Gossamer Spice Cookies
I have always loved ginger snap cookies. The spice mixture made up of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and others go so well with molasses as a sweetener. I love how they are rolled thin and they snap and crunch when you bite them. I find them highly addictive and could eat them all the time, especially with coffee.
Since I make Chewy Ginger Raisin Cookies every Christmas I figured that gingersnaps would be too similar, but I really wanted something with that ‘snap’ texture. I forget what year I discovered Gossamer Spice Cookies, but it was a year that forever changed my collection of cookies.
A traditional cookie to Northern Europe, “Gossamer” refers to something thin and delicate. This crisp cookie has an interesting mix of spices with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ground red pepper. I love hot food so, when I first saw that there was a cookie with cayenne pepper, I was sold. This recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens 2002 Christmas Cookies magazine and I immediately doubled the cayenne. Since then I have added more than is in this recipe as I love the spice in this cookie to have an extra kick. This year I used 1/2 tsp compared to the 1/4 tsp found in the recipe.
I imagine if Emeril Lagasse was to make gingersnaps and kick them up a notch these would be the creation!
Roll on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Try to roll the cookie as close to 1/16 or 1/8 inch as possible. Cut with a round cutter, smooth or scalloped. Bake at 375F for 6 -7 minutes.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Gossamer Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 ground cardamom
- 1/4 ground red pepper
- 1/3 cup butter , softened
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Instructions
- With an electric mixture, cream the butter, molasses and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the spices followed by the flour. Beat until just combined.
- Divide the dough in half and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to a 1/8 or 1/16 inch thickness. Using a 2 inch or 3 inch round or scalloped cutter, cut out the dough.
- Bake at 375F for 6-7 minutes - the edges will begin to brown.
- Cool on wire racks.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
