The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, allspice, mace and molasses fills the air when you bake these well-loved types of cookies. The crunch, the chewiness, or melting softness when dunked in your coffee, it tastes like Christmas and brings memories of Grandma’s kitchen to mind.
If ever there were a cookie that best represented Christmas time it would be the spice cookie. I love all sorts of cookies, but the spice cookies reign supreme when it comes to a flavor most identified with the Christmas season.
Here are the star spice cookie recipes!
Gingerbread – The Essence of a Spice Cookie
by PetitPlat – Stephanie Kilgast
Read on and try one of the many types of Spice Cookies.
An Amazing Rolling Pin
I use a variety of rolling pins, but the marble rolling pin is my favorite for rolling out extra thin cookies in a jiffy. It is pretty on the counter, too.
Marble helps keep everything chilled, which is the way to prevent dough from sticking as you roll it out. This is very important with most baked goods, but especially pastry and cookies. I have a marble rolling pin and it is my favorite for these cookies, when I have chilled the dough and yet work and a warm kitchen. Buy Now
Cinnamon Stars
Fragrant spice cookies made with a cozy blend of cinnamon and almonds, baked to a tender crunch. Baking these are a great way to use extra egg whites if you are also making cookies that call for extra yolks. Easy and perfectly lovely cookies. If you are avoiding wheat- this is the recipe for you!
Some recipes add a pinch of salt and/or ½ tbsp. kirsch or lemon juice into the dough mixture for these. Experiment with those flavor additions for extra flavor kick.
Cinnamon Stars
An heirloom type of cookie, beloved for generations. Almonds and cinnamon make these cutouts special and festive.
In small bowl of electric mixer, let egg whites warm to room temperature (about an hour).
At medium speed beat egg whites until soft peaks form, on mixer beaters.
Add 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar to egg whites, 2 T. at a time, beating after each addition. Continue to beat until mixture is thick and glossy- about 10 minutes.
In medium bowl, combine almonds with cinnamon. Stir in egg white mixture; mix to combine well
Refrigerate dough, covered, overnight.
Lightly sprinkle wooden board or pastry cloth with sugar. Roll out dough -half at a time to 1/4 inch think. ( If you don't mind the addition of flour, you can use a sugar -flour mixture to dust the board)
Using 3 inch star cookie cutters cut out cookies. Place 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.
Let cookies stand uncovered at room temperature for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 300℉. In small bowl combine confectioners sugar with 2 Tablespoons water; mix into smooth glaze.
Bake cookies 20 minutes. Brush tops with glaze; bake 5 minutes longer. Remove to wire rack; cool.
What Makes your Spice Cookies Star on the Holidays?
No contest for which is my favorite: cookies with spice.
Sometimes we are unsure whether we like gingerbread best for eating or decorating- so we do both! Gingerbread is a very old recipe that has managed to be passed down through centuries of generations. There were even Medieval guilds of bakers dedicated exclusively to the production of this famous kind of cookie.
Besides the spices, which are usually a redolent mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice, the primary flavor ingredient of many of these is molasses.
There are a number of types of molasses, and the use of a particular one will give a characteristic flavor to the gingerbread dough. Sorghum (a cereal grass, Sorghum bicolor) syrup may also be used.
The Flavor of Molasses
Usually made from cane sugar, though sometimes from beet and other sources, there are “Sulphured molasses”, “Unsulphured molasses” and three grades of molasses: mild, dark, and blackstrap.
I like the brand called “Grandma’s”, but you can substitute these for molasses, if you don’t have it on hand:
black treacle
honey
dark corn syrup
maple syrup
¾ of the volume of firmly packed brown sugar, especially soft dark brown sugar.
Blackstrap Molasses
contains trace amounts of vitamins and significant amounts of minerals.
Spice cooky bars
Nutmeg Flats
With long, slow baking these turn into rich buttery brittleness.
In a large bowl of mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add egg yolk and beat well. Stir in flour and nutmeg.
Using a small spatula or lightly floured fingers spread evenly in ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.
Beat egg white slightly and brush over the top. Smooth surface with fingertips. Bake in 275 F. oven until rich golden brown -about an hour.
While hot, cut into 2x3/4 inch bars; remove to racks to cool.
Plate of Christmas cookies
photo by PetitPlat – Stephanie Kilgast
Famous Lebkuchen
– A rendition of this traditional German favorite cooky Be sure to soften them in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They are long keepers and perfect for sending.
