GRILLED CINNAMON PINEAPPLE

Grilled pineapple, which is melt-in-your-mouth tender, is a simple – yet delicious – way to enjoy this refreshing fruit! The combination of the caramelized sugar and cinnamon with the pineapple makes for an outstanding accompaniment to all your summer barbeques.

I first heard about grilling pineapple while eating dinner at a Brazilian restaurant. They were running a special on grilled cinnamon pineapple. I said to my husband, “That sounds so good!” So we told our waiter that we’d like to try it. Unfortunately, they were sold out because it was so popular. But, I knew this couldn’t be too hard to recreate at home. So this is my version of grilled cinnamon pineapple.

The first step is choosing a good pineapple. Unlike other fruits, a pineapple will not ripen any further after it is harvested, so it is important that it is harvested at peak ripeness. Unless you grow your own, you have no control over when the pineapple is harvested, so you have to know how to spot the ripest one. Look for a plump and fresh pineapple with a crown of fresh green leaves. The body of the pineapple should be firm, not soft. The larger the pineapple, the greater proportion of edible fruit – but size does not indicate ripeness or sweetness. Skin color is also not an indicator of ripeness. A pineapple’s skin can range from green to yellow and can be sweet and ripe even when it is almost all green! I like to smell my pineapple when I’m selecting it. A ripe and sweet pineapple will have a pleasant, sweet aroma. Once you pick your pineapple, the sooner you eat it, the better. If you don’t plan to use your pineapple right away, store it in the refrigerator. It will keep better and longer.

To make this recipe:

If you are using wooden skewers, they need to be soaked in water for at least 2 hours, but longer is better. This is to keep the skewers from burning on the grill.
Cut up the pineapple into triangle-shaped chunks, and set them aside.
Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the pineapple to the sugar mixture and stir to evenly coat all the pineapple pieces. Allow the pineapple to marinate in the brown sugar and cinnamon for 20 to 30 minutes.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat while the pineapple is marinating.
Place the pineapple chunks onto the skewers, 5 to 6 pieces per skewer.
Place the pineapple skewers onto the grill, making sure they are not touching each other.
Grill 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes on each side.
Check the pineapple frequently to ensure that it is not charring too much. You’ll want a nice browning of the pineapple with it just beginning to char.
Allow the pineapple to cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

Grilled Cinnamon Pineapple

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 6

Course Dessert

Servings people

Equipment

skewers

Ingredients

1 pineapple, cut up
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 2 hours; longer is better.
Cut up the pineapple into wedges.
In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Add the cut pineapple to the sugar mixture, and stir to coat evenly. Marinade for 20 to 30 minutes.
Preheat grill to medium-high. Place pineapple on the grill for 2½ to 3½ minutes on each side, or until pineapple begins to caramelize and char.
Allow the pineapple to cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

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SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

What’s better than a warm, soft, cinnamony (Yes, I just made that word up) snickerdoodle?!?! I’ve got your perfect snickerdoodle recipe right here. These are plump and soft with the perfect amount of cinnamon. The best part, no need to chill the dough!

I think we have all heard of a snickerdoodle. But what exactly is a snickerdoodle? The Joy of Cooking claims that “snickerdoodle” comes from “Schneckennudel,” a German word that literally means “snail noodles.” Schneckennudels have nothing to do with snails or noodles; they’re actually delicious-looking German cinnamon rolls.

Other experts say that the word doesn’t actually mean anything and it’s just a product of New Englanders’ tendency to call cookies whimsical names. Either way, it’s a delicious cinnamon-covered cookie that I can’t get enough of!

Some people like a flat, crispy snickerdoodle, and others, like myself, prefer a plump, soft cookie. Both are good and acceptable ways to make a snickerdoodle. I fiddled with this recipe until I got a cookie that was plump and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. So, if you are on team “soft snickerdoodle,” I’ve got your perfect recipe right here! The best part about this recipe is that you do not need to chill the dough, so you will get your snickerdoodle fix sooner.

What makes for a soft snickerdoodle?

Several things…

The standard snickerdoodle recipe calls for cream of tartar, which gives the cookie its unique tangy taste. Not only that, the cream of tartar, along with the baking soda, gives the cookie a chewy, soft texture.
I changed the recipe to one egg + one egg yolk instead of 2 whole eggs. It’s a simple change that I use in some of my other cookie recipes, but it can make a big difference to the outcome. Egg whites are mostly water, and as the water evaporates during the baking process, it can leave baked goods dry; for a cookie, that can mean a crispier cookie. On the other hand, because it contains a higher percentage of fat, the yolk adds moisture to the cookies and gives lift and more of a cake-like texture to the cookie.

One of the rules I follow for all my cookies involves how I cool them. When you take your cookies out of the oven, let them rest for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack. They will be too soft to remove right away. But do not leave them on the hot baking sheet any longer than 2 minutes. They will continue to bake and spread out on the hot pan, and you will end up with flatter, crispier cookies instead of soft ones.
Another rule I always follow is to allow my baking sheets to come to room temperature before adding more cookie dough. Adding cookie dough to a hot or even warm pan will cause the fats in the dough to begin to soften and melt, resulting in cookies that spread out more and that end up flatter. If you do not want to wait for your pans to cool, run your pan under cool water for 20 to 30 seconds, dry, and continue with your baking.

