I started making these again over the holidays to give as homemade gifts, but they soon took over my holiday baking all together. I had plans for mocha cakes, shortbreads and sugar cookies, but soon I was craving, making and eating nothing but gingerbread cookies. I hadn’t made this recipe in a long time and I think I had forgotten just how yummy they are, not to mention how easy they are to make. The secret ingredient in this recipe is the cardamom, which makes for a much more aromatic cookie with a little more spice and a sweeter fragrance than a regular gingerbread.
You can make these thin for a crisper cookie or quite thick for a satisfying slightly chewy cookie. (Sometimes I mix a little glaze up with icing sugar, a splash of milk, a pat of butter, and a few drops of vanilla. I don’t have a recipe for this since I always wing it, just mix it to the consistency and taste that you like for an extra sweet treat.)
Cardamom Gingerbread Cookies
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 stick of butter (you can use salted or unsalted, just remember to add a pinch of salt if you do use unsalted)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup super dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
In a medium bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder and soda, and finally your spices. Set this aside. In a large bowl beat the brown sugar, vanilla and (room temperature) butter until creamy and light, add the molasses and egg mixing just until combined after each addition. Gently stir in the dry ingredients. These can be rolled into shapes right away, it’s a very forgiving recipe. Enjoy!
A quick tip: to avoid overeating these yummy little cookies divide the dough into thirds and put 2/3rds of it in the freezer right away. Next time you have friends drop by or someone needs a little cheering up you can pop them into the oven and have fresh baked cookies in no time.
Also, I’ve made these with lactose free margarine (Earthbalance is a good one) for my lactose intolerant sis’ and they turned out great.
