Having ever tried the original Snickerdoodle, I won’t be able to compare versions, but here we go. As a preface, I haven’t had snickerdoodles before either. Seriously. My family never made them and whenever I had the desire to make a spicier cookie, I opted to make pepparkakor instead. Although I’ve always been curious to see what the big deal is about them, that curiosity never truly pushed me to go out of my way for one. Even whenever I saw them at bakeries or coffee shops, I never bothered grabbing one because there was always something more intriguing to try if I were in a dessert mood. My guess is it’s basically a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar, so I’m going into this tea with that in mind.
This is also the fifth or sixth time drinking this tea before writing a note, I believe, and I have enough leaf for one more cup so I realized this morning that I better write my thoughts before it’s gasp too late. The dry leaf smells like cinnamon bark, basically, with maybe a slight hint of sweetness on the brown sugary side.
In regards to flavour, it’s a little weaker than I would have liked. Again, gentle cinnamon sugar, with more emphasis on the cinnamon, but still quite muted. If I think cookie, I can semi-trick my brain into thinking that this kind of has a vague bakery note in the background but I’m thinking that that also may just be the whole milk adding that element to it. Also, to note, this is a ground cinnamon profile rather than cinnamon red hot candies. While I prefer this type of cinnamon in tea, this still leaves me wanting more, and only reminds me how I haven’t had Tea Desire’s Cinnamon Star in ever, which has been a favourite of mine for over ten years already. That one has the same ground cinnamon vibe but with distinct bakery and icing notes supporting the spice.
I had to look up “pepparkakor” but apparently that’s ginger snap/ginger cookie in English. I’ve never had a snickerdoodle either, our family makes ginger cookies when we want a spiced cookie. I’ve been meaning to try a snickerdoodle some day, but I’ve never heard of it outside of the states. Similarly, I’ve never seen Julekaker (Norweigan Christmas bread) or Nanaimo Bars outside of where I live. I wonder how many things I think are normal parts of everyday bakeries/restaurants are unheard of elsewhere?
Yeah, they’re more complex than a ginger cookie though, at least the version I make, which also contains cinnamon and cloves, with orange zest. Julekaker is next to impossible to find anywhere! Nanaimo bars are everywhere here in Alberta but granted we’re relatively close.
I know it’s totally off-topic from desserts, but are green onion cakes popular where you live? I never noticed them when I lived in Victoria, but here, they are everywhere.
No you have to try snickerdoodles! Even though you’re technically correct about it being a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar, that somehow doesn’t capture the experience of eating a snickerdoodle at all. It’s more than the sum of its parts. Don’t buy them from the grocery store though. They are best just a bit cooled out of the oven.
You raise an excellent point! I’ll have to whip up a batch someday.