day 6 … Garam Masala Shortbread

And here we are … Day 6 of 12. We’ve officially reached the halfway mark in this cookie journey. At this point we’ve covered a variety of cookies – a pretty sugar version, a caramel-y pecan bar, one with tea, one with salty toffee and another with spiced sweet potato all from one basic butter cookie dough. So nice. Today we’re using something that was a complete revelation to me not long ago … garam masala. 

It’s a spice blend typically used in Indian cooking that can differ but usually contains a combination of coriander, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, caraway, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. So really, it’s all the traditional baking spices in one handy, if unconventional, mix. I get mine from The Spice House and its lovely – fresh and full of flavor that seems very Christmas. Think of it as a much more interesting pumpkin spice. Add it to the base dough and you have a surprisingly wonderful Christmas-y cookie. 

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, 

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Classic Molasses Cookies, Peppermint Candy Canes, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Holiday Mallomars

This year:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough for all recipes

Day 1: Sparkly Sugar Cookies

Day 2: Pecan Praline Bars

Day 3: Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies

Day 4: Butter Brickle Cookies

Day 5: Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies

GARAM MASALA SHORTBREAD

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. In a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, combine room temperature cookie dough, first measures of sugar, garam masala and salt on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
2. Press the dough together and roll into a smooth log about 8” long. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill or at least an hour or overnight. The dough log can be frozen, tightly wrapped, up to 3 months. Let soften before attempting to slice.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
4. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the sugar dip. From the dough log, cut ¼” thick slices, rotating the log after each cut to prevent a flat side.
5. Dip the flat side of each cookie in the sugar mixture and place on the prepared pan, sugar side up.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are just baked. Rotate the pans halfway through baking and do not brown.
7. Shortbread cookies keep pretty well at room temperature for several days if tightly wrapped and the dough will kept frozen for 3 months.

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crispy, buttery, good … Rosemary Shortbread

Every spring/summer, I purchase a rosemary plant.  Some years it’s small, part of an assortment of other herb pots for my porch windowboxes.  Some years it’s a big plant that lives in a pot all it’s own.  One year I bought a fancy overpriced heart-shaped topiary.  It all just depends on what catches my eye.  As the weather turns chilly, I bring it inside.  The only thing that remains consistent is that every year, I proceed to kill it – every damn year – which necessitates the need for a new one the following spring.  Circle of life, right on my back porch.  This year, though, seems to be different.  I brought the latest plant inside and it seems to be doing ok.  Maybe we’ll make it.

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