Applesauce Snickerdoodles

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup smooth, unsweetened applesauce (don't worry, we will add many sweeteners later)

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon (set aside)

2 tablespoons sugar (set aside)

Heat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, wisk together the applesauce, shortening, the honey, the sugars and the eggs. In a seperate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cream of tartar. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Cover and place in the freezer for about 45 min. This makes it easier to handle the dough later.

In a shallow bowl mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon. Now here comes the fun part. You are trying to make evenly sized balls and roll them in the sugar mixture. Since the dough is so soft, however, this can get messy. I suggest using two spoons together to grab balls of dough and roll them in the sugar. Once you get that going, place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-15 min., it will take a few batches to get the cooking time down right. The cookies should be brown and soft, but not too brown (i.e. burnt). Remove from cookie sheet immediately and place on wire rack to cool.

Back to the table of contents.