I made these cookies for the first time today and they are so good.  They are another cookie from-come on, guess-King Arthur Flour!  I'll bet you didn't see that coming.  I made their Gingerbread cookies last year and while they were good, the flavor was just a bit strong for me.  If you feel the same way about gingerbread cookies, you're gonna love these.  Another beauty about these, all the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store!


They kind of remind me of the Chai Spice cookies my sister made last year for Christmas.  Kind of intriguing when you first bite into them and then they really grow on you.  They are a cutout cookie so you will need to refrigerate the dough, roll it out and then cut it into the desired shape using cookie cutters.  If you're not big on holiday cutouts and want something a bit more formal, I would suggest using a fluted square or round biscuit cutter.  Now on to the recipe!

light spice holiday cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• directions

  1) In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, sugars, baking powder, spices, and salt until light and fluffy.

  2) Add the egg and molasses, and beat well.

  3) Mix about half of the flour into the butter mixture. When well combined, add the cornstarch and the remaining flour.  The mixture will seem kind of shaggy, but just keep mixing until it comes together real well.

  4) Divide the dough in half, flattening each half slightly to make a disk. Smooth the edges by rolling the disk along a lightly floured work surface. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer), for easiest rolling.

  5) Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  6) Take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator, and flour a clean work surface, and the dough.

  7) Roll it out as thin or thick as you like. For slightly less crisp cookies, roll it out more thickly. We like to roll these cookies 1/8" to 1/4"inch thick. Use flour under and on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to the table or rolling pin.

  8) Alternatively, place the dough on parchment, and put a sheet of plastic wrap or another piece of parchment over it as you roll, pulling the plastic or parchment to eliminate wrinkles as necessary when rolling; this will keep dough from sticking without the need for additional flour.

  9) Transfer the cookies to ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets.

  10) Bake them just until they're slightly brown around the edges, or until they feel firm, about 10 to 12 minutes.

  11) Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, or until they're set. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

  Yield: 3 to 4 dozen 2 1/2" to 3" cookies.

  For cutouts during the holiday season, I will make several batches and freeze them.  When I'm ready to decorate with royal frosting, I'll take them out and defrost before decorating them.  Enjoy!