Sand Dollar Snickerdoodles

This year, as my family prepared for Easter, I read my kids The Legend of the Sand Dollar: An Inspirational Story of Hope for Easter by Chris Auer.

The Legend of the Sand Dollar: An Inspirational Story of Hope for Easter by Chris Auer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delightful Easter story to share with children of all ages. I love that it uses a sand dollar to tell the story of Christ's birth, death, & resurrection.

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This picture book follows a young girl and her cousin who discover that the unique etchings on sand dollars can be used to help tell the story of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection.

It is a wonderful story to share with children of all ages!

After reading, we decided to make our own cookie sand dollars!

Snickerdoodles (Hub’s favorite cookie, incidentally) proved to be the perfect base for these cookies since they already look sandy!  Next, I used oat to create the flower pattern in the middle and these baked up perfectly!

In fact, they turned out so well, that when I brought one to Spud in the car as a surprise after school snack, he thought I’d bought it somewhere!    I’ll take that compliment...and some cookies and milk, please!

Sand Dollar Snickerdoodles

Inspired by Almost Unschoolers

Cookies

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup solid vegetable shortening

2 large eggs

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp table salt

Topping

¼ cup sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons Old Fashioned Oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.

Place the butter, shortening, and 1 ½ cups of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, around 4 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, until completely combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.  Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture gradually until completely combined.  The dough will still be quite soft.

In a small bowl whisk together the remaining sugar and cinnamon.

Use a tablespoon scoop out dough balls.  Roll the dough balls through the sugar mixture and place at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.  

Use the palm of your hand to flatten the cookies to about ¼-inch thickness.  Place 5 oats in the center of each cookie to form a star pattern.  Then take a straw and poke 5 holes in the cookie like the holes in a sand dollar.

6-8 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are just set and the middles look puffy

Move the baking sheets from the oven to wire racks.  Immediately, use a straw to re-poke the holes that filled in while baking.  Then use a mini star cookie cutter to gently press a star shape into the center of the cookies.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes then move to wire racks and cool completely.