**Lebkuchen were invented by Medieval monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century.**
Lebkuchen
Complex spice and fruit flavors with a base of honey and molasses make this German confection famous.
In medium saucepan heat honey and molasses to boiling. Cool.
Add brown sugar, egg, lemon juice, and peel.
In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients with walnuts and citron; pour honey-egg mixture over and stir until well combined.
Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight. to mellow flavor.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease 2 cookie sheets.
Divide dough into quarters and roll out one quarter at a time on well floured board.to 1/4 inch thick.
Cut into 3 x 1 1/2 inch rectangles.
Bake on greased cookie sheets for 10 to 12 minutes.
Brush with glaze immediately.
Repeat with remaining dough.
To make glaze:
In small saucepan combine granulated sugar and water. Boil to 230 F. ( until thread begins to form) Remove from heat. Stir in the confectioner sugar. Keep warm.
More Cookie Recipes – Oh, so many types
Drop Cookies photo by rusvaplauke
Many types are variations on Gingerbread, but there are also others that have their own textures and flavors. Apple spice cookies are old fashioned and remind one of country farm kitchens with a just baked batch of cookies fresh from the oven. White cookies like Pfefferneuse, or Moravian White can be a tasty “White Christmas” delicacy.
Any cookie in which a spice might predominate in the flavor could be called a “spice cookie”, but we usually think of the combination of cinnamon and its buddies, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, as the recipe for this label.
Crisp, warmly spiced cookies topped with classic royal icing and charming hand-decorated details make lovely gifts. Sweet, comforting, and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
Everyone Needs A Mixer For Making Their Cooky Dough
I don’t have a pink one, but I use my KitchenAid mixer all the time. It is so easy to get this stiff dough mixed up just right. Makes all your mixing super easy, with plenty of power and all the right tools for whipping the egg whites to turning the dough. When you watch the how-to videos you can see that all these bakers seems to have a Kitchen Aid!
This is the quickest and simplest of all. It has flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg to accent the raisins. Or try the next one: Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies …Recipe to follow.
1 1/4 cups vegetable margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon pulverized flaxseed in 1 tablespoon warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups quick oats
1 cup raisins
Mix all ingredients- drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
Oatmeal Raisin with Cinnamon and Clove
Oatmeal Raisin with Cinnamon and Clove
Easy, homey drop cookies. This recipe makes a large amount, perfect for a cookie swap.
Sift flour with baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves; set aside.
In a large bowl of mixer beat at medium speed: shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.until light and fluggy. At low speed beat in the flour mixture until well combined.
Stir in raisins and walnuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Decorate with more raisins or nuts.
Can be glazed if desired, but I think it adds too much...rather like gilding the lily.
Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks and cool.
Chai Spice!
Additions to your spice cookies
Add White Chocolate To This Spicey Pumpkin Cookie
– who can resist the combination of pumpkin and spice? From ‘Bake Your Day’ blog comes these super delicious creations. Cassie is a creative cook with an enthusiasm for good cooking that will light your cooking fires!
Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and combine thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfuls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet. The recipe makes 36 small cookies or 18 large cookies
Cookie Baking Necessities
Bake Like a Professional – Silicone Baking Mat
For the professional difference in cookie baking, try one of these baking liners.
Buy a whole set at one time and get all the cookie spatula, dough mixing spoons, and whisks all together in one batch. It includes the measuring spoons, an absolute necessity for baking, and a few other gadgets that all kitchens need. With KitchenAid quality so you can’t go wrong in having these last for years while being a joy to use.
2tablespoon sweet potato, pureed cooked and peeled
2tablespoon liquid egg white
2teaspoons vanilla extract, - divided
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1tablespoon flax seed meal
2tablespoon fat-free cream cheese, softened
Method
Heat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the butter, palm sugar, 2 packets of the stevia, the baking powder, nutmeg and cloves. Mix until well combined. Add the sweet potato, egg white and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, then mix until combined. Beat in the flour and flax seed meal.
Shape the dough into a round, flat disk. Place the disk between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Place the dough on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is very firm.
Remove the dough from the freezer and peel off the top sheet of paper. Use 2 1/2- to 3-inch cookie cutters to cut out 12 cookies. If necessary, place the dough back in the freezer after making the cutouts. This will help the dough firm back up, making it easier to transfer the cutouts from the paper to the prepared baking sheet.
