Cinnamon-Coffee Cookies

I am the worst cook on the planet, but I love baking, especially fall baking. It smells like comfort and happiness. What's not to like? Unfortunately, I am not a practiced baker and have no clue what I am doing in the kitchen, so I have to follow recipes. I found this one in a Better Homes and Gardens: Fall Baking issue (which is a jackpot for recipes; 10/10 highly recommend).

The cookies were easy to make and they smelled really good baking in the oven. The only revision I would make is to add more coffee to the mix. My cookies mostly taste of clove, which is nice, but I think a more apparent coffee taste would be nicer. The same goes for all of the spices: add to taste; it won't affect the recipe. I recommend having one with a cup of coffee. They pair well together (as one would expect).

RECIPE*:

2 tsp. instant coffee

1 Tbsp. hot water

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown sugar, but I doubt it matters)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

TO TOP THE COOKIES:

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Begin by making the instant coffee; set aside. In a large bowl (actually a large bowl--I began with a medium sized one and had to transfer my mixture halfway through), beat the butter and shortening, then add all of the ingredients through cloves. Beat everything together. Add the eggs, vanilla, and the coffee mixture (some extra coffee grounds might be nice, as well); beat. Beat in the flour and then cover the mixture and allow the dough to chill. The recipe says "two hours or until dough is easy to handle." I let it sit for probably an hour to an hour and a half and then went on with it. It was still quite sticky, but the cookies turned out fine.

Once your dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Then roll sections of the dough into balls (whatever size you see fit; the cookies don't spread out much as they bake) and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar. Flatten the cookies on your greased baking tray and cook for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch.

Let me know if you make any of these cookies. I hope you like them!

xxx

*This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine. No credit goes to me.