These pine infused snickerdoodles are a festive, foraged spin on the classic cookie. Pine needles impart herbal, citrusy notes that pair wonderfully with spicy, warming cinnamon.
Winter is a wonderful time to harvest pine and other evergreens. Pines are fairly common in most parts of the world, so chances are good that you have some type of pine growing near you.
Identifying pines is fairly straightforward. you. A distinguishing feature of pine trees is that their needles are attached the their branches in clusters of 2, 3, or 5. Pine cones have woody, rigid scales. Typically, young pines have smooth bark that becomes flaky, and reddish brown as they get older.
Most pines are edible and have numerous medicinal benefits. Avoid Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), which is not a true pine, and yew (Taxus spp.), which is highly toxic. You will also want to make sure that you aren’t harvesting from a tree that has been sprayed with harmful chemicals or from trees growing directly along roadsides.
Once you properly identify a pine tree to harvest from, snip the young needles, as older needles can be more bitter and tannic. Bring them home and either hang or lay them out to dry. Then powder them in a coffee grinder or blender.
Now, you have your own foraged pine needle powder to add to baked goods, like these delicious cookies!
Pine Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Beat the butter and panela together in a bowl until fluffy. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then add to the wet ingredients, a bit at a time. When the dough gets too hard to stir, gently knead together with clean hands.
- Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Roll the dough into small balls (about 1 1/2 Tbsp of dough each). Then roll each ball in sugar.
- Place the balls on a tray lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Gently press them down to flatten and sprinkle a bit more of the sugar topping on top.
- Bake the cookies at 375°F for 10 minutes. They will still look soft. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a plate or wire rack to finish cooling.