Place the dough cutouts on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the tops are just dry and edges are just starting to brown.Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
To make the frosting, in a small bowl combine the cream cheese, the remaining packet of stevia and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small open tip. Decorate the cooled cookies with the icing.
Baking Cookies How-to Video
Icing and Sprinkles – Make your cookies special
I like pure white, piped royal icing on spice cookies. Dust with a bit of sparkling sugar crystals for a festive, handcrafted touch. Some recipes call for their own special icing, and are meant to highlight the flavor of the baked goods.
How to make those perfect designs with the Royal icing? A decorating set, with tips for different effects. This is how professionals get their perfect little dots, lines, and fill which create such pretty cookies.
These are tried and true Christmas cookie recipes, which is why I call it my “best ever” collection.
Plate of assorted special cookies
One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking special cookies- cookies that I don’t make any other time of the year. Another tradition is eating them! Albeit, I should be a little less enthusiastic in my celebration of that beloved activity. In no way do counting calories put a damper on baking, however, since there are always plenty of happy recipients who can step in for me.
Good thing, because these family favorite cookies must be made with real butter, delicious flavors and additions such as jam or cream cheese, and warm inviting spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamon. A great Christmas cookie should not skimp on ingredients for the sake of calories. Let the New Year take care of those considerations!
Additionally, links to the Top Five Cookie Baking Essentials for all cookie baking activities are sprinkled throughout. I hope you make some of these recipes your own best and beloved baked traditions.
The Best Christmas Cookies
…a few cookie baking notes
My absolute favorite cookie recipes for Christmas should be made with real butter, unless specified otherwise.
Try out the cardamon spice if you are not yet familiar with it. It is warm and lends a delicious flavor to baked goods and even a dash in your coffee will surprise you with its pleasant aroma. Scandinavian cooks are famous for their use of this wonderful spice, and though expensive in the grocery store, if you have an Indian grocery nearby, you may find it more economically priced there.
Bar Cookies
Three of my favorite Christmas chocolate cookies are the easy bar type. Baked in one pan, then cut into bars. Most will pack and ship well; the “Chocolate Cherry Squares” are an exception- those need to be refrigerated.
Molded Cookies
Special shapes, often rolled in confectioners sugar or nuts, these are fun and easy to bake. The “Kris Kringles” are an example of those.
Kris Kringles, Cookies with Cardamon
Kris Kringles, pretzel shaped cookies
Kris Kringles
A buttery rich cookie with the special fragrance of cardamon spice. Making tiny pretzel shapes makes this cookie different and appealing.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
In medium bowl, with wooden spoon: beat butter, sugar, egg yolks, cardamom, and lemon peel til well blended
Stir in flour; mix with hands to blend.
On lightly floured surface roll out 1 of two parts of dough to a 7x6 inch rectangle.
Cut each rectangle in half, and then cut crosswise into 12 strips (you will have 48 strips in all).
With palms of hands, roll each strip 4 inches long. Form into a ring or pretzel shape, pinch to seal.
Place on cookie sheets and brush with egg white beaten with 1 TBSP water.
Make topping: Combine almonds with sugar. Sprinkle over tops of cookies.
Bake cookies 10-12 minutes til golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool
Delicate, Melt-In-Your-Mouth Goodies
Auntie Mary’s delicious cookies
Auntie Mary Cookies
This is -hands down- my children's favorite cookie. It is very rich and due to cream cheese dough is not a long keeper, but it is meltingly delicious. Try our family favorite, and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Mix on medium speed, butter, cream cheese, and sugars until well creamed and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla, beat. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
Divide dough into quarters and wrap. Chill overnight or minimum of 2 hours.
Make filling: in saucepan cook sweetened condensed milk with chocolate until melted together. Remove from heat, stir in nuts and cool.
Heat oven to 350° F and grease cookie sheets.
On floured surface, roll each quarter of dough to 10'' by 6'' rectangle.
Spread 1/4 amount of filling down the center of rectangle. Fold in thirds over the filling and place seam side down on cookie sheet
Bake 20 minutes until light brown. Cool on racks.
Sprinkle with confectioners sugar once completely cool, and cut into slices.
