Chai Spiced Snickerdoodle

It is literally too cold to do anything but go from my home to work to home. Anything beyond that requires too many layers of clothing and too much discipline.  I did, however, manage to get myself out to play some pick-up basketball last night and was somehow sore enough today that I tripped (twice) walking up the stairs at work because I had trouble lifting my feet.  Unfortunately, my diet has not exactly compensated for my lack of exercise, so this has only attributed to my winter “coat”.  So.  Here I am, growing horizontally, and writing about writing.  Yes folks, this what it’s come to.

I really appreciate a good writer.  I am doubly impressed by people who not only write their own material, but can flawlessly deliver it too.

I started this blog in September of 2010 to an audience of… probably five.  I was a novice baker and amateur crafter. I was somewhat still impressionable, so naturally my writing was way too filtered and thoughtlessly contrived out of fear of your judging eyes. I was hungry (pun intended) to learn and taught myself an immense amount about baking and technique in the last couple of years.  Crafts and sewing took their places on the back burners atop the stove of life, while using that damned oven became an obsession.

I’d like to think my skills have indeed improved over the years, and thanks to some help from Andrew, my photography is closer to bearable. And as for my writing, I just don’t have the energy to filter what I’m writing about anymore. Too bad.  I’ve made humble strides in getting a small but regular viewership from people who are interested in my baking adventures, as well as  a even smaller but very loyal readership from those who think my life’s mishaps are as entertaining as I do.

Lingie and I recently had an intense debate about writing in general as a craft and hobby a couple of weeks ago. (Note: deep debates between Lingie and I means some philosophical rebuttals interspersed with random YouTube videos of pure genius. Instagram dat joint.) And while Lingie is from the type of audience that could care less about the importance of forming stiff peaks in egg whites before you gently fold (NOT STIR) in the almond flour, the baking enthusiasts could probably probably not muster up a half of a shit about my house getting robbed by an ex porn star even if they tried.

And so, here I am, flattered that my audience of 5 readers has grown exponentially (for the record, 5 to the power of 2 is an exponent – it just sounds sexier than “25”, ok?) in the last few years. Yet, I still frequently ask myself who to write for between the two types of people that follow this blog.  So, til I get there, I’ll just continue to do whatever I want and inefficiently cover both.

Here we are – the last cookie of my Holiday Bake-A-Thon 2012, and SURPRISE!  It’s still tea-themed!

What I really liked about the recipe (from My Baking Addiction) is that black pepper was one of the myriad of spices incorporated into the cookies.

As far as technique goes, it really is made like a snickerdoodle, except the top cracks nicely like a sugar cookie.

I like a good snickerdoodle, but the addition of the black pepper, allspice, cardamom, and extra dose of cinnamon made the delicious spiciness of this chai cookie really something to remember.  YUM.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me through my hideous photos, my terribly formed thoughts, and the baking trials and tribulations. I can only hope you’re getting as much amusement (maybe even some inspiration) out of this as I am!