Classic snickerdoodles get an upgrade with pumpkin spices. And, we utilize the pan-banging method to get beautiful ridges in our cookies!
As I get older, I fall more and more behind on what’s “in.” It took me a while to finally catch on to several Netflix shows as well as many baking trends. I rest my case with cookies that utilize the pan-banging method. I actually had never heard of it until I read about it in the awesome 100 Cookies cookbook from my former teammates (hi Team Atlas and Bold Beasts!).
Apparently, banging cookies during baking was (is?) a thing. I had no idea! What you do is take your baking pan and bang it up and down on the baking rack so that it creates a ripple effect in your cookies. You do this several times during baking and then your cookies turn out gorgeously. See?
I made a few minor edits to the original recipe: first, I rolled my cookies in pumpkin spice rather than the traditional cinnamon sugar. If you’re not into pumpkin spice, just eliminate all of the spices in the recipe EXCEPT for the cinnamon. Then, I baked two sheets at a time in the oven and had 6 cookie dough balls on a single sheet (note that I have the Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch baking sheets so they are larger than the traditional size – be conservative and only bake 4 cookies at a time if you are not sure). I also banged my cookies after they finished baking in the oven.
These cookies turned out very thin and had a crispy exterior but an overall chewy texture. I’m more of a thick and chewy cookie type of girl, but these were definitely fun to try out. It was awesome getting my aggression/stress out while banging the pans! I liked the effect the banging had on the cookies, but I still prefer my cookies to be taller.
Have fun banging your cookies in the oven!
Husband’s rating: 4 out of 5
Addie’s rating: out of 5
My rating: 4 out of 5
Pumpkin spice snickerdoodles (pan-banging method)
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups (284 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rolling sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
Make the rolling sugar
- In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
Make the cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil, dull side up. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the sugar and continue mixing on medium speed until light and fluffy, another 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop out a ball of dough. Shape it into a ball with your hands (it should be about the size of a golf ball). Roll the dough into the sugar mixture and place it on your baking sheet. Do not put more than 6 dough balls on the sheet.
- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time in your preheated oven for 8 minutes. Then (making sure you have oven mitts on!), bang the sheet on the oven rack a few times. You will see the dough start to ripple around the circumference of the cookie.
- Bake for another 2 minutes, bang the pans again, and repeat 1 to 2 more times or until the edges are set and the center is still a bit underbaked (this is good). It will take about 12-14 minutes of total bake time for the cookies to be done.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes