Grammy’s Spice Cookies
Updated Dec. 18, 2020
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- ¼cup/60 milliliters molasses
- 1large egg
- 1¾cups plus 2 tablespoons/240 grams all-purpose flour
- 2teaspoons baking soda
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾teaspoon ground cloves
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3¾cups/460 grams confectioners’ sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3tablespoons heavy cream or milk, more as needed
- 1 to 2tablespoons Irish whiskey, optional
Nutritional analysis per serving (36 servings)
178 calories; 6 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 20 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 101 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners.
- Step 2
Using an electric mixer, beat 12 tablespoons butter with the granulated sugar, molasses and egg until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly beat in flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
- Step 3
Shape dough into walnut-size balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until firm, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.
- Step 4
To make the icing, beat remaining 4 tablespoons butter with the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. (Go slowly so you don’t create a sugar storm.) Beat in the vanilla and enough cream or milk, and whiskey (if using), to make a spreadable frosting. Slather on fully cooled cookies.
Private Notes
Comments
These are Swedish pepparkakor with icing. Here are a few great tips for making them (passed along from my Swedish kin): 1)Make the dough ahead of time and let it sit on the counter for several hours to blend the spices. 2) Roll into a tube and freeze until you need them -- just slice and bake (don't need to thaw) 3) Forego the icing and, instead, roll dough into balls and smash with a glass you've dipped in white sugar (great job for kids!). God Jul everyone
These are easy to overtake and if you are a spice nut, an addition of cinnamon and cloves and a 1/2 teaspoon more molasses would crack open that pall surrounding you tastebuds. I'll make these again; the grandkids devoured them. For us foggies, no icing needed. (I did add a sprinkle of lemon zest to the icing...good.)
Loved, but needs some tweaks. 1 -- NYT should update the recipe to indicate that the butter needs to be separated; I used all of it in the batter (as have others!). Resulted in half of them burning quickly. 2 -- def. up all the spices up to a teaspoon; even slightly more if you want. 3. -- halve the confectioners sugar and the dairy in the frosting recipe; keep other ingredients the same. A challenge -- shape/size. Couldn't get mine to look like full cookies. Only tea/macaron size. Thoughts?
AMAZING!! I subbed King Arthur 1-1 gluten free flour and they are perfect. The whiskey icing adds a whole other level of yum. I'll definitely be making these again!
Needs to be updated to indicate the butter is for DIVIDED USE. Kind of surprising that a NYT recipe wouldn't use that recipe convention.
Used almost all of the frosting -- remember to slather and don't be skimpy. Froze the batter for about an hour or so, but managed to break a cookie scoop because the batter was so hard when I was trying to form the balls! But they came out as 3" cookies, so good idea. Next time I will form the balls and then freeze them before baking. Letting them sit for a couple of minutes before removing from the cookie sheet = a good idea. Did up the ginger & cloves to 1 t. each. DELISH! Make again!