I bake these until they're set around the edges but still have a little give at the center. If you'd like them a bit chewier, bake them for less time. But don't bake them longer, since they crisp after a couple of days. The glaze is optional, but I like the look and the extra bit of sweetness that it brings to the cookies. A word on t/?eg/aze: The recipe calls for half an egg white. The easiest way to divide the white is to beat it lightly to break it up, and then measure out 15 grams. Or put it in a mini liquid measuring cup and pour off half.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 30 cookies
FOR THE COOKIES
- 2 cups (272 gram) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground espresso or coffee beans {or 2 teaspoons instant espresso) see head note
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter cut into chunks, at room temperature Vi cup (1QD grams) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsulfured molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FOR THE OPTIONAL GLAZE
- ½ large egg white see head note
- ¾ cup (90 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ to 2 teaspoons warm water, iff needed
COOKIES:
Whisk the flour. espresso. cinnamon, cardamom and sail together.
Working wilh a sland mixer filled with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butler and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add (he egg and beat until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Beal in Ihe molasses and vanilla don't be concerned
if (he mixture curdles. Slop (he mixer, scrape down (he bowl and add the flour mixture all ai once. Pulse until the risk of flying flour has passed, then mix on low speed just until the dry ingredienls are fully blended into the dough. You'll have a (hick, very moist dough. Turn She dough out. gather it together and shape it into a disk.
Roll the dough between pieces of parchment paper to a thickness of % inch. Slide the parchment-sandwiched dough onto a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
READY TO BAKE:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Have a 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter at hand.
Peel away both pieces of parchment paper and pul Ihe dough back on one piece of paper. Cul oul as many cookies as you can and place (hem on the lined baking sheets. Gather the scraps together, re-roll, chill and cut.
Bake the cookies one sheet ai a time for 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the sheet after 6 minutes, or until they are toasty brown on both the bottoms and tops. Poke them gently—they should be firm around the edges and softer in the center. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and allow She cookies to cool for at least 20 minutes, or until they reach room temperature before glazing (or serving) them. Repeat with the remaining dough, always using a cool baking sheet.
TO make the glaze and finish the COOKIES (OPTIONAL):
Working in a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until it's foamy. Pour in the confectioners1 sugar and. continuing with the whisk or switching to a flexible spatula, stir, mash and mix until the sugar is thoroughly moistened. It looks like an impossible job. but a little elbow grease will get it done. You'll have a thick mass. Push Ihe mixture down and stir in the melted butter. If Ihe glaze looks loo (hick to brush, stir in a bit of water a little at time until you get a workable consistency: you'll probably need less than 2 teaspoons of water, so go slow.
You can spread the glaze over She cookies with a small icing spatula or butter knife (to get the same look as Ihe cookies in the photo), or you can use a brush. Dip a pastry brush into the glaze, picking up V* So teaspoon of glaze, and brush it over one cookie, brushing in one direction. Without taking any more glaze, and working perpendicular to the original direction, brush the glaze until you have a nice crosshatch pattern. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
You can serve the cookies 15 minutes after they're gtazed. but if you want to save (hem for later, place them on a lined baking sheet and allow them to air-dry for at least 1 hour before storing.
The rolled-out dougn tan he refrigerated for lid to 2 days or, wrapped airtight frozen fo- up to 2 months. Cut and bake directly from tne freezer. Covered with a piece of plastic wrap pressed against its su-Faoe, the glaze will keep at room temperature for about 4 days. Packed in a covered container, the cookies will keep at room temperatjre for 5 to 7 days. They'll get crier, bjt they'll remain delicious. Unglazed cookies can ice wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.