Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Cinnamon cookies, buns and cakes are always a popular item in any restaurant, bakery or supermarket, with or without apples. A cookie or biscuit that keeps well and is quick to make is popular with every cook.

I have a tried and true cookie/biscuit recipe that my family loves and I make over and over in many different ways. The recipe- Foaming (or as my husband remembers) Cat Biscuits came from my Mother-In-Laws handwritten recipe book and she credited her Mother with giving it to her. It can be made plain or lots of things added to it.

For this version I simply rolled them in a mixture of brown sugar and the ever popular Cinnamon, squashed them with a fork and baked them.

Cinnamon is one of the most popular spices in the world. Used in sweet and savoury dishes, incense, perfumes and medicines for thousands of years it is still as popular today as then.
In herbal medicine cinnamon is warming and stimulating. One drop of the essential oil in a tablespoon of water can be used as a mouth wash for gum infections and bad breath and the powder is used to help improve circulation and relieve discomfort or issues in the abdomen.

There are records of Cinnamon being imported into Egypt as early as 2000 BC and the Christian Bible lists it as one of the holy spices.

Native to Sri Lanka Cinnamomum verum (synonym Cinnamomum zeylanicum) is the only one of the dozen or so varieties that is cultivated there. Other varieties are commercially grown in Kerala in southern India, Bangladesh, Java, Sumatra, the West Indies, Brazil, Vietnam, Madagascar, Zanzibar, China and Egypt.

Cinnamon Foaming Biscuits or Cat Biscuits.

Ingredients
4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk or water
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda (In USA it is called baking soda not baking powder)
1 tablespoon hot water.


Rolling mixture

2 cups of dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon


Method

1. Put the butter and flour into the food processor or rub the butter into the flour if you don't have a food processor.



2. Put the flour and butter mixture into a bowl. You can't leave it in the food processor trust me.


3. Place the milk and sugar into a pot and stir over a low heat until the sugar melts.
 

4. Dissolve the bi-carb soda in the hot water and add to the pot of sugar and milk.

5. Quickly pour it into the dry ingredients and mix it until it is smooth. It will look runny but will thicken up as it cools.




6.Roll the cooled mixture into 2 cm thick logs. Cut the logs into 2 cm bits and roll them into balls Chill in fridge or freezer until firm.





7. Roll the balls in the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.

8. Place on trays that have been greased and floured or on trays lined with baking paper. Squash with a fork or leave them as the ball.



The ball shape cooks into a nice dome shaped cookie. Bake at 180 degrees C until golden about 10 - 15 minutes. Cool on a rack and then store in an airtight container.

Substitutes -
Any flours including gluten free, nut or coconut flours work in this recipe.
Water, fruit juices, soy, rice or nut milks can be used instead of cows milk.
Margarine can replace the butter. I haven't used an oil instead of margarine or butter so I don't know if that would work. Usually I would replace a cup or butter with 180 mls of oil so that might work but I am not making any promises there.

Warnings

Herbal medicine and Essential Oils are not to be taken lightly. If you have a medical condition consult your health practitioner. Herbal and contemporary medicines do not always mix well.
Essential oils can be toxic if ingested - always store them out of reach of children and idiots animals.