In the Top Five Cookie Baking Essentials:: Excellent Spatula
OXO Good Grips Silicone Cookie Spatula, Gray, 3 inches Get a good silicone spatula- I replace mine every few years! Scraping the bowl is essential for mixing dough well. Needed for every recipe listed here, to scrape the batter from the bowls, help form the dough ball, fold in the chocolate. You get a lot of use from a spatula and don’t want it getting all shredded and cracked at the edge. Buy Now
Softened
Recipes that call for softened butter or cream cheese simply mean that the stick is at the temperature of a warm kitchen, it does not mean to melt it, or liquefy.
In small bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside
In large mixer bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, and vanilla til creamy
Beat in egg; gradually add flour mixture;
Stir in the Chocolate morsels and the walnuts
Spread into greased 9 inch baking pan. Bake for 23-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with remaining cup of morsels, let soften and spread evenly over top. Garnish with some coarsely chopped walnuts
Cool; chill briefly in refrigerator and cut into 2 x 1 1/2 inch bars.
Linzer Squares
Linzer Squares are bar cookies with panache. Rich and very delicate, my dad’s favorite!
Rich and Delectable Bar Cookies
Linzer Bar Cookies
Linzer Bar Cookies
This cookie is so worth it! Delicate, rich pastry with decadent jam filling inside.
In large mixer bowl add 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nuts, and butter. Mix til well-combined. Add lemon peel and egg, stir til ingredients are moistened.
Reserve 1/2 cup dough. Pat remaining dough into pan and set aside.
To reserve dough add 2 Tblsp. flour. Roll between two sheets of waxed paper into 9 in. square. Freeze for 5 minutes to firm.
Spread jam over dough in pan leaving a 1/4 in. border.
Take reserve dough, peel paper off and cut into 18 strips 1/2 in. wide. Make lattice top with 9 strips parallel and 9 crosswise over the top.Stir egg yolk and water together in small bowl; brush strips. Bake 30 minutes until top is golden brown.
Cool completely, cut into 36 little squares.
In the List of Top Five Cookie Baking Essentials:: Rolling Pin
OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Rolling Pin Nothing matters more than a good rolling pin. If you can chill it, and it has a the right weight- those qualities are a plus. That feature is wonderful for the Linzer Square dough. A decent rolling pin will help produce results of thinly rolled cookies like my Moravian Spice. I also crush graham cracker crumbs for the Magic Cookie Bars by enclosing them between sheets of waxed paper and rolling over the crackers ’til crushed..
Cutouts Are Favorites
Bake a variety of cookies to create a festive treat for friends and family
The Moravian Spice Cookie
Cut-out: Moravian Spice Cookie recipe
I always try to bake a “gingerbread” type of cookieChristmas page on decorating with a gingerbread motif and my favorite is the Moravian Spice, which is a hard cookie, wonderful as a keeper and for dunking in a warm drink.
They deserved their own featured recipe article,”The Moravian Spice Cookie“.
Make Bunches of Cookies
Hungarian Style Cookies
Kifli are Hungarian favorites and I had this cookie listed on my Famous Hungarian Food post.
There are so many recipes for Kifli, each truly delicious, but the one for this collection of recipes is my easiest one. “Hungarian Apricot Foldovers” have just a few ingredients, and are easier than pie!
Hungarian Cream Cheese Foldovers
These Hungarian Pastries (Kifli) are tender cream cheese dough with delicious filling.
This was given to me by a friend. Fast, easy, rich, delicious. She used apricot filling, which is a perfect pairing with the cream cheese dough, but any of your favorite preserves or a nut fillings would be delicious.
Surprise Fillings in Tender Cooky Envelopes
Foldovers are a Kifli type of pastry
Hungarian Apricot Foldovers
Very rich cream cheese dough and an easy, sweet apricot filling
Cream butter and cream cheese together with large spoon.
Add flour, mix and roll out thin. Cut into rectangles or use circle cookie cutter
Fill rounds with spoonful of jam. Pinch closed and place on ungreased cookie sheet
Bake at 350° F. til golden (10 min.?) Don't overbake, adjust time to your oven.
Cool.Turn over in confectioners sugar to coat
Notes
Remember that cream cheese dough cookies should be refrigerated, to store.
