coming from inside the little cottage, so he waddled over to the window to see if he could get a better look at what Mrs. Clause was up to. When he reached the window a small brown, crumbly object came shooting out of the open window, narrowly missing the side of Pokey’s head. “You can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man!” cried the little brown thing. Pokey was very confused as to what was going on, so he left in search of the little brown figure. He did not find the thing that called himself the “Gingerbread Man” but he did find a black top hat covered in glitter. On the inside there was a tag that read “Property of Frosty”. Pokey shrugged and put the hat on. Suddenly he started to dance and children popped up from out out no where, singing ever so loudly. This gave Pokey a headache, so he ran away, back into the Magical Winter Wonderland Forrest, where he met Hanzel and Grettle who were breaking off parts of a cookie and tossing the crumbs behind them.
The End
Yeah, sorry about that. Uhh…. Hope you enjoyed 🙂
Annette says
Peabody,
Sorry to hear about your foot. I hope it heals quickly and you can get back to baking. I am almost finished reading The 500 by Matthew Quirk; just started it this morning. The reviews compare it to The Firm. It is similar but it’s been so long since I read The Firm, that I’m enjoying it. Love your blog.
Bobbi says
Oh your poor foot 🙁
As for interesting well I wouldn’t call it interesting but it’s life. We’re picking green beans and canning them up. My children (10 and 8) have decided this is the most awful and boring job on the planet earth but at least the melodrama keeps the garden lively. I am surprised at just how many ways my 8 yr old can think to describe how boring and fatiguing picking beans is for him.
Rebekah Y. says
YbePeabody! So sorry you’re stuck sitting! I don’t have any stellar book recommendations for you, haven’t read anything that worthy lately. I’ve been a
follower of yours for several years now, never commented though. I figured it was time I did. So, Hey! Love the blog, love your stories and so glad you share them. I
find your sense of humor to be a lot like mine… Maybe that’s what has always kept me coming back. That AND the awesome recipes of course! Thanks for doing what you do, keep up the great work… As soon as you’re all mended up that is. 🙂
hobby baker says
Oh dear. Those people who won’t open doors are probably in the same group that won’t give up a seat on transportation to a bent over little old lady either. Toads. Glad at least that it will heal quicker and you have wonderful friends to help out. As for the cookies, wow. I firmly believe that browned butter is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy! They look amazing. (And the picture of CCS is too cute for words.) 😉
Michelle MacPhearson says
Sore foot 🙁
But you still have something to be happy about, you have such a great talent in writing and baking. So Cheer Up Girl!
Melinda says
Hello Peabody, I hear you baby, regarding boredom and crutches. I’ve had both feet operated on for torn tendons and had to be non-weight bearing for 4 weeks. I got good on the crutches also. But my biggest brainwave was to use my daughter’s armless wheelie desk chair to scoot around on. I also could put my ‘ casted’ foot on the chair and cook much better in the kitchen. It was a stroke of genius using it. (my hands got very sore using the crutches. I tell everyone now to get some leather gloves before they bruise their hands using crutches for a long time.)
I also got the cooking bug but it was a bummer not being able to get the ingredients when i had the bug and was home alone.
TV is awful during the day so I suggest you borrow someone’s Kindle and read their books!
Sometimes you just have to ask for someone to get the door for you. And then just say how very grateful you are for their help.
They will think it was their idea all along! (the buttheads!)
So I am sending you good healing wishes. If you need any other sage advice…don’t ask me because I’ve said it all now! XXxx to you! (coming to Seattle in October, hope you are healed by then.)
Destinie says
I would totally hold the door for you.
Stephani says
Sounds delicious. I’m glad the recipe has cream of tartar. I don’t care for a Snickerdoodle without.
Snickerdoodles are my best friend’s favorite kind of cookie, in fact they are her birthday cookie. When she was little, her grandma made them every year and now I have taken up this tradition. I tried a snickerdoodle blondie recipe on Pinterest, but didn’t reallly think snickerdoodle without the cream of tartar.
As for good books, if you like Hunger Games type stories, a good series is the Divergent trilogy (3rd book not yet released) by Veronica Roth or the Matched trilogy (3rd book out beginning of November) by Ally Condie. Or anything by Janet Evanovich!
Annamaria says
It’s ridiculous that people won’t open the door for you. What are they thinking?!?
You’re right about sprains taking longer to heal. I sprained my foot the Friday after Father’s Day this year and it still swells a bit. And the foot is still slightly discolored from the bruising – weird.
Annamaria says
I forgot to mention that I pinned the recipe.
LeeH says
I’m trying these today, and just by the taste of the dough.. I could eat it all. Great flavor!
AND.. I learned a thing or two about clarified butter. I’ve tried to make it over the years and it was so hard to separate the foam out I wondered why people bothered. But now I know I wasn’t cooking it long enough. When you let it go like to brown it, all of a sudden it changes. The foam changes to bits that you really can separate easily or pour through a fine strainer.
Thanks for the unintended lesson
LeeH says
Reading Stephani’s comment, I wonder what cream of tartar does for this cookie.
Can anyone explain?
Stephani says
LeeH cream of tartar is an acid. I think it reacts with the baking soda to make the cookies puff up. I like the flavor it adds to the cookies myself.
I read somewhere that cream of tartar is the reason snickerdoodles are crunchy. I personally prefer a chewier cookie so I under bake them. Most recipes give you a range for baking time like 8-10 minutes or something similar, so I usually will check mine at about 7 minutes. The cookies need to be puffy and set around the edges and not doughy.
http://askville.amazon.com/purpose-cream-tarter-cookie-recipe/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=6812867
LeeH says
Thanks Stephani !!
Kim says
Made these today and the faster I baked them; the faster my family ate them. These are, by far, the best Snickerdoodles ever!