Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

I often hear from people who say they can't bake, that nothing they ever bake comes out well. If this is you, take a good look at the dates on your ingredients. As a general rule of thumb, flour and baking powder, baking soda and spices etc. have a one or two year shelf life. So if you think it's been in your cupboard longer than that, throw it out and start with fresh ingredients. I make it a point to toss out the old at the beginning of each December so I know it's fresh until next December, just in time for my baking spree!



Are you ready to get started?

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups or 382g All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon or 5g Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon or 2g Salt
1/2 cup or 140g White Sugar
1 cup or 237g Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/2 lb or 227g salted butter, softened to room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons or 7g Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon or 22g Raw Honey
1 tablespoon or 4g Ground Cinnamon (recommend Vietnamese Cinnamon)

Cinnamon Sugar Mix:
3 tablespoons or 34g White Sugar
1 tablespoon or 4g ground Cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 300°F/149°C. Set a half pound/227g of butter and two small eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature. Gather together two nice size bowls, one for dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients (you can use the bowl of your mixer for this). You'll need a small bowl for the cinnamon-sugar mix, a bowl scraper, spatula, medium sized ice cream scoop, cookie sheet, a cooling rack if you have one along with your mixer. I believe baking is more precise than cooking and so using precise kitchen tools and quality ingredients is key to an excellent outcome. For this we will need a kitchen scale which we will use to measure in grams. Set an empty bowl on top and clear the tare weight and we're ready to begin. If you're not using a scale you'll need measuring cups and spoons on hand.

In a medium size bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk and set to the side.

In your large mixing bowl add white and brown sugars. Blend on medium speed until the sugars are well blended. Add the butter and mix again on medium speed making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Crack the eggs into a small bowl or cup to make sure the eggs don't have shell in them. Add the honey to the eggs before adding to the sugar/butter mixture along with the vanilla and ground cinnamon. Mix at medium speed until it's light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and blend at low speed just until combined making sure to scrape down the sides. Do not overmix.

To make the cinnamon sugar mix add the cinnamon and sugar to a small bowl and stir together.

Use the ice cream scoop to get enough batter to make a 1 inch ball. You can roll them round or use it as it comes out of the ice cream scoop like I do. Drop the dough ball into the cinnamon sugar mix and then place on an ungreased cookie sheet making sure to place them at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack or a flat surface to cool.

Happy Baking!