Back by popular demand... Cinnadoodles!

And then, to borrow the immortal words of Faux Fuchsia, last night the universe spoke to me and told me to bake.

It will come as no surprise that I really do love to bake. A regular Betty Crocker. I will often whip up a cake or a batch of biscuits on spec and most of the time will take some of the bounty into the office with me to share with my hard working colleagues (mostly so I don't eat them all myself). The first thing that happened when it was announced I was leaving was that I got a flood of emails from people asking who would now bake for them! I was flattered, and promised to get my bake on in the lead up to my departure.

To honour this promise I got out the old Kenwood Chef last night and whipped up a batch of these beauties, which I discovered on Not Quite Nigella's beautiful blog. They are the best cookies ever and are very well recieved by friends, work colleagues, husbands (who sometimes try to convince you not to take them into the office because they like them so much)...

I am also at a significant advantage because many of my work colleages (who devour these with gusto) often travel to the US for work so they can keep me supplied with cinnamon chips with a minimum of fuss. For those who don't have this luxury, they can be easily accessed through USA Foods in Melbourne. Or follow the recipe for making your own using white chocolate and cinnamon on NQN's site.

I can't recommend these cookies highly enough - they always look beautiful and if you are a cinnamon lover like I am, they are an absolute joy to eat. And I also think they are particularly seasonal, what with Easter this weekend and cinnamon being one of the spices traditionally used in baking Hot Cross Buns. Yummy!

Enjoy!

Kitty xx

Cinnadoodles, courtesy of Not Quite Nigella
(originally adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart)

2 3/4 cups plain flour plus a few tablespoons more if needed

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup/250g unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

283g bag of Hershey’s cinnamon chocolate chips

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Add in cinnamon chips.

2. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into round balls using a teaspoon; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Press down slightly to assist in providing a perfect shape when baked.

3. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Don’t overbake the cookies as they will lose their chewy texture and they will firm up on cooling. Let them cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to a cooling rack.