Lemon Coriander Snickerdoodles From Hetal Vasavada
I know coriander sounds weird in a cookie, but trust me, it works. This flavor was inspired by nimbu pani (“lemon water”), my favorite Indian sharbat (drink). My mom adds fennel, cumin, and a touch of coriander to her nimbu pani and I love it! The coriander adds a floral, citrus aroma and flavor that really complements the lemon in this recipe. The key to soft, chewy snickerdoodles is to bake them just enough so they don’t brown and then let the cookie continue baking on the hot baking sheet out of the oven. It’ll look raw or not set, but trust me, it’ll be the perfect texture once they’re cooled! Also, these snickerdoodles are BIG—4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 centimeters) wide. If you want to make the cookies smaller, bake them for 1 to 2 minutes less than the recipe below so that you still have soft, chewy cookies!
Photo by Hetal Vasavada
INGREDIENTS
Makes 24 large cookies
SNICKERDOODLES
- 4¾ cups (570 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2¼ cups (450 grams) granulated sugar
2½ tablespoons (15 grams) grated lemon zest
3 sticks (350 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup (120 milliliters) heavy cream
Yellow food coloring
CORIANDER SUGAR
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
METHOD
For the snickerdoodles: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest and sugar together using your fingertips until the sugar is pale yellow and clumpy. Snap on the paddle, add the butter, and mix for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and heavy cream and mix for 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until everything is incorporated.
Split the dough in half and add yellow food coloring to one half of the dough and mix until the dough has one even color. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two or more baking sheets with parchment paper.
For the coriander sugar: Roughly grind the coriander using a mortar and pestle. Whisk the ground coriander with the sugar and set aside.
Roll the white dough into 2-tablespoon (30 grams) balls. Do the same for the yellow dough. Grab 1 ball of yellow dough and 1 of white dough, smush them together, and roll it into one big ball. Repeat until you have 24 large balls. Roll each ball into the coriander sugar and arrange 6 of them on each lined baking sheet spaced about 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) inches apart. Freeze the cookies for 5 minutes.
Bake until the edges start to take on a little color, 9 to 11 minutes. The cookies will be soft but will continue to cook on the hot baking sheet.
Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet. Move the baked cookies onto a rack and bake the rest of the cookies.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
SWITCH IT UP
The coriander sugar can be swapped for another spice and sugar combo, or you could use citrus zest for a flavor change! Here are some combos I love:
• Chai masala & demerara sugar
• Lemon zest & cardamom
• Lime zest & unsweetened shredded coconut
From Desi Bakes by Hetal Vasavada. Reprinted by permission of Hardie Grant Publishing.
