Snickerdoodles

Life is sometimes like a movie. Not often but enough to remind you that some moments are truly amazing and what may seem contrived isn’t. Now if you have a movie life moment it’s going to be good. If you have a film moment it could be good and it could be bad but it won’t be a ‘movie’ moment. Apologies for the weird distinction between the two that exists in my head. A movie moment is a bit slushy and if it’s happening in the UK it’s a Richard Curtis film.  

I had one of these this Monday. I didn’t go to work but instead went to Gatwick airport to meet The Thew’s after he flew back from doing the Marathon des Sables. When I arrived I saw a couple of people with balloons saying ‘Well Done’ and a child walking around with a homemade sign. I wondered if they were meeting someone from the MdS but wasn’t sure. I positioned myself in front of the arrival doors and over the course of the next twenty minutes found myself in an ever increasing crowd of people who were meeting people off the same plane. More children arrived with banners, more adults arrived with balloons and suddenly everyone was talking about how excited they were to see their loved one again and congratulate them on their amazing achievement on running 150 miles across the Sahara. I never talk to strangers in London but found myself sharing the highs and lows of having someone take on this race. Nervous energy kicked in while we waited and we started cheering randoms who pretended we were there for them. As people started coming through wearing MdS t-shirts we collectively started clapping and cheering. Small children flung themselves as their dads arriving and tears started to flow. It was exactly like ‘Love Actually’ and it was glorious. A movie moment.  

These are the baking equivalent of the movie moment. They are easy to make, I’d say fairly impossible to get wrong, fill the house with a wholesome baking smell and are always good. Any American who sees them says ‘Wow, Snickerdoodles’ while anyone else asks how Snickers bars come into it. They don’t. I've given a method that means you should be able to use one bowl, just measuring the ingredients in as you go along. The nearest I can describe them in taste is a biscuit version of a doughnut.  

Ingredients

125g butter

100g caster sugar plus an extra 2 tbsp

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g plain flour (or 225g plain flour and 25g sifted cocoa powder)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp ground cinnamon 

1.    Preheat the oven to 180°C/GM 4.

2.    Measure out and cream together the butter and 100g sugar. Ideally the butter should be at room temperature but if not then just whizz the butter on its own until a little more pliable.

3.    Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix in.

4.    Then measure the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix well. It won't seem to come together for a while but keep at it. If you're using an electric whisk you'll need to get your hands in to bring it together once it looks like large breadcrumbs. If you want to make the chocolate version then use the flour and cocoa powder version.

5.    Once you have a dough, divide into 32 pieces (I divide the mixture into four even pieces as each of those make 8 and it makes it easier to keep them the same size) and roll into balls. Mix the 2 tbsp caster sugar and cinnamon together and roll the balls into it so they are covered.

6.    Place the balls in a baking tray with a gap between then as they spread a little. You'll probably need two trays or cook in two batches. Then bake for 15 minutes.

7.    Cool and eat. They keep for quite a while in an air tight container and I find they make a lovely gift in a jar.