I want to bake these everyday.
They smell AMAZING.
My house smells exotic, and homey, and Christmasy all at the same time.
Could be the 3/4 tsp of Cardamom, the 3/4 tsp of Allspice, and the 1/2 tsp of Cinnamon that are in these. All I know is these will be made again.
I wish there was a way I could let you smell these through the computer screen. They seriously ARE that amazing.
They are crumbly and moist and sugary and crunchy and chewy and did I mention yet that they smell amazing?
These could be my new favorite cookies. Not only do they use my new favorite spice...cardamom...they're the kind of thing that transports you somewhere else. I imagine that this is what India smells like. And there aren't a lot of places I want to fly to, but India is one of them. There's just something about how beautiful and colorful the culture and food and people are there. They make us look boring in comparison. C'mon...Bollywood, dare I say more?
Chai-Spice Cookies
1 Stick (1/2 Cup) of Unsalted room temperature Butter
1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Almond Extract
3/4 Tsp Allspice
3/4 Tsp Cardamom
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Toasted Coarsely Ground Almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind up a cup of raw almonds in a food processor, blender, or if you're lucky enough to own a Mr. Preppy, use him! (I love mine!) Spread the ground up almonds on an unlined cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. If you want, grind them up a little more after being toasted. They're a little easier to break up once they're toasted and dried out some.
After you're done using your cookie sheet, clean it off and line your sheets with parchment. I didn't use silpats or silicone baking mats simply because these seem so delicate and didn't want to over bake them and sometimes you have to add time when you're using the mats.
Beat the butter in your mixer until smooth and add the sugar, extracts, spices, and salt. Beat together until it's smooth and combined then beat in the flour. Once all is combined again, stir in the almonds. (Yes, it really IS that simple.)
Using your hands (sometimes it's the best part, getting your hands into the mix) roll the dough in tablespoon sized balls. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten out slightly. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful not to over bake these.
Place about a cup of powdered sugar into a medium size bowl and set aside.
Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the sheet and toss gently in the powdered sugar and then cool completely on a wire rack. Before putting away or serving toss in the powdered sugar again. These will be a little sticky, but it's worth it.
Enjoy your olfactory trip to India!
They smell AMAZING.
My house smells exotic, and homey, and Christmasy all at the same time.
Could be the 3/4 tsp of Cardamom, the 3/4 tsp of Allspice, and the 1/2 tsp of Cinnamon that are in these. All I know is these will be made again.
I wish there was a way I could let you smell these through the computer screen. They seriously ARE that amazing.
They are crumbly and moist and sugary and crunchy and chewy and did I mention yet that they smell amazing?
These could be my new favorite cookies. Not only do they use my new favorite spice...cardamom...they're the kind of thing that transports you somewhere else. I imagine that this is what India smells like. And there aren't a lot of places I want to fly to, but India is one of them. There's just something about how beautiful and colorful the culture and food and people are there. They make us look boring in comparison. C'mon...Bollywood, dare I say more?
Chai-Spice Cookies
1 Stick (1/2 Cup) of Unsalted room temperature Butter
1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Almond Extract
3/4 Tsp Allspice
3/4 Tsp Cardamom
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Toasted Coarsely Ground Almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind up a cup of raw almonds in a food processor, blender, or if you're lucky enough to own a Mr. Preppy, use him! (I love mine!) Spread the ground up almonds on an unlined cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. If you want, grind them up a little more after being toasted. They're a little easier to break up once they're toasted and dried out some.
After you're done using your cookie sheet, clean it off and line your sheets with parchment. I didn't use silpats or silicone baking mats simply because these seem so delicate and didn't want to over bake them and sometimes you have to add time when you're using the mats.
Beat the butter in your mixer until smooth and add the sugar, extracts, spices, and salt. Beat together until it's smooth and combined then beat in the flour. Once all is combined again, stir in the almonds. (Yes, it really IS that simple.)
Using your hands (sometimes it's the best part, getting your hands into the mix) roll the dough in tablespoon sized balls. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten out slightly. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful not to over bake these.
Place about a cup of powdered sugar into a medium size bowl and set aside.
Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the sheet and toss gently in the powdered sugar and then cool completely on a wire rack. Before putting away or serving toss in the powdered sugar again. These will be a little sticky, but it's worth it.
Enjoy your olfactory trip to India!