Let me start at the very beginning: My inspiration for recipes comes from a lot of different places. Sometimes it's a restaurant dish that I can't forget about (like this corn panzanella or this whipped ricotta & honeycomb), or recreating a favorite family recipe (like my mom's chicken divan or my Oma's apple kuchen), or maybe a new look for a classic flavor combination (like these French onion burgers or these creamed spinach twice baked potatoes). These cookies were inspired by my friend Heather's wedding-- or more specifically, by a delicious cookie that was served as a part of her sweets table spread. I grabbed one for my dessert plate and Alex did the same and we both said "wow!" after we began eating them. I immediately began trying to identify what made this chocolate chip cookie taste so different and delicious. And my taste tester husband assisted by snacking on a few more throughout the evening as well. When I finally identified the mystery flavor as spicy cinnamon, i made a note (an actual note in my iPhone) to recreate these at home.
A few weeks later I made a few tweaks to my standby chocolate chip cookie recipe and ended up with a new favorite-- and a cookie that ended up being one of the biggest hits on the menu at our recent housewarming party. The addition of cinnamon to the cookie dough adds some really nice spicy warmth to these cookies and with that in mind, I used milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet, which was a sweet complement to that spicy cinnamon flavor. These soft and chewy cookies were topped off with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar before baking, giving them a snickerdoodle-like quality.
These cookies are almost as easy as making a traditional chocolate chip cookie, but they're slightly elevated thanks to a few simple tweaks. I promise if you make these for a crowd, they'll disappear quickly... So remember to set aside a few for yourself too!
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cup + 1/2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (12-oz.) milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, baking soda and salt until combined.
In a large bowl, cream butter, both sugars, and vanilla extract creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each is added. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.
Toss the chocolate chips in the remaining 1/2 Tbs. flour. Fold the chocolate chips into the cookie dough until evenly distributed. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Combine the remaining 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 2 Tbs. granulated sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the dropped dough on the cookie sheet.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove cookies with a spatula and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
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