Apples and cookies just seem to go together in the fall, don’t they?  And along about now bake sales start happening again.  I was involved in baking for a sale this past weekend, and these are the cookies I contributed.

Apple Spice Snickerdoodles

At most bake sales that I’ve been to the cookies that are the standard favorites  seem to be chocolate chip, sugar and peanut butter.  But I really like snickerdoodles.  Buttery, light, and slightly  crunchy with that crusty coating of sugar that makes it impossible to stop at just one.  Although  this cookie is a classic, it seems to get forgotten, so I decided to give it a slight makeover by incorporating apple into the cookie dough through the use of apple cider (or apple juice), and adding apple pie spice mix to the sugar coating.  As I said apples and cookies just seem to go together and these give you a fresh apple flavor that’s hard to resist.

Buttery, light and crunchy with a sugar-spice coating.

I was told that the sale of these cookies was brisk, so I was happy that folks were adventurous in sampling a new twist on an old favorite.  You may want to try them too.

APPLE SPICE SNICKERDOODLES

Yield:  about 40 – 48 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup shortening, butter flavored preferred
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1  1/2 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup apple cider, or apple juice
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2  3/4 cups all-purpose flour

For coating:

• 2 tsp. apple pie spice
• 1/2 cup sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 400 *F.  Lightly grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.  In a medium bowl, beat together the shortening, butter, and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth, then beat in the egg, again beating until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Beat in the cider, baking powder and salt, then add the flour, mixing slowly until combined.

3.  In a separate shallow small bowl, mix together the apple pie spice with the 1/2 cup sugar.

4.  Drop the soft dough by the tablespoonful into the sugar mixture.  Gently roll the dough balls in the sugar until evenly coated.  Place them on prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 1 1/2″ between them.  Gently flatten each cookie until it’s about 1/2″ thick.

Roll each ball of dough in the sugar mixture, then flatten.

5.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until lightly golden.  Remove from the oven and let them cool on a rack.    Store at room temperature in a covered container.

SOURCE:   Slightly modified from The Taste of Home Baking Book