A soft and chewy brown sugar cookie, well-spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. I've added almond flour to guarantee that perfect texture and chewiness.
I was super happy about these cookies. They crinkled just enough on top, with just the right amount of chew. And the spices! I like a spiced up cookie 🙂
The spices are warm and cozy feeling. Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and cardamon. All the sweet and heady spices to make you feel warm inside. Like your favourite pair of wooly socks.
I've been all about cloves lately. I purchased a small package just before Christmas and my spice cabinet has smelled of so sweet ever since.
Almond flour gives these cookies extra texture and weight. Chewiness. No these cookies are not gluten-free. Think crispy almond cookies married with your favourite chewy spiced sugar cookie. Yum!
How to bake chewy brown sugar cookies that crinkle
Butter. Good unsalted butter is important for a good cookie. And no, not all butter is created equal. While I don't go out of my way for imported or specialty butter, I do reach for the name brand at the supermarket. Store brand butters can be good, but I find inconsistent. Too many times I've ended up with greasy feeling cookies and the only thing that was different was the brand of butter.
My recommendation, find your brand. It might not be the same as my brand. That's okay. You just want to know what you are getting when you make a batch of cookies.
Almond flour: These cookies are not gluten-free, but adding some almond flour adds a little bit of density... for that perfect chewy-factor. But not too much heaviness. I don't have a tested substitute for the almond flour.
Butter should be at room temperature before you start.
Cream the butter with the sugar in an electric mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl and beat again so the batter is smooth and creamy.
Add the dry ingredients and beat a few times until fully incorporated. At this point, the batter needs to chill for a while. At least an hour. Until tomorrow is good too.... if you can wait that long.
Take about tablespoon-sized portions of the dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in white sugar and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Rolling sugar: I use cane sugar for rolling the cookies. It sparkles! If you can't find it, regular white granulated sugar works just fine. I find mine at the bulk food store.
Another one of my favourite rolled-in-sugar-cookies is these Ginger Molasses Cookies.
Baking Tip: For best results and even baking of each and every cookie, bake one tray at a time. To save time, I prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. While one is in the oven, I roll and prepare the next batch. When the first tray comes out of the oven, the other is ready to go in. While the next batch bakes, the first tray is cooling so that it will be ready when the second tray comes out of the oven. And so on.
To store these cookies: they will keep 4-5 days in an air-tight container. They also freeze well. Freeze for up to three months.
Spiced Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine grain salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar or coconut sugar for rolling before baking
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
- In a small bowl mix together all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, beat again. Add the flour and spice mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat one more time, on low, just a couple of rotations. Remove dough from the mixer, cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- To bake
- Measure ¼ cup of granulated sugar into a small shallow bowl.
- Take tablespoon-sized bits of dough, roll into a ball and then roll in the granulated sugar. Place on a cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 11-12 minutes, or until completely puffy and very lightly browned on the bottom. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before removing from the tray to a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.
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