Top Five Cookie Baking Essentials:: Timer
Classic Timer, White Whether it is a classical shaped timer like this, or one of the cute ones that match your kitchen decor, using a timer that alerts you prevents the dreaded burnt cookies. You always believe you will pay attention and remember the moment to take those lovingly rolled, formed, delectable cookies out of the oven when baking time is done. But trust me, without a dependable timer…. you won’t. I know you mean well, but it is just human to walk away and get distracted by something you thought would take just a minute. Save yourself waste of perfectly wonderful cookies and buy the timer. Buy Now
Is It a Cookie or a Candy Bar? A Bit of Both!
Magic Cookie Bars
Magic Cookie Bars
Magic Cookie Bars
This will be everyone's favorite, and they are so easy to make. OK- this one gets baked <em>anytime</em>. It tastes like a candy bar, but better.
Preheat oven to 350° F. In 13x9 in. baking pan, melt butter
Sprinkle crumbs over butter; pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs.
Top evenly with layer of coconut, then chocolate morsels, then nuts; press down gently.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes til lightly browned. Cool thoroughly before cutting into bars.
Notes
These store well if you can keep them long enough!
Chocolate Cherry Squares
– with the taste of chocolate cheesecake.
This came from an old Hershey cocoa ad, years ago. It won’t keep long without refrigeration, but it is too yummy not to have on hand.
Chocolate Cherry Squares
Chocolate Cherry Squares
A rich and creamy bar cookie with the famous pairing of cherry and chocolate flavors.
Combine flour, brown sugar, and butter (cut into chunks) in large mixer bowl.
Blend on low speed to form fine crumb, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in nuts.Reserve 3/4 cup of crumb mixture for topping; press remaining crumbs into ungreased 9 inch square pan.Bake for 10 minutes @ 350° F until lightly browned.
Combine cream cheese, sugar, cocoa, milk, egg, and vanilla in small mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Fold in chopped cherries.Spread mixture over warm crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top; garnish with cherry halves evenly over the surface.Return to oven and continue to bake for 25 minutes @ 350° F until lightly browned and filling is set.
Cool. Cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.
Notes
Whenever a recipe has cream cheese, be sure to refrigerate.
Mrs. Janssen’s Pecan Drops
Mrs. Jansson’s pecan drops
Rich, Easy, Delicious
One of the easiest Christmas cookies I bake- the whole pecans on top make them special. A drop cookie that is really something special, especially for those who love pecans.
This recipe can be doubled.
Pecan Drops
Buttery, nut dropped cookies crowned with a pecan half.Wonderful with coffee.
Cookbooks yield great cookie recipes. Classic favorites of mine were Good Housekeeping, McCalls, Church Cookbook collections and many of the favorite recipes were clipped from magazines or newspapers over the years.
Starring Your Favorite Spice Cookies
The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, allspice, mace and molasses fills the air when you bake these well loved cookies. The crunch, the chewiness, or melting softness when dunked in your coffee, it tastes like Christmas and brings memories to…
Finding Good Recipes
How important is it to have tested and recommended recipes? In baking, especially, it means the difference between disappointment and waste of expensive ingredients and success and satisfaction.
Old-fashioned, Tested Recipes
Once I had baked for a few years, it became apparent from looking at a recipe whether it was a winner or not. Before that I tried many and collected from old recipe books and magazines. I still buy cookie recipe magazines every year.A few good ones were handed to me from friends, including both my Kifli recipes.
I think a wonderful gift for a new bride or for someone who likes to bake would be a cookie collection written out in a pretty recipe book. I think I should do that for my children this coming Christmas!
Jam Crescents
Another cream cheese dough- this time with jam filling. You can tell how much I prize the richness and delicate nature of a cream cheese-based dough.
¾ cup fruit preserves, for filling (your choice of fruit)
Method
Mix flour with sugar and salt. Cut in the cream cheese and butter to cornmeal-like crumbs.
Stir in sour cream with fork until dough holds together, form into ball.
Wrap and chill for an hour.
Heat oven to 325° F and grease 2 cookie sheets. Work 1/4 dough at a time.
Roll dough into 10 inch square on floured surface, then cut into medium size circles. Place 1 teaspoon filling in center of each circle.
Moisten fold, seal, prick top. Bake for 18-20 minutes until light brown
Cool and roll in confectioners sugar if you wish.
Notes
Remember to refrigerate cookies that have cream cheese and sour cream ingredients in their dough.
