Ritzy Butterscotch Snickerdoodles

Several months ago, Ritz Crackers had a recipe challenge using any of their flavored crackers.  I discovered that they had a new flavor called Brown Sugar Cinnamon.  They looked really good, so I picked some up at the store.  When I tasted them, they were buttery with a hint of cinnamon sugar.  It reminded me of a snickerdoodle cookie, so I decided that would be the recipe to create for this contest.

I thought the cookies came out really good.  For a typical snickerdoodle cookie, you are asked to roll the dough in a cinnamon-sugar mixture before baking.  I used a food processor to crush some of the brown sugar cinnamon Ritz crackers with a bit of white sugar.  This is the mixture I used to roll the cookie dough in before it went into the oven.  Here is the recipe for Ritzy Butterscotch Snickerdoodles from the Ritz Recipe Challenge:

1 sleeve of Ritz Brown Sugar Cinnamon Crackers (38 count)

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 ½ sticks (6oz.) of unsalted butter, softened

½ cup of light brown sugar

½ cup of fine white granulated sugar

2 large eggs

¼ cup of sour cream

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

¾ cup of butterscotch flavored baking chips

¾ cup of cinnamon flavored baking chips*

20 Ritz Brown Sugar Cinnamon Crackers

¼ cup of fine white granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 12 ½” x 17 ½”  baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.  Set aside.

In a large food processor, add 1 sleeve of Ritz Brown Sugar Cinnamon crackers.  Process  for 45 seconds or until you have very fine crumbs.  Pour the crumbs in a medium mixing bowl.   Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the ground cinnamon.  With a large whisk, mix until combined.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and the fine white granulated sugar.  With a hand-held electric mixer, mix on low for 1 minute or until  combined.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low for 20 seconds each.   Add the sour cream and pure vanilla extract.  Mix on low  until well combined.  Mixture will look slightly curdled.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.  Use a large rubber spatula and mix until half of the flour has disappeared.    Add the butterscotch chips and the cinnamon chips.  Mix until well combined.  Set aside. 

 Place 20 Ritz Brown Sugar Cinnamon crackers in processor.  Process and pulse for 30 seconds or until crumbs are fine.   Pour the crumbs in a small mixing bowl.   Add the fine white granulated sugar.  Mix with whisk until blended.  Set aside.

For each cookie, use a 2oz. cookie scoop.   Place each 2oz.  dough ball in the sugar-cracker mixture and  press the crumbs generously all over.  Place on the  baking sheet  2 1/2” apart.    Gently flatten the ball to 2 ½”.  Bake for 15-16 minutes or until light brown and crackly on top.   Remove from the oven and cool for 5-7 minutes.  Remove the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Makes  21

*Once again, if you cannot find cinnamon flavored chips at this time, you can use all butterscotch chips.  Cinnamon chips are a seasonal product which only are available during the fall, winter and part of spring.  Sometimes I will stock up on them right before they disappear and store them in the freezer. 

I hope you will try this recipe.  It's easy and fun for kids to make, too.  

Happy baking,

Pam