Crunch-Doodle Cookie
We all love a snickerdoodle. It reminds me of childhood. We used to go to a cute little lunch place in Salt Lake City called Skool Lunch. They had this cheese soup that was kind of unreal but I remember the Snickerdoodle cookies like it was yesterday. They were huge! Slightly crunchy on the outside but really soft in the center. It was cinnamon sugar heaven.
Desserts are my thing of course, but I am really not a foodie. I enjoy a fancy meal out on the town or finding a cool restaurant, but I am not a food nut the way that I am about desserts. I am content to stay home on a Saturday night with a bowl of cereal. Cereal is LIFE. I think it runs in the family because there have been times when my father will sit down and eat an entire box in one sitting. It’s just how it happens sometimes haha what you gonna do (We’ve all been there).
I was thinking about cereal and baked goods one day and tried to come up with some ways to combine the two. My friend Brian Hart Hoffman over at Baked From Scratch Magazine posted a recipe for Apple Jack Snickerdoodles (go check them out! It’s an awesome recipe). I thought let’s do this but throw the SKS spin on it! I started developing a cookie using Cinnamon Toast Crunch (because duh) and it was off to a great start.
I decided to start by taking a traditional snickerdoodle recipe that I love and tweaking that. I added some Cinnamon Toast Crunch dust and adjusted the other dry ingredients. They turned out thin and crispy and were pretty delish! I thought I was finished… but then I got to thinking more and analyzed every aspect of the cookie.
I live for fluffy cookies. I want them to be soft and chewy. If it is crispy, I am going to categorize it as a biscuit… Sorry. I don’t make the rules. So I wanted these snickerdoodles to fit into my definition of cookie. I approached it from a different direction. I went back to my old reliable gal, Shortening, as the base and focused on the ratios of things. I made sure to include the classic ingredient, cream of tartar, to make it a true snickerdoodle. The final cookie truly was what I was looking for; crunchy bits of cereal on the outside of a soft and gooey cookie with that signature tang! Can’t wait for you to try them!
Tips for baking the best Cinnamon Toast Crunch Snickerdoodles
Here are some other tips that’ll help you bake yummy Crunch-Doodles from scratch that taste as great as they look:
Use that scale!! For the most accurate recipe possible, you definitely should invest in a scale. They are super inexpensive and so useful in the kitchen. Here is a link to my favorite one. Oxo is my fave for most kitchen tools (I’ve worked in cookware for about 4 years haha so I know my stuff haha). This recipe was developed using a scale, so you will definitely get the best results using that. I try my best to convert the recipes to US measurements, but it won’t be as accurate as using my weight measurements. I use the America’s Test Kitchen Chart to convert my recipes.
Salt is your friend! I use kosher salt for all of my baking. If you don’t have that, don’t worry. Use table salt but use a little bit less (about 3/4 tsp). If you really love salt, throw some on the top. I do this with SO many cookies and baked goods in general. I can never have too much salt. For the tops I use Maldon Flaky Salt! It’s the best. It adds a perfect crunch. If you don’t have Maldon, you can use sea salt.
Make sure the dust is FINE! I know we all don’t have a food processor (if you don’t, here is a link to a CHEAP one. I bought this one because my fancy one is back in NYC and it’s been working really well! So no excuses. You will use it a TON!) but make sure you get the dust really fine. You can also use a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin but really go to town. Like run over it with your car! It messes with the texture of the cookie if it isn’t completely pulverized. We all have a lot of aggression these days though right? So it shouldn’t be too hard haha.
Use the shortening… I beg you! Use vegetable shortening. I know. It is a scary ingredient on the outside. But listen… Shortening is basically oil. It goes through a special process called hydrogenation so it remains semi-solid at room temperature. It’s 100% fat, unlike butter which is usually around 80% fat. Using shortening produces a cookie that is softer in texture, doesn’t spread as much, and doesn’t have that greasy feeling. I don’t use shortening in everything… but for big, soft, and chewy cookies, shortening is king! Check out this article over at King Arthur Baking Company for their take on the differences between shortening and butter.
Any questions while you are baking? Something doesn’t make sense in the recipe? Leave a comment below or DM me on Instagram. I am new to the recipe writing so your feedback is helpful and welcome!
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Snickerdoodle
Ingredients:
- 200 G / 1 Cup Vegetable Shortening
- 200 G / 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 100 G / 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 TSP Vanilla Extract
- 300 G / 2 1/4 Cups AP Flour
- 100 G / 1 Cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch Crumbs + 50 G / 1/2 Cup to roll cookies in
- 2 TSP Cream of Tartar
- 1 TSP Baking Soda
- 2 TSP Cinnamon
- 1 TSP salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F / 160 C and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Allow oven to preheat for at least 30 minutes.
- Place 150 Grams of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely ground into crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, use a plastic bag and a rolling pin! Mixture should be very fine.
- Combine 100 G of the Crunch crumbs with the rest of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream shortening and sugars together on medium-high speed for 5-7 minutes. The mixture will be light and fluffy and the sugar should be mostly dissolved.
- Add vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly. With mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time and mix until combined.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Once everything is added, turn mixer to medium high speed for 30 seconds. You want to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
- Place the extra 50 G of Crunch crumbs into a small bowl. Using a 2.5 to 3oz scoop, portion dough and roll it into a ball. Throw the ball into the bowl of Crunch and roll around, coating generously. Place ball of dough onto a baking sheet. Press down on the cookies slightly to flatten the top.
- Bake 6 cookies at a time for 10-12 minutes (I go closer to 11 Minutes 35 seconds, but that’s my oven!). You will see the signature snickerdoodle crackle on top and should be able to press down and feel a little bit of give. Don’t overbake, they will continue to cook on the tray and you want them soft in the middle.
- Let the cookies cool for 15 minutes before serving
SPENCER LAWSON
I learned to bake in a kitchen the size of a postage stamp. 2 years later and I now love to share tips I learned about efficiency and organization that will make even the novice baker comfortable in the kitchen! Baking should be sweet (but not TOO sweet), fun, and accessible to everyone!
