These Sugar and Cinnamon Crisps have quickly become a family favourite. They are perfect for whenever you feel like a bit of sweet and crunchy. They are all at once sweet and a bit salty, with lots of cinnamon flavour and a slight undertone of lemon from the bit of lemon zest, that seems to bring all the flavours together. The texture and crunch of these cookies are perfect.
Beyond the great taste, I loved these cookies for the easy preparation. The dough is very easy to work with and roll it out. Using a pastry/ravioli cutting wheel to cut the dough into strips, then rectangles, means little waste or need to re-roll scraps.
Be sure to be generous when sprinkling the sugar and cinnamon topping. These cookies took about 11 minutes in my oven. Watch the first batch carefully. The cooking time can vary depending on the thickness of your dough.
This will make lots of cookies. I didn’t count, but I baked 3 sheets of about 20 or 25 cookies each, so expect to get at least 60 cookies.
Sugar and Cinnamon Crisps
Summary: These cookies are the perfect afternoon tea companion. Sweet and salty, full of cinnamon flavour and perfectly crispy, they are sure to become a family favourite.
Ingredients
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. kosher salt (less if using table or sea salt)
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks/8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar (I used dark)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
- Topping:
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Place the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl using electric hand mixer). On medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, vanilla and lemon zest, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the egg is completely incorporated.
- On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture, then increase the speed to medium and beat the dough until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. Shape the dough into a large disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator to slightly soften. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F. and position the rack in the center of the oven. Spray two cookie sheets lightly with non-stick cooking spray or line with a silpat or parchment paper.
- Make the topping by whisking together the milk and egg well in small bowl. In another bowl, stir the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon. Set both aside.
- Divide the dough into three pieces. Working with one piece at a time, on a lightly floured board or counter, roll the dough into a rectangle shape, 1/8th of an inch thick. Using a sharp knife or fluted pastry/ravioli cutting wheel, trim any irregular dough edges into a straight edge, then cut the dough into long strips of about 1 1/2-inches wide and then into squares or rectangles about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long.
- Arrange the dough pieces about 3/4-inch apart on the baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, glaze the top of each cookie with the egg and milk mixture and then sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake the cookies 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are nicely golden brown. Turn the baking sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning.
- Allow the cookies to cool for one minute on the sheet, and then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat as necessary with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Cookies will store up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 10 min | Total time: 1 hour
Number of servings (yield): 60 cookies
Adapted from From McCall’s Cookie Collection 1965 via Serious Eats
These look so YUMMY… I want some with vanilla ice cream!
Thanks Sharon. They are humble looking cookies, but they were simply delicious!
I made these for a shared lunch, the only change i made was to cut them with a cookie cutter and leave them to brown under a grill for about 5 minutes, they were delicious, and got lots of compliments on their appearance – golden brown in a little Hexagram shape. :)
Thank you for the recipe, it’s definitely a keeper!
Glad you enjoyed them Katie B. As I recall, they were a bit anemic out of the oven, so I understand why you’d brown them. The cinnamon helps the colour a bit, too. I loved them, too!