Cardamom Currant Snickerdoodles
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Author Notes: What's a holiday open house without cookies? And when it comes to baking, there's nothing I love more than cardamom. I'm generally uninspired by snickerdoodles, but they're really fast and easy (translation: great for open houses), so I decided to mix up the flavors in them to make them something I could adore, switching out the standard cinnamon for fragrant cardamom and little tangy bursts of dried currant. These are soft, chewy and flavorful, and have earned a permanent place on my holiday cookie tray. - fiveandspice
Food52 Review: WHO: fiveandspice lives in Duluth, Minnesota with her husband, where they plan to open a distillery!
WHAT: You thought you knew snickerdoodles -- until you met this one.
HOW: Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients together, roll your balls in sugar, and bake.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This cookie has an ideal texture: they're sandy, they're chewy, they're crispy, they're buttery. And did we mention the cardamom and currants? Pour a glass of milk and get to work. - A&M
Makes a bit over 2 dozen
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (preferably freshly ground, or at least fresh)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dried currants
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for cookie coating)
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (for cookie coating)
- Preheat your oven to 425F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugars, flour, 1 tsp. cardamom, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Whisk the eggs into the melted butter, then stir in the vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients and the currants into the flour mixture, stirring just long enough for everything to come together into a dough.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the 3 Tbs. sugar and 1 tsp. cardamom for the coating. Take out the chilled dough, roll it into 1 ½ inch balls, roll each ball in the sugar coating, then place onto ungreased cookie sheets with about 2 inches of space in between them.
- bake for 8-9 minutes, until they look golden and cracked on top but still a bit doughy in the middle. Transfer immediately from the baking sheets to a cooling rack and allow to cool. (Or, eat them nice and warm off of the cooling rack with a cup of coffee or glass of milk. No one will know some are missing!)
- This recipe is a Wildcard Contest Winner!
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe with Cardamom
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Open House Dish
Tags: cardamom, chewy, Easy, fast, Scandinavian
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21 days ago rmullins
I made these over the weekend and really had a great flavor, I think a bit more cardamom would give it even more. I think I would like a firmer cookie however these were very soft. (i like to dip in coffee like biscoti) maybe if I left out an egg and some butter?
21 days ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Yes, these are very soft. I purposely made them that way because I really like soft cookies - though I can appreciate the allure of a dippable cookie. :) To make them crispier, I would use room temperature butter instead of melted, and I would cream the butter and sugar together well, then add eggs and vanilla, then dry ingredients, like a more traditional cookie. And I would bake them for a little longer. You can also certainly up the amount of cardamom to your liking. The intensity of cardamom flavor can vary a lot with how fresh your cardamom is, as well.
21 days ago caroberts77
I made these for a small gathering this weekend and got rave reviews for them. I think I made them a bit small though as I ended up with 4 dozen cookies. I had some leftover and brought them in to work this morning, and again, rave reviews. I added a very tiny bit of orange extract to them which I don't think the orange flavor came through very much but it seemed to brighten them up a bit. Love this recipe and it will be one of my staples from here on out. :-)
21 days ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks! Glad they went over well! How many you get definitely varies with how large you make the cookies. I almost always scoop a little generously, I think!
about 1 month ago krusher
I have no inclination for such baking. However, with all the interesting chatter I decided to attempt top produce a batch. To my complete surprise they were great. Don't fall over dead Cynthia ... I may begin to bake!
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks Krusher! I'm thrilled you tried out the cookies and that you enjoyed them.
about 1 month ago cookinginvictoria
Congrats f&s on the Wildcard win! This is one delicious looking cookie. Can't wait to try your recipe!
