Crème Fraîche Clouds

I had a tub of crème fraîche leftover from Thanksgiving in the fridge, and after some quick Googling, I found this recipe for crème fraîche clouds. I swapped allspice for nutmeg and butter for shortening since I didn't have any nutmeg or shortening at home. I used heaping teaspoons of dough rather than tablespoons and found that it made 3 dozen rather than 2 dozen cookies. These are very tender, almost cake-like cookies (though I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that I subbed butter for shortening). The bit of spice gives it a nice flavor that makes it more interesting than a plain vanilla cookie. My sprinkles are ugly though (why would you sell white, yellow, green and pink sprinkles all jumbled together? Makes the cookies look diseased.)

Crème Fraîche Clouds (adapted from My Husband Cooks)
Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup crème fraîche
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. In a large bowl or mixer, cream together the sugar, crème fraîche and butter for about 3 min on medium speed. (NOTE: After each step, you should scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula or spoon to ensure that all of the ingredients are being integrated into the dough.)
4. Add the eggs and continue to mix until the mixture takes on a soft yellow hue and the eggs are completely distributed.
5. Add the vanilla and mix for about 30 seconds or until the vanilla is completely distributed.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mix. If you are using a mixer, use low speed while adding the dry ingredients. Continue to mix until the dough is uniform.
7. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
8. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, place about 9 cookies on the sheet (each cookie is a heaped teaspoon of dough). Top each cookie with a bit of sugar or sprinkles. Place in the over and bake for 13-15 min. What you are looking for a brown ring along the base of the cookie and the top to have just a subtle browning.
9. Let cool for about 5 min. Eat immediately, or cover in an air tight container. They are good warm from the oven or at room temperature.