Xmas cookie #2

Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
Yields 1 1/2 dozen
Recipe from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups apple cider

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for rolling

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped red and green crispy apple chips, plus whole chips for garnish

2 teaspoons apple pie spice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the cider in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Continue to cook until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 12 to 14 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat the butter with 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and the light brown sugar in a separate bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the reduced cider and the egg (the mixture may look slightly curdled). Stir in the flour mixture and 1/4 cup of the chopped apple chips until combined.

Stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of chopped apple chips and the apple pie spice in a small bowl. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, using lightly moistened hands if the dough is too sticky, and then roll in the spiced sugar mixture. Place the dough balls 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and top with a few pieces of whole apple chips. Bake until the edges are just set but centers are still soft, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through the baking time. Cool 2 to 3 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Let me tell you a little story about a cookie named Apple Cider Snickerdoodle. We are not friends, nor will we ever cross paths again. I never tried one and will never, ever, ever make them again. It was the worst cookie experience I've ever had. Ever.

I didn't have apple pie spice, nor could I find any in a store. Therefore I had to use a mix of cinnamon and nutmeg that I came up with on my own. Then, the recipe said to bake them for 11 to 13 minutes with the apple chips on top. This is extremely inaccurate. They were done after about 6 minutes when I was supposed to turn the pan. And, by that time, the apple chips on top of the cookies were burnt to a crisp by that time. I had to chip the burnt cookies off the pan and suffer through the smell of burnt failure for the rest of the night. I'm lucky I got the batch that is pictured above after much trial and error. My husband says they were ok. The world may never know...