Best Moravian Spice Cookies Recipes

MORAVIAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt butter or margarine over low heat until the butter turns light brown. Add molasses, brown sugar and oil, stirring to melt the sugar. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and baking soda. Mix well. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until just blended.
• Put the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap; flatten it into a disk and wrap it up. Let dough rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before rolling. NOTE: Dough can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.
• Divide dough in half and rewrap the unused portion. Roll out the dough on a floured surface as thin as possible, less than 1/16 inch. Cut out cookies with a small 2-inch cutter and place them about 1/4 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are crisp and just beginning to brown on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

MORAVIAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl beat together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg yolk and beat well until combine.
• 2. In another bowl combine the flour and all remaining ingredients,blend well and add to the molasses mixture in small amounts at a time. Dough will be loose and crumbly. Gently press dough to make a soft mound then take 1/3 of the dough and place on a piece of parchment paper;pat into a rectangle. Place another piece of paper on top and roll as thin as possible (1/16-inch thick). Repeat with remaining dough.
• 3. Gently peel back top paper,replace paper and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer remove top paper and cut cookies with a 2-inch round or other cookie cutter. Place cookie on a clean piece of parchment paper on cookie sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
• 4. Heat oven to 325^. Remove cookies from freezer ; sprinkle tops with cinnamon/sugar if desired. Bake for 10 minutes. Yes that is the correct time. But check on them as ovens bake differently. They should be brown but not to dark- this depends on if you used light or dark molasses and brown sugar. If you do not cinnamon/sugar the tops. You can frost with a glaze when cooled.
• 5. Glaze: 1 c. sifted powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring(extract) 1 1/2 Tablespoons water as needed (milk will make the frosting too soft Blend sugar,salt and flavoring, add water to desired spreading consistency.

MORAVIAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and mustard in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high speed until just combined and lightly fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg yolk. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix on low until dough is just combined and still crumbly ~ 3 minutes. Give dough a few turns with spatula to bring together. Lay wax paper on clean surface and put 1/3 of batter on top. Lