Tangerine Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are a holiday must have and one of Dave's (and my) favorite cookies.  But I'm always looking for a twist, especially with this type of cookie.  Besides the classic variety, I've made chocolate snickerdoodles, gingerdoodles, mapledoodles, and pumpkindoodles,  So given the opportunity to add a little citrus flavor to the mix, why not?  I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed that these aren't more tangerine-y, but they are still a good cookie.  The tangerine flavor is subtle and light, but I think I could have enhanced this in two ways--first, used more zest; and second, maybe turn these into orange snickerdoodles and used a big ol' navel orange, which would have yielded more zest as well.  But over all these are a great nsickerdoodle, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a cinnamon sugar shell, and just a hint of something different with the light citrusy notes.

Basically if you show me a variation on a snickerdoodle, you will have my attention and it's only a matter of time until they are in my oven.  So this recipe from Kathy at Cooking on the Side was originally a clementine orange snickerdoodle.  But Kathy suggested using any type of orange variety and I happened to have few tangerine's left.  I added some cinnamon to the cookie dough because I wanted that play between the tangerine flavor and traditional snickerdoodle cinnamon.  I used the zest of both tangerines, but will definitely amp that up to even 1/4 cup of zest--that would even add a nice bit of color dotted throughout the cookies.  I also took an extra step of flattening out the cookies to get that shape and texture we all know and love.  So while these may not be my favorite snickerdoodle option, they are still tasty and unique and worth perfecting.

Tangerine Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons sugar, divided
2 Tablespoons tangerine zest
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed tangerine juice
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand held mixer, beat butter until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl as needed.  Mix in zest, eggs, and juice until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until combined. Chill dough for 30 minutes.  Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough out and roll into a ball.  Drop ball into cinnamon sugar and coat before placing on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.  Using the bottom of a glass (a large-bottomed shot glass is perfect), gently flatten each dough ball. 

Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes until set and edges are slightly crisp.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through.  If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.

Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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