Gingerbread Cookies, a spice experiment

[poultrygeist99]

A couple months ago I bought a bottle of Garam Masala. I wanted to try out some recipes that called for it, including one from lovely_fatima. The one I bought came from Penzey's and claims to be Punjabi style. I don't know about the authenticity, but the smell is to die for. When I opened it up, it shouted MAKE SPICE COOKIES! at me. So I did.

Comments

[jelazakazone]

Were they to die for? I've never thought of using garam masala in spice cookies. My mouth is watering:)

[poultrygeist99]

They are really really good. They've got a mellow flavor with just a little bite.

[roh_wyn]

Heh heh. Ok, since I'm Indian, I'm totally familiar with garam masala, but I never would have thought to make spice cookies with it!

You can make your own, by the way, and vary the spice mixture to get the aroma and flavor that you like. All you need is a good coffee grinder, and the following spices. (This is my mom's recipe, fwiw).

2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp cardamom seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp whole black peppercorn
1 inch piece of cinnamon (broken up into little pieces)
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Dry roast everything except the nutmeg in a heavy skillet for about 10 minutes. Then grind in batches in a coffee grinder (to whatever consistency you like, although finer is better). Stir in the nutmeg and you're good to go. If you put it in a nice air-tight container, it should last a good long time.

[poultrygeist99]

oh, yum! Thanks for the suggestion, I only bought a small bottle, so I might make my own when it's gone. This blend doesn't have cumin, but has caraway and ginger. I'm totally adding cumin to my next batch of cookies. *giggles*

I think my Indian friends will also be surprised when I tell them what I did with this spice. Actually, maybe I won't admit it. But the blend is not really so far off from what I usually put in the cookies anyway. And it smelled so good, it just beckoned me.

[celandineb]

Mmm, sounds yummy!

[lavendergem]

Oh this sounds awesome! I'm totally gonna try this!!