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Cinnamon Snaps – A Cinnamon Lovers Cookie

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.Cinnamon snaps are for more than just Christmas

In this post I am offering another installment from my Aunt Lou Archives series – Cinnamon Snaps – a close cousin to the ubiquitous Ginger Snaps cookies. It’s a cinnamon dessert that won’t disappoint.

old fashioned cinnamon cookies on an antique plate with a cup of tea in the background

 

At first, I was somewhat skeptical about cinnamon snaps.

Cinnamon Snaps just sounded a bit plain, but my husband convinced me that we had to try them out, at least once, in honor of Aunt Lou. Once again we were confronted with a culinary conundrum: how do you make them? This is because, not surprisingly we were staring at a list of ingredients without any specific preparation guidelines. After a couple of minutes of head scratching, I said to my husband, “How hard can it be?” So we proceeded to make these cookie the same way we make any other cookie. We loved the result! I took a batch of cinnamon snaps into my office and they were gone in a flash!  My colleagues asked me to please give out the recipe. I happily complied and now the internet can enjoy this old-fashioned cinnamon dessert. 

Spice cookies are popular in Europe. They were brought to the U.S by our European ancestors as part of their culinary tradition. In Germany for example, a spice cookie called Pfeffernusse is popular at Christmas time. It is a spice cookie with nuts that is rolled into small balls, baked and then dusted with powder sugar, and yes, there will be a recipe for this also. According to my German friend Iris, spice cookies are popular in Germany around St. Nicholas Day-December 5th.

Tips for making spice cookies

Cinnamon and ground cloves dominate the taste.Not all cinnamon is created equal!  My husband and I like to use Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzey’s. You can buy their spices online at www.penzeys.com if there isn’t a store in your area.  The reason why we like this cinnamon so much is because it has a very sweet taste; not the “atomic fireball” cinnamon bite that one encounters often on some of the more common brands.

 

cinnamon snap cookies and tea on antique china

Cinnamon Snaps go great with coffee or tea, whichever you prefer. They are crunchy, flavorful and simply delicious. Did I say you can dunk them in a glass of milk? If not, by all means do. 

A 100+ year old family recipe for cinnamon snaps. A really nice crunchy cookie recipe!| ethnicspoon.com
4 from 1 vote
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Cinnamon Snaps

Here is a 100+ year old fashioned family recipe for cinnamon snaps. You love this molasses spice cookie with a nice crunch! These are very similar to ginger snaps so if you are a cinnamon fan and not so much for ginger this is the cookie for you! Dunk these in your tea, so good! 

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon cookie, crispy crunchy cookies, old fashioned recipe, scratch recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: Change to adjust-> 35 servings
Calories 1745 kcal
Author Analida Braeger

Ingredients

  • 4-5 cups flour sifted, all purpose
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 Tbs. water warm
  • 1 Tbs. ground cloves
  • 1 Tbs. cinnamon I love Vietnamese cinnamon!
  • 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350' F
  2. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the warm water.
  3. In another small bowl, mix salt and spices. Set aside.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the molasses and the dissolved baking soda. Mix thoroughly. In another bowl combine about 4 cups of the flour and spices together and slowly add to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly until the dough is soft. (Add more flour as needed.) Roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut in desired shape.
  5. Bake on parchment paper for 20 minutes. These cookies can be frozen for up to two months.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

    Nutrition Facts
    Cinnamon Snaps
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 1745 Calories from Fat 567
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 63g97%
    Saturated Fat 39g244%
    Cholesterol 162mg54%
    Sodium 2127mg92%
    Potassium 1861mg53%
    Carbohydrates 281g94%
    Fiber 6g25%
    Sugar 151g168%
    Protein 18g36%
    Vitamin A 1890IU38%
    Calcium 313mg31%
    Iron 13.5mg75%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      • Analida

        I just started adding Aunt Lou’s recipes this year. I will be adding more in the coming months. You can get a list by clicking Recipes-> Aunt Lou Archive.

        Reply

    5. Christy

      These sound like a delicious alternative to ginger snaps! They would be perfect with my morning coffee. Thank you for sharing with Idea Box link party! Hope to see you again this Thursday 🙂

      Reply

    8. Kim~madeinaday

      What a great fall recipe! Thank you so much for linking up to Merry Monday this week! I am sharing your post today on our MM Pinterest board We hope to see you next week for another great party! Have a great week!
      Best,
      Kim

      Reply

    9. Kristina

      I love Penzeys, and plan to stop by there this week (their shallot salt, oh my!). I will be picking up your suggested cinnamon too, thanks! maybe I’ll use some for these cookies!

      Reply

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