I hope these yummy cookies make it onto your baking list and into your kitchen.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

4.50 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Course Dessert

Servings cookies (about)

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

For Rolling Cookies:

½ cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone mats.
In a standing mixer, cream together butter, 1 ½ cups sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Whisk together flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Mix together sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl for rolling cookies.
Shape dough into 1½ inch balls, and roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
*I recommend using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop then rolling the dough into a ball for nice uniform cookies.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies may be puffy when they come out of the oven; they will flatten some as they cool. Rest for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Allow the baking sheet to return to room temperature before adding more cookie dough to the pan. (see notes).
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. These cookies freeze well. If you freeze them, it is best to eat them within 6 months.

Notes

After you have baked a batch of cookies and removed them from the pan, the tendency is to put another batch on the pan right away, especially if you are short on time. However, for plump, soft cookies, it is important to allow your baking pan to come to room temperature before adding more cookie dough. Adding cookie dough to a hot pan or even a warm pan will start the dough softening and melting before it even gets into the oven. This will contribute to a cookie that spreads out too much in the oven. For a quick method of cooling your pans, run them under cool water for 20 to 30 seconds (or longer if needed, until cool), dry, and continue with your baking.

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MOLASSES CRINKLES

This cookie has a perfect mix of spices that give it a burst of flavor. Baked to perfection, it is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, not to mention covered in beautiful cracks. I dare you to eat just one!

Just look at those beautiful cracks (aka crinkles)! They are almost too beautiful to eat…almost. This is another cookie I grew up on and has remained one of my favorites. When I had surgery a couple of years ago, my mom, remembering these as one of my favorites, mailed me a whole box of homemade molasses crinkles! I’m not sure my family even knew I got them…shhh…No, I didn’t share. But when I make them myself, I usually make a double batch. Half goes in the freezer, a good amount are eaten while warm, and some go in the cookie jar. These cookies even pass the “stay soft” test, as they are still soft on day 4! The last time I made these, my youngest said that I should make them every time! All this to say, these cookies are a “must make”! You need these cookies in your life! You can thank me later.

These cookies are pretty straightforward. But you must chill the dough for at least 2 hours. I will even make the dough the night before and bake the cookies the following day. If you chill the dough that long, let your dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. You don’t want the dough so cold that the cookies don’t spread out while baking.

I will admit that I am old school when it comes to molasses crinkles. I have always used the method of dipping two fingers in water and touching the sugary tops of each rolled ball. This wets the sugar and aids in giving the cookies beautiful cracks on top. Unfortunately, most recipes omit this step. Maybe I’m just a creature of habit, but my cookies have such beautiful tops with this method, and honestly, it doesn’t add much time to the whole process.

Some tricks to getting plump, soft cookies:

For this recipe, you must chill the dough. Chilling the dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less the cookies spread.
The recipe calls for 10-12 minutes. As a test, I did my first pan at 10 minutes, my second at 11 minutes, and the third at 12 minutes. I found that 11 minutes was the perfect time for plump, soft cookies with beautiful cracks. So don’t be afraid to play around with the baking times, as ovens slightly vary in how they bake. I would keep it to 1-minute adjustments.
One of the rules I follow for all my cookies involves how I cool them. When you take your cookies out of the oven, let them rest for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before attempting to move them to a cooling rack. They will be too soft to remove right away. But do not leave them on the hot baking sheet any longer than 2 minutes. They will continue to bake and spread out on the hot pan, and you will end up with flatter, crispier cookies instead of soft ones.
Another rule I always follow is to allow my baking sheets to come to room temperature before adding more cookie dough. Adding cookie dough to a hot or even warm pan will cause the fats in the dough to begin to soften and melt, resulting in a cookie that spreads out more and is flatter. If you do not want to wait for your pans to cool, run your pan under cool water for 20 to 30 seconds, dry, and continue with your baking.

With molasses, cloves, and cinnamon, these cookies would make a perfect addition to your holiday baking, whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. I make them year-round because I can’t only have these once a year!

Molasses Crinkles

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 48

Chill Time 2

Total Time 3 8

Course cookies

Servings dozen

Ingredients

¾ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ cup granulated sugar, for dipping cookies

Instructions

In a standing mixer, cream together shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger until evenly incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill. Chill for at least 2 hours, but it can be refrigerated overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare baking sheets by lining them with silicone mats or parchment paper.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the cookie in the granulated sugar.
Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Dip two fingers in a small bowl of water and touch the top of each cookie.
Bake for 10-12 minutes (or until cookies are golden brown and nicely cracked on top but still soft in the center). I find 11 minutes is the perfect amount with my oven.
Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to completely cool.
Allow the baking sheet to return to room temperature before adding more dough. For a quicker method, run your pan under cool water for 20 to 30 seconds, dry, and continue with your baking.

Notes

Store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.

These cookies freeze well. If you freeze them, it is best to eat them within 6 months.

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