White Chocolate Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Lately, more and more I’ve been encountering baking recipes with cinnamon chips and was curious to what they taste like. I finally found them at a cooking supply store in Vancouver and stocked up with a big bag. Perfect for the upcoming baking season.

I decided to pair them in a cookie with white chocolate as they have a milder flavor compared to regular chocolate chips and would not overpower the flavor of the cinnamon chips. I also threw in some toffee bits for good measure (of which I also stocked up on a big bag!).

These are 72-hour cookies in that they are left in the fridge to “marinate” for 72 hours before baking, but if you want to make them right away, go for it (but believe me your patience will be rewarded).

Check out the verdict at the end of the post!

White Chocolate Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Base adapted from here.

Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients

¾ cup salted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup cinnamon chips

½ cup white chocolate chips

¼ cup toffee chips

Directions

1. In a stand mixer, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes.

2. Scrape down the sides and add egg. Beat for 5 minutes.

3. Scrape down the sides and add vanilla, and beat to combine.

4. In a bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture and beat until almost combined.

5. Add cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips, and toffee chips, and mix for a few seconds to combine.

6. Cover dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 days.

To bake:

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat.

8. Portion out dough with a 2-inch scoop and bake for 13 minutes.

9. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a rack.

 

Verdict: Cinnamon chips taste like cookie butter (aka speculoos, aka Biscoff)! This was pleasantly unexpected. The cookies were soft and chewy with nice crispiness on the edges. Hallmarks of an excellent cookie. What else can I do with my big bag of cinnamon chips?

Cookie Butter Stuffed Snickerdoodles

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t bake for a while, I get a craving to bake.  Not necessarily to eat the baked goods, but to make something.  It’s the process of creating that I enjoy so much – it’s an outlet of creativity and an anticipatory experiment of what can result from mixing ingredients and applying heat.

I was browsing Foodgawker for the third time that day and some snickerdoodle posts peaked my interest.  Since I had a couple jars of cookie butter in my cupboard, I thought I’d try incorporating it.  What’s cookie butter you ask? Think Biscoff cookies blended into a creamy spread aka the best spread every, far surpassing Nutella or any nut butter. Yup, I said it.

Check out the verdict at the end of the post!

Cookie Butter Stuffed Snickerdoodles

Adapted from here.

Ingredients

½ cup salted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Cookie butter

Coating

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 Tablespoon chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Directions

1.  Beat butter and both sugars for 3 minutes with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.

2.  Add egg and vanilla and beat for 7 minutes until light coloured and fluffy.

3.  Mix flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a bowl. Add to butter mixture and beat until just combined.

4.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To bake:

5.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

6.  Scoop a portion of dough using a 2 inch ice cream scoop. Press an indentation in the dough, place a heaping teaspoon of cookie butter in the indentation and press the edges over to cover the filling.  Roll into a ball.

7.  Roll in a small bowl with the sugar, cinnamon, and sprinkles.  Place dough on baking tray and bake for 13 minutes.  Allow to cool on tray for 5 minutes before cooling on rack.

 

Dough's ready for the fridge.

Before baking.

After baking.

Verdict: These were fantastic! I’ve made snickerdoodles before, but I forgot how good they can be - chewy with a perfect addition of cinnamon. The cookie butter filling complements the cookie perfectly in flavor and in creamy texture.  They were snapped right up at work.

Pretzel M&M Cookies

I recently bought a package of M&M’s with pretzels inside.  These were right up my alley of sweet and salty.  I was itching to do some baking and the package of M&M’s was sitting in the cupboard so I thought I’d throw them in cookies. I’ve previously made cookies with pretzels and chocolate, but this makes it one step easier.

Other baking ingredients sitting in my cupboard waiting for baking experiments are giant marshmallows, guava butter, and coconut syrup.  Sit tight for those!

Check out the verdict at the end of the post!

Pretzel M&M Cookies

Adapted from here.

Ingredients

1¼ cup all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup salted butter

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon butter vanilla bakery emulsion (or vanilla extract)

1½ cup pretzel M&M’s

¼ cup toffee bits

Directions

1.  Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking soda into a bowl. Set aside.

2.  Beat butter until fluffy (1 minute).

3.  Add both sugars and beat until fluffy (2 minutes).

4.  Add egg and beat until light yellow (5 minutes).

5.  Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.

6.  Add flour mixture and mix until just mixed (30 seconds or less).

7.  Add M&M’s and toffee bits and mix until incorporated.

8.  Scoop with an ice cream scoop and portion it onto a cookie sheet.  Cover with foil and refrigerate for 24-72 hours.

To bake:

9.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment or silpat.

10.   Spread cookies out on baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes.

11.   Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Verdict: This is one of my standard recipes with which I mix different add-ins, such as coconut, nuts, chocolate, and coffee.  The Pretzel M&M add-in did not disappoint.  Great caramelization especially around the edges while the middle remained chewy.  Definitely follow the step of refrigerating for a few days.  It's what takes these cookies to the next level. I brought them to work and they were all gone in a matter of a couple hours!