Everyone Recommends This Mixer – The KitchenAid
KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer For good reason, everyone has this mixer on their list! If you don’t’ have one yet, I think you should add a Kitchen Aid Mixer to your list of essentials. Add it to your wish lists and give hints for holidays and birthdays until you get one!
This heavy duty mixer will make you very happy, if you are a person who bakes and cooks anything that needs mixing. I can’t hype it enough.
If you have dreams of baking or cooking on a large scale, this mixer is solid, dependable, and comes in professional sizes. It is easy to keep clean, and the design works and looks good. There is a reason it is the top of the line in mixers.
I can vouch for all the good things people say about it. One of my sons bought one for me for Christmas, a number of years ago. It has been terrific to work with and I especially like the way it whips cream and stirs dough for my sweet rolls.
I also use the meat grinder attachment to make fresh cranberry relish. I get a lot of use from this one machine during the holidays.
For me, Moravian spice cookies are the quintessential Christmas cookie. They have a gingerbread flavor with great keeping qualities, perfect for sending. While they store well and are wonderful for dipping in your tea, they come into their own when decorated with the royal icing that makes the simple and elegant frosted look that you can see in so many holiday cookie displays. Lacy outlines and pretty dots stand out against the deep rich brown of these molasses-based goodies.
In our family, these cookies have become a tradition, and everyone rates them as their favorite cut-out cookie. The dough must be thoroughly chilled to get that very thin, first roll that produces the tastiest cookies. I like to use darker molasses for its rich flavor, but you can use lighter types if you wish. Once they are in the oven, watch that these cookies don’t burn. Their thinness means they bake quickly, so time them and watch them, since ovens may vary.
If you try Moravian spice cookies, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how the flavor mellows with time and provides a very merry addition to your holiday dessert table.
I like to collect cookie recipe magazines that are published during the holidays. While reading an article in Cook’s magazine about how to bake the very best gingerbread cookies, I noticed that their recipe was very similar to my Moravian spice cookie recipe. Their view of what makes a great gingerbread cut-out exactly coincides with mine: flavorful, crisp, satisfying spice, stores well, sends well, and is a beautiful holiday cookie.
I use a marble rolling pin, and this set of baking essentials makes baking Moravian Spice cookies so easy! Perfect for pies and rolls as well. I was late in coming to use the bench scraper but it makes a world of difference in many cooking and baking tasks.
Tips for Great Baking
Use unsulphured molasses. Several brands are good: Grandma’s and Brer Rabbit are two I’ve used.
If you wrap the dough in waxed paper or Saran wrap, it will keep refrigerated for a number of days.
Cover the royal icing in a tightly covered container to keep it moist. It dries out very quickly.
You can flavor the icing (try lemon) if you wish, and sprinkle with “snowy” decorative sugar.
Moravian Spice Cookies
These are our family favorites. Deeply satisfying molasses flavor and a firm, thin cookie that makes a beautiful base for simple royal icing decoration. You may substitute reconstituted powdered egg whites for fresh, if you wish.This dough is refrigerated overnight, like many cutout cookie recipes. Keeping dough cool helps when rolling it thin.
Sift the flour with the baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter, and molasses until well combined.
With a wooden spoon, stir in part of the flour mixture make a soft dough. Then, with your hands, mix in as much of the rest to make a stiff dough. (Until it is well combined). Form the dough into a ball. Wrap in saran wrap or wax paper and refrigerate overnight.
Make cookies:
The next day, preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Divide the dough into 4 parts. Refrigerate until ready to roll out.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick.
Use cookie cutters in your favorite shapes to cut out cookies.
Place cookies 1 inch apart on cookie sheets and bake 6-8 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
Frost the cookies
Make the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with the powdered sugar to make a smooth, stiff frosting. Add more sugar if necessary. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to use.
Decorate the cookies: Pipe the frosting through #4 writing tip outlining cookies and making polka-dots.
Notes
The Moravian spice dough is stiff. It should be rolled very thin and not overbaked. This cooky keeps well and is very nice with a hot drink for dunking.
Use unsulphured molasses. Several brands are good: Grandma's and Brer Rabbit are two I've used.
If you wrap the dough in waxed paper or Saran wrap, it will keep refrigerated for a number of days.
Cover the royal icing in a tightly covered container to keep it moist. It dries out very quickly.
You can flavor the icing (try lemon) if you wish, and sprinkle with "snowy" decorative sugar.
