Day 7: 12 Days of Bloggy Christmas- Snickerdoodles with Cinnamon Caramel Frosting

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On the 7th Day of Bloggy Christmas Miss Lorraine gave to me Snickerdoodles and a Cinnamon Caramel Frosting to go on top!

In celebration of A Handful of Everything's 1st Blogiversary (it was on October 25th!), 13 bloggers are getting together to post recipes for the 12 days of Bloggy Christmas! Every day there will be a new post on each of our pages sharing a bloggers recipe. Afterwards on the 13th of December please join us for a Christmas Cookie Exchange Link Party! Bring your family favorite recipe, or a new cookie you wanted to bake for Christmas! I know, I have a few I'd love to share!

Christmas is my favorite time of year! Eggnog is out, the smell of cinnamon is in the air in stores, and the rainy season is in full swing (we don't get snow here unless somehow it makes its way to the Valley floor, which is never.), and the month I feel okay about making tons of sweets!

Today I'll be sharing one of my favorite sugary cookies -Snickerdoodles and a Cinnamon Caramel Frosting to go on top! I love the taste, and smell of cinnamon, so this was fun coming up with a frosting to be paired with the cookies! Really, you could put this frosting on any dessert and it would taste amazing.

Snickerdoodles
Yield:  24 cookies
America's Test Kitchen recipe

1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2oz) all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
8 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs

Adjust rack to middle and preheat oven to 375F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.  Combine 1/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon in a shallow dish or pie plate.  Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Using a stand mixer, beat butter, shortening and 1 1/2 cups of sugar together on medium until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Reduce the speed to low, slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.  Give dough a final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Working with 2 Tbsp of dough at a time, roll into balls.  Working in batches, roll half of the dough balls in cinnamon sugar to coat and set upon prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Bake 1 sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking.  (Cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone).  Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Cinnamon Caramel  

1 cup sugar

4 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, water, and the corn syrup in a large saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
3. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
4. Do not stir from this point on, but instead swirl the liquid around the pan so that the caramel doesn’t burn.
5. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
6. Be careful here  Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. The mixture will bubble up significantly and is very hot.
7. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
8. Measure 1 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Save any extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator. 

Frosting

2 sticks butter at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 cup Cinnamon Caramel (recipe above)

1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
3. Add 1 cup of the cinnamon caramel and beat to combine.
4. Add additional powdered sugar until the frosting is the sweetness and consistency you desire.