Sweet Freedom Bakery’s Snickerdoodles

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Katie McDermott

When seeking employment with a health-conscious entity two years ago, Katie McDermott stumbled upon Sweet Freedom Bakery, 1424 South St., with her enthusiasm for nutritious delights initiating a savory sojourn that has included her elevation to head baker. 

“I really like what we stand for,” the 25-year-old alumnus of The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College said of the Hawthorne location’s creation of goodies minus dairy products, gluten, corn, peanuts, soy and wheat. “We take pride in everything we produce, and there is a sense of accomplishment in making items that taste good and make people feel good.”

The resident of the 1500 block of Tasker Street has served as owner Jen Kremer’s head baker for around a year and has helped Sweet Freedom’s other addresses in Collingswood, N.J., and Bryn Mawr, her main post, to thrive through her focus on camaraderie and ingenuity.

“When people come here, we want them to feel excited about their options,” the Newbold dweller said. “To help them to do that, we’re always thinking about how we can better what we make, and we take recipes and transform them.”

Because the formula is “super easy,” McDermott elected to share her site’s recipe for Snickerdoodles, which she selected in part, too, because they are fun to make and possess seasonal appeal through the presence of cinnamon and sugar. Having unveiled them at the end of the summer, she hopes people will fall for them in the fall.

“I’ve always liked them, and they’re a good fit for what we offer,” she said of the establishment, which recently issued its second cookbook. “Goodness without guilt, you can’t beat that.”  

Cookie Ingredients:

1/2 cup of coconut oil, solid
3/4 cup of coconut sugar
1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups of Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt 

Topping ingredients:

1/2 cup of coconut sugar
2 tablespoons of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking pan, or layer it with parchment paper. Cream together the coconut oil and coconut sugar with a hand mixer or Kitchenaid mixer on medium speed. Add the applesauce and extract once incorporated.

After sifting together the dry ingredients in a second bowl and assembling the cinnamon sugar topping in a third, add the dry items into the wet mixture, and continue to mix on medium speed. Once incorporated, scoop heaping tablespoons, form into balls and roll lightly in the topping. Place cookies about a 1/2 inch from one another on the pan, and use the palm of your hand to flatten slightly. Bake for nine to 11 minutes. Yields 24 cookies. 

Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.

Sweet Freedom Bakery

Owner: Jen Kremer
Opened: January 2010
1424 South St. 2
15-545-1899
sweetfreedombakery.com

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