Jamie Seu has more than 1,200 followers on Instagram (@j2kbakery) who can’t wait to see what she is making. This Punahou School graduate is adventurous and tries all types of recipes. She has made this snickerdoodle cookie recipe hundreds of times since they are requested often, even by her parents Scott Seu and Carrie Okinaga.
Supposedly, the cookie’s name is based on a German word for “small noodle,” but that is not definitive. This delicious cookie is strong on cinnamon flavor and slightly crispy on the outside, while maintaining a soft texture inside. She reduced the amount of sugar so they are not too sweet and added additional cinnamon into the dough, not just as the covering. Last year, Jamie started volunteering with Waikiki Health and Hale Kipa’s youth outreach program for houseless youths. She bakes a birthday cake each month to donate to the kids there. Many of her posts are of those cakes. She is quite a remarkable young woman who will begin attending Yale University this fall.
Jamie Seu’s Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients:
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon Directions:
Preheat oven with three racks to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; set aside. Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs, reduce speed to low and gradually add in flour mixture.
In a small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon; set aside. Shape dough using your hands into about 36 (1-inch) balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on parchment lined baking trays, spacing 2 inches between dough balls.
Bake until cookie edges are golden, about 12-15 minutes, rotating sheets about halfway through. Cool on the tray 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Store in airtight container for up to three days.
Makes about 36 cookies.
Lynette Lo Tom is the author of A Chinese Kitchen, Back in the Day and Yum Yum Cha: Let’s Eat Dim Sum in Hawaii. Send her your old-fashioned recipes to lynette@brightlightcookery.com.
