There’s this idea when it comes to baked goods, especially in America, that more is necessarily better. More gooey, more sweet, more creamy, more decadent. And while I am IN NO WAY coming out against gooey, over the top desserts, sometimes you want some restraint. Just a little sweet, with subtle flavors. Something restful. These cardamom orange teacakes hit just that spot.
I developed the recipe after getting my hands on a proof copy of Michael Ruhlman’s terrific new book, Ratio
I started by making the “Basic Butter cookies”, using salted butter (my preferred butter for baking), white sugar and white flour. No vanilla, no salt, no leavening. (I did add a touch of water, as my dough was pretty dry – this may have contributed, in all fairness to texture issues). As I expected, they were a bit flat. Texture unremarkable, taste not so interesting. To tart them up a bit, I turned to an invaluable cookbook, Shirley Corriher’s Cookwise
I added cardamom, one of my favorite spices, a little orange zest and vanilla for flavor, eggs and baking powder for lightness, and a little extra sugar for tenderness. Finally, I rolled them in cardamom and sugar, snickerdoodles style, for a nice crisp exterior. The finished cookies are still small, not too sweet, but pleasing to the palate, and perfect with a cup of tea. And because they’re not too rich or sweet, you might just want more. And more.
- 3 oz. sugar
- 4 oz. butter
- 1 egg
- 1.5 t orange zest
- 1 t cardamom
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 t baking powder
- 6 oz. flour
- Extra sugar and cardamom for rolling.
- Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla and flavorings, and beat to combine. Add the salt, baking powder and flour, mix until just combined. Chill the dough for about 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix cardamom and granulated sugar in a 1:3 ratio (1 part cardamom to 3 parts sugar). Form dough into balls the size of large olives, and roll each ball in the sugar spice mixture.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cookies are very lightly browned. Enjoy with a cup of tea.
YUM! They look lovely and I bet they smell divine.
And BTW, Cookwise is the greatest thing ever. Among many, many other things, it divulged the secret of my freaking awesome roast chicken (if I do say so myself).
your pictures are amazing! what do u use? what setting?
You left out the eggs in the ingredients list. How many? I want to make these today.
So sorry for that! I fixed it out. I used one egg, and included the weight ratio in case you want to scale the recipe up or down.
Thank you! I shoot most of my pictures with a Canon Rebel XTi and a 50mm 1.8 lens (Usually with a wide aperture because I’m shooting at night in low light) but the picture of the unbaked cookies was taken with my point and shoot (Canon A590IS) on a manual setting.
I’ll have to try the roast chicken. I usually make the Zuni version.
You had me at cardamom and orange – that sounds so amazing, like something that I would make for myself and guard jealously.
First of all, this is such a lovely blog. I’m delighted I found it and am putting it in my favorites. Second, I love cardamon!!!! It’s one of the under utilized spices. Tea cookies with this essence sound fantastic! The pics are great too. Third, thank you for visiting my blog. Please tell me the Zuni method for roast chicken!! Is it in the Zuni Cafe book? I have that cookbook–I grew up in SF. Thanks!
Thank you for the compliment. Cardamom has been one of my favorites since an ill conceived attempt to make Swedish Christmas bread when I was in 5th grade. These are much easier.
Zuni Chicken is in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook — Roast Chicken and Bread Salad. The salad is fantastic, but the method for preparing the chicken (salting 24 hours in advance) is a keeper.
Cardamom is among the spices I love most, and it us underused in American cooking! I can’t wait to try those cookies!
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