A Snickerdoodle Fail

This spectacular fail is courtesy of the youngest borrowed kiddo. Our "bird" as my husband affectionately calls her (she leaves behind something every time she vists, we tell her she's nesting) was thoroughly disappointed. I decided to use it as a teaching opportunity and explain how this can happen when using my Snickerdoodle recipe.

People have told me these are so hard to get right, I've read lots of posts about how Snickerdoodles are too finicky, or the recipes simply don't work out. I'm here to tell you, that's not the case with my recipe. It's pretty foolproof as long as you follow the steps.

For those of you who haven't gotten my cookbook, or haven't read the recipe on this site yet, let me give you the backstory. I've been making these cookies since I was 5 years old, and it's the first cookie I teach all my new bakers. The kids do great with these, and our bird normally has no issues with them as she's been making them with me since she was 6 years old.

First, let me show you the "fail" photo. To be fair they tasted ok, but were a bit odd texturally and drier than usual.

They shouldn't be rounded up like this, they should have gone flat and spread more upon baking. Instead they look pretty much like they did once they were rolled and placed on the baking sheet.

There are several reasons why this may happen.

1. Either the Cream of Tartar or Baking Soda, or both, were left out
2. The dough was rolled too roughly
3. The dough was packed like a snowball - NEVER do this!
4. The flour was added in using a mixer - another No-No

In this case, she was rushing the dough. My mom was out for a visit and the kiddo wanted to impress her with her baking skills. She was adding the flour using the mixer, making the dough a lot tougher.

Here's how to avoid getting cookies that look like this picture:

1. Don't rush the dough, take your time; they don't take that long to begin with
2. Make sure you use the correct amounts of Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda
3. Mix the dry ingredients - namely the flour - in by hand [#1 Rule of cookie baking]
4. Treat the dough gently, pull a bit off and roll it like it's a raw egg; do not pack or squish the dough

If you still have issues, feel free to drop me a picture and notes in the comments section, or you can email me at merrymaryscookbook@gmail.com.

Happy Baking!

Lemon Blueberry Brownies

As promised in my previous post of the recipe, I finally grabbed a picture of the completed brownies. Fair warning, these don't travel well as the glaze has a tendency to melt. I prefer them chilled anyway as I make these in Summer and Summer in Michigan tends towards hot and humid.  Who really wants to eat hot food when it's already hot?

Bear with me, I am not a professional photographer and do not have the funds to pay one to stop by and snap shots every time I bake something new. These were taken with my old phone, not too bad for a older model.

 

Here's another view with a filter added:

If these are enticing you to whip up a batch you can grab the recipe here:  Lemon Blueberry Brownies Recipe.

These have been a big hit this summer, hope you enjoy them too!