Sssssssssssssss …

Makes you think of snakes doesn’t it? Creepy!

But actually there’s nothing creepy about this post or the cookies pictured above for those are S Cookies made by my very own Mama Cream Puff!

When I was a kid, we would either eat homemade cookies or, on occasion, Italian store-bought cookies. While my brother and I longed for Oreos or Chips Ahoy, what we got was a pretty small selection of your basic Italian-style cookie. Most popular among these cookies (with my mother), was the S Cookie. The brand of choice was Biscotti Milano.

S Cookies were crisp, dry cookies, shaped like an S, with a very light vanilla glaze. While the glaze did give them some sweetness, they weren’t overtly sweet, which is why I think they were the preferred cookie. Also, their dry nature made them perfect for dipping into a class of milk and coffee, which also made them popular with my parents.

I detested S Cookies. Not so much because they didn’t taste good, but rather because they didn’t taste like Oreos.

Once I was old enough to assert a certain level of cookie independence, I turned my nose up at S Cookies deeming them far too simple and rustic for my refined 9-year old tastes. I still didn’t get my Oreos, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction of eating an S Cookie.

Of course, then I grew up and realized what a stupid kid I was.

Don’t get me wrong. Oreos are great. But one bite of an S Cookie and I’m transported back to those wonderful homemade cookies that would come from my grandmother’s or my mother’s kitchens. And there’s just no comparison. Sorry, Oreos!

Back in March, I featured Sweet Maria’s Italian Cookie Tray by Maria Bruscino Sanchez as the Flavour of the Month on my blog. I didn’t have the chance to try these back then, but I asked my mother if she’d give them a go and she did. While they’re not quite like the S Cookies that we used to buy, they’re very good. Crispy and dry with a nice cinnamon sugar coating, they’re the perfect cookie to munch on with your milk and coffee.

Another fun thing to do in Italian June.

Ciao!

Cinnamon S Cookies
From Sweet Maria’s Italian Cookie Tray by Maria Bruscino Sanchez.

Note: The original recipe bakes these cookie at 375 degrees F. but we found that to be way too hot. We lowered the heat to 355 degrees F. Also, the original recipe uses a cinnamon and brown sugar mixture for the coating but we preferred a cinnamon and granulated sugar coating.

1/2 cup (1 stick), unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsps. cinnamon
2 tbsps. granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and brown sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minuts). Add the egg and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the egg is incorporated.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and baking powder. As soon as a dough forms, turn the mixer off.

Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface (have some extra flour on hand in case the dough gets sticky).

Break off small pieces of dough and roll them into ropes that are about 5 to 6 inches long. The rope should be the width of a straw or pencil.

In a large, shallow dish, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the ropes of dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and then form an S shape with the rope of dough when you place it on the baking sheet.

Leave a few inches of space between each cookie.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, keeping an eye on the cookies as they can burn very easily. They’re ready when they begin to turn slightly golden.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!