Given the success that were the 'Perfect Peanut Powder Cookies' on Saturday morning, when the evening rolled round, I was already thinking about what else I could easily bake using ingredients in my cupboard. I had a pouch of brown sugar which I've wanted to do something with. So after a little online research I decided on 'Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Cookies'.
The recipe I was inspired by said that these cookies would end up chewy, however mine were significantly harder, but delicious nonetheless! I did tweak the recipe to my taste and I would classify the biscuits as more of an 'adult biscuit' to be had with tea or coffee. The flavour was great! The lack of white sugar meant they were not overly sweet, instead, due to the brown sugar, they had a soft caramel, molasses flavour. The kick of cinnamon was earthy and gave depth to the cookie. The cookie came out of the oven a wonderful burnt umber colour. Whilst initially appearing simple and plain, these little delights were far from it.
Ingredients
1 cup (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (or light brown)
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top of the cookies
Directions
In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt.
In a separate bowl (larger than the one with the dry ingredients), whisk the oil and brown sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain (I did this using a form to mush down the sugar lumps). Once smooth, whisk in the egg to the sugar mixture and then the vanilla.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
The dough will be very soft, yet thick. Cover the dough and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Using a teaspoon, take about a teaspoon worth of cookie dough between your palms and role in to a small ball. Place the balls of cookie dough on to the baking sheet about 1 - 2 inches apart. Using a flat utensil, press down to flatten the cookie slightly. Sprinkle a little bit of white granulated sugar over the top of each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. If you want the chewy interior, the cookies should still be a little soft in the middle when you remove them from the oven. If not, bake for a few minutes longer.
Cool the baked cookies for around 2 minutes before removing on to a cooling rack (or a plate, in my case) to cool completely.