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thank you CIV.
about 1 month ago inspiredbyyou
fiveandspice, only two TEASPOONS of cardamom for three cups of flour, and you call them Cardamom Cookies??That to me is like Hawkeye making his martini by pouring a glass of gin and then opening a vermouth bottle and wafting it over the glass!! In my cream cheese cardamom cookies, I put 3 Tablespoons of freshly ground cardamom for 3 cups of flour(plus 3/4 lb of butter/cream cheese)! I guess you can tell- I loooves my cardamom! :-}
about 1 month ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
LE BEC FIN aka inspiredbyyou (yes, it is obvious), enough already. Snickerdoodles are not oozing cinnamon flavor so why would a cardamom flavored version be any different? Shouldn't a variation from the normal spice used be noted in the recipe title? Seems sensible to me. Being negative toward fiveandspice solely because she has been recognized at food52 is unnecessary. Her success (or anyone's for that matter) should not belittle you, and frankly, your recent hotline rant and comment here seem very petty. If you feel you are not getting the recognition you need or deserve, or if the success of others lessens you in some way, then perhaps food52 is not a good community or venue for you.
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Hi Le Bec Fin! I didn't even know you had a cardamom cookie! These are directly inspired by the seasonal cardamom currant snickerdoodles from Crema Cafe in Harvard Square, and I developed the recipe to have a similar level of cardamom as I tasted in those (I describe the process in my blog post on them from a couple years ago: http://fiveandspice.wordpress...). As HLA points out, the reason I titled them as I did is that regularl snickerdoodles have neither cardamom nor currants, so I wanted to put that in the title to make the distinction clear. You must REALLY love your cardamom to use 3 Tbs. That's hardcore! :) I, and many others, find cardamom to be a flavor that is beautiful, but easily overwhelming, so I try to generally use a moderate amount. But, I shall certainly have to find your cookie recipe and give it a try to see what I think of that amount of cardamom. I've never actually made cream cheese cookies, actually, so it'll be a new experience on two accounts. :) (Do you use freshly ground cardamom? It's SO potent when it's freshly ground.)
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Oh wait, I'm confused, Le Bec Fan or inspiredbyyou, I guess I'm not sure who I'm talking to!
about 1 month ago inspiredbyyou
hi five; whew, I'm so glad you didn't get upset by my jibe! your response seems to say you received it as I intended it. Of course, I SHOULD have started w/ a Congrats on your wild card pick. How do you know Crema Café if you're in Duluth? Were you in Cambr. undergrad? I'll email you my recipe through your page. I am a big fan of cream cheese dough- both for cookies and for savory pastry crust. Adds richness(duh!) to the dough but also a certain texture/chew quality to the cookie, and flakiness/ease of handling to the pastry crust.
One thing I think about when playing with the cookies-
is that it's so easy to experiment with different flavorings or spices within even ONE batch of cookies. I just divide the dough into equal portions and add different spices/flavorings or different AMOUNTS of spices to each portion. I keep paper and pen handy, of course, because I'd never remember it otherwise. I imagine someone might say that the dough toughens if you overwork it (as in working in more spice after the dough has already been worked/combined)but I haven't had noticeably tough cookies the few times I've done it. And when I make your snickerdoodles, who knows, maybe I'll like the cardamom slight and not even add any!
But now I better send that recipe before I forget.
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Please do send it! I'll be excited to see it and to give the cream cheese a try. It sounds scrumptious. I know Crema Cafe because I spent the last 8 years in Boston (well, first Somerville and then JP) for graduate school. My husband and I just moved to Duluth at the very end of August this last year. I wasn't in Harvard Square super often, but when I was I liked to hang out in Crema and work.
about 1 month ago LindaLK
I've never been a huge snickerdoodle fan, but the cardamom caught my eye. I made them yesterday and they were very good. But today they are outstanding--the flavor has developed and the currants are nice and chewy. Thanks so much Emily, I look forward to trying your Cardamom bun recipe too.
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thank you! They flavors do develop and blend together nicely over a day or two, don't they? I hope you enjoy the cardamom buns too, if you do make them! They're a family staple. :)
about 1 month ago creamtea
Congratulations on the Wildcard, Fiveandspice! These look really good.
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thank you creamtea! They've become one of our favorite Christmas cookies.
about 1 month ago sdebrango
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Wow, congratulations. The cookies sound great!!
