Thin and buttery with a crisp snap – these are the defining characteristics of perfect snap cookies!

Baking delicious snap cookies with the NOMU MiniMakes Small Batch Baking range is super easy, and once you understand the basic ingredients and method, you can adapt the base recipe to create a whole lot of your own variations with consistently delicious results. Ready to become a master? Let’s go!

The Ingredients

Our MiniMakes Vanilla and Chocolate Cookie Dough mixes are truly magical in their versatility, as both thick chewy cookies and crisp snap cookies can be made from the same mix and ingredients!

While chewy cookies get their gooey texture from melted butter and a whole egg, snap cookies get their contrasting crispness through the use of softened butter and an egg yolk.

• Softened butter: Snap cookies use softened butter to achieve a light, crisp texture. Make sure your butter is at room temperature to help achieve a creamy consistency during mixing. If you’re in a pinch, butter can quickly be softened in the microwave in one or two 10-second bursts.

• Egg yolk: Instead of using a whole egg for snap cookies, we use just the egg yolk. This creates a tender, delicate texture and prevents the dough from getting too soft or sticky to roll out. The egg whites can be used in your morning omelettes and frittatas, or you can collect them in the freezer to make these MiniMakes Lemon Meringue Cupcakes (or even a delicious pavlova!).

Tip: Find the base recipe for classic snap cookies on your MiniMakes box, or have a look at our Vegan Vanilla Snap Cookie and Vegan Chocolate Snap Cookie recipes for plant-based alternatives.

The Method

MiniMakes snap cookies follow the very common baking method known as ‘creaming’. This simply involves mixing together softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, followed by eggs (in this case, just a yolk) until well combined.

In this phase of the method, you want to ensure you mix everything thoroughly to incorporate as much air as possible – this aeration helps to create a light and delicate final bake. After the creaming step, the dry ingredients are mixed in until just combined to form the final dough.

1. Creaming: Use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and sugar (sachet 1) for 1 minute until pale and fluffy – this step is important to form that light, delicate texture we’re after. Add in the egg yolk and mix until well combined.

2. Add the dry ingredients: Add the cookie mix (sachet 2) and combine with an electric mixer until crumbly. As soon as the mixture starts coming together, set your mixer aside to avoid burning out the motor and use your hands to press the mixture into a dough. It may appear a bit dry, but keep pressing it together in your bowl or on your working surface until smooth.

3. Roll and chill: Shape the dough by rolling it into a sheet or log (see Shaping Snap Cookies below) and chill it until firm. Chilling the dough before cutting helps the cookies to hold their shape during baking.

4. Preheat your oven: When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven and line a baking tray or two with baking paper.

5. Cut & bake: Cut the cookies from the chilled dough and space evenly on the prepared baking tray – they don’t spread much, so can be placed fairly close together. Place the tray in the centre of your oven, making sure to use fan-assisted convection mode to evenly distribute the heat if you’re baking multiple trays at once. (Read more about How Oven Setting Affect Your Bakes here)

Follow the recommended baking time until the cookies are cooked through and the edges start to change colour – remember that the exact baking time may vary due to oven temperature fluctuations, and larger cookies will need more time to bake than smaller ones. Although the cookies will feel slightly soft when they finish baking, they will continue crisp up upon cooling.

Shaping Snap Cookies

Snap cookie dough can be shaped and cut in two ways: the Roll-and-Cut method and the Log-and-Slice method. Which method you use comes down to a matter of preference.

Roll-and-Cut

1. Once you’ve mixed your snap cookie dough, roll it out between two sheets of baking paper until 5-7mm thick.

2. Place the dough sheet on a tray (still within the baking paper sheets to stop it from drying out) and pop it in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.

3. When ready to bake, cut out shapes from the dough using your favourite cookie cutters, rerolling any scraps between the same baking paper sheets until all the dough is finished. Place the cookies on your prepared tray and bake.

Have a look at these Nutella Sandwich Cookies and Speculaas Cookies for some inspiration!

Log-and-Slice

1. For the log-and-slice method, simply shape the prepared snap cookie dough into a rough log (about 4-5cm wide) and tightly wrap it in a piece of plastic wrap or baking paper. Twist the ends shut like a wrapped sweet and roll the log along your countertop, firmly holding the ends closed to even out the shape.

2. Place the cookie log in the freezer for 30 min – 1 hour until firm, or freeze it for the long-term to bake fresh cookies when the craving hits.

3. When you’re ready to bake, slice the log into 5mm-thick discs and bake until crisp. If the cookie log cracks and crumbles too much when slicing, allow it to thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes before trying again.

Have a look at these Spiced Christmas Shortbread Cookies and Chocolate Pistachio Snap Cookies for some inspiration!

Snap Cookie Troubleshooting Guide

SOFT, ‘BENDY’ COOKIES: Make sure to bake your cookies for long enough until crisp, as under-baking will result in a soft centre.

OVERBROWN EDGES: Cook your cookies for slightly less time until just turning golden, or reduce the oven temperature slightly for less aggressive heat.

BURNT BASES: Line your tray with baking paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent the cookies from sticking and burning. Make sure to place your tray in the centre of the oven for even heating.

MISSHAPEN COOKIES: Chill your cookie dough before baking to help prevent excessive spreading. Make sure you’re using the correct quantities of butter and egg as a softer dough will have a higher tendency to spread.

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