Christmas gingerbread
Baking Tip for Moravian Spice Cookies
For the large amount of cookies which a recipe like this makes, a stacked tier of cooling racks is ideal. Non-stick surfaces make removing the cookies a breeze.Content goes here
I use Airbake cookie sheets because they do make a difference in the quality of your cookies. Important when you consider the time and expense that goes into making really great Christmas cookies. For truly authentic and delicious Moravians you need to roll them out quite thinly, and that makes the edges more likely to burn. a cookie sheet like this will help prevent burnt edges and give an evenly baked cookie. I like the way the bottoms of the cookies are evenly browned.
Who Were the Moravians?
This cookie comes from the kitchens of a group of Christians who came to Colonial America from areas of Bohemia and Moravia and settled into communities. Moravians, like many people in that area of Europe came to love gingerbread cookies that combined spices in a baked treat made from rolled dough.
There are many types of gingerbread from these areas, including lebkuchen and pepperkaker.
What sets these cookies apart is how thin and crisp they are.
This post was originally published by me, Ilona Erwin, on Squidoo in 2013
Here are a few of my special Christmas cookies, which may be new to you. I like rich cookies, that look like they took some effort (even if they are actually very easy) for special occasions like Christmas. These are some of the lesser known ones, while my most favorites have pages of their own, which I will link at the end of this post.
Plate of assorted special cookies
“Lesser known” only means that I rarely see them on lists of loved cookies, or displayed for Christmas. I collected the recipes because they are delicious and turn out well. some are well known in certain cuisines… like the first up: Kris Kringle from Germany!
Kris Kringle Cookies
Kris Kringle is Santa, or Father Christmas in the German tradition, although the name came from Martin Luther’s idea of Christkind. So, right away, we understand that these cookies are a Christmas tradition.
Kris Kringle Cookies
The Kris Kringles are a delicate cooky that is well worth the time. They can either be formed in small circles or pretzel shapes.
Preheat oven to 375℉. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
In medium bowl, with wooden spoon: beat butter, sugar, egg yolks, cardamom, and lemon peel til well blended.
Stir in flour; mix with hands to blend.
On lightly floured surface roll out 1 of two parts of dough to a 7x6 inch rectangle.
Cut each rectangle in half, and then cut crosswise into 12 strips (you will have 48 strips in all).
With palms of hands, roll each strip 4 inches long. Form into a ring or pretzel shape, pinch to seal.
Place on cookie sheets and brush with egg white beaten with 1 Tblsp water.
Make topping: Combine almonds with sugar. Sprinkle over tops of cookies
Bake cookies 10-12 minutes til golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool
Notes
Cooking hard boiled eggs ahead, saves time and makes it easier to shell the eggs.
Auntie Mary’s
This rates at the top of the list for my children: rich cream cheese dough surrounding a creamy chocolate filling. It, too, is a molded type of cookie- rolling and shaping the dough, so it will need refrigeration time in the preparation.
Auntie Mary's Cookies
Auntie Mary's are a cream cheese cooky, so they should be kept cool. Watch that the chocolate for the filling is melted on very low heat- no scorched chocolate!
Cream butter and sugars with cream cheese til fluffy
Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
Divide dough in quarters, wrap, and chill
Make filling: combine sweet. cond. milk and chocolate cooking over medium heat til melted Stir in walnuts and cool.
Heat oven to 350℉. Grease cookie sheets.
Roll each quarter of dough to 10x6 inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 of filling down center section and fold in thirds over filling. With spatula transfer rolls to cookie sheet seam side down.
Bake 20 minutes til lightly browned.
Cool, sprinkle with confectioners sugar, and cut in 12 diagonal slices.
Notes
All of these cookies are fancy Christmas cookies. They should be packed carefully and frozen. I use waxed paper between the layers. Anything made with sour cream or cream cheese will not keep well unfrozen. Those should be eaten within a week, if not stored.
Pecan Drops
These are simple drop cookies which are a cinch to make, but placing a pecan nut half on each one makes them special and festive. The recipe is not for a lot of cookies, but can easily be doubled or tripled for cookie exchanges or big family get-togethers.
Pecan Drops
Buttery, nut dropped cookies crowned with a pecan half.Wonderful with coffee.
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Cookbooks yield great cookie recipes. Classic favorites of mine were Good Housekeeping, McCalls, 