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thank you very much Suzanne!
about 1 month ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
congrats on the wildcard 5&S! You are on a roll!
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks MrsL! I was so surprised!
about 1 month ago PRST
Forgot to add: my yield was 48 cookies- used a 1.5 inch diameter cookie/ice cream scoop to measure the portions. Baking time was 9-10 minutes.
about 1 month ago PRST
Just made these gems. Hubbie said "good, really gooooood, WOW!". I ground my own cardamon- green. Mine were not as cracked as the photo- might be due to making adjustments for altitude... might try again with no adjustments in the leavening agents. I miss living at sea-level! Thanks fiveandspice for a keeper recipe!
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Glad you guys liked them! The altitude adjustments may have made a difference. I think individual ovens can make a difference too. I'm impressed you got so many cookies out of a batch. I usually get thirty or so. But, I don't have a cookie scoop, so I eyeball my cookies and probably err on the slightly generous side.
about 1 month ago gbatrucks
RMULLINS: Green Cardamom...black is for pungent & savory dishes.
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Yes. Black cardamom is smokey tasting.
about 1 month ago rmullins
I've used Black Cardamom in ice-cream. It serves as a nice spin to the cloying-ness of fresh strawberries. Lots of savory goes with sweet.
about 1 month ago rmullins
Just saying, black isn't ONLY for savory.
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Totally true. Smokey flavors can be delicious in sweet things!
about 1 month ago rmullins
Green or Black cardamom?
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Green.
about 1 month ago Margaret McCormick
These sound great. Do they keep well and/or can they be frozen?
about 1 month ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
They keep pretty well. I'd say you could keep them in an air tight container for close to a week, and they definitely freeze well, in my opinion.
about 1 year ago KatyBeard
Mine came out exactly like your photo! My roommates gobbled them up. I found them a bit egg-heavy in taste; I wonder why there are three eggs added? I might try it with just two next time. Also, I will increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. I guess i'm addicted to more sugar! Lovely cookies though, thank you thank you!
about 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
I'm glad you guys liked them. Definitely feel free to play with the ingredients so they suit your tastes! These are definitely very specifically tailored to mine!
about 1 year ago KatyBeard
I'm about to bake these, so far they have come together wonderfully! I can't remember the time I last made cookies without my Kitchenaid mixer though... I'm also going to try your 425 suggestion, even though at first glance I thought it was a typo! I will report back....
about 1 year ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
I hope they turned out well for you!!!
about 2 years ago BlissfulBaker
The melted butter & high cooking temperature are simply genius! They completely change the appearance, taste & texture of this cookie, taking it from average to exceptional. (I did some kitchen tests with side-by-side comparisons of this recipe made with room temperature butter.) I've never had a cookie quite like this before. For anyone who likes to bake, move this recipe to the top of your list.
about 2 years ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
I'm absolutely delighted that you liked the cookies so much! And I'm really happy that my explanation of my experiments with cooking temps and ingredients were helpful to you. Keep on baking and experimenting! :)
over 2 years ago BlissfulBaker
I haven't had snickerdoodles since I was a kid, so I did a taste test tonight. I made one batch of classic cinnamon snickerdoodles & one batch your way. Yours wins!!! This is a delicious recipe. The only change I made was swapping sultanas for the currants. Often I give cookies away so that I don't eat the whole batch, but I think I'll be keeping these for myself! Well...my husband can have a few.
over 2 years ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
So glad you enjoyed them!!! Thanks for letting me know! :)
over 2 years ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
now HERE'S a snickerdoodle I like!
over 2 years ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Thanks! That's how I feel about them too! Regular snickerdoodles - meh. Cardamom snickerdoodles? Yeah! :)
over 2 years ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
me too!
over 2 years ago TheWimpyVegetarian
I'm making a ton of cookies today for a holiday party this afternoon and yours just came out of the oven. OMG they are so delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!!
over 2 years ago fiveandspice
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Oh yay! I'm glad you like them! Thanks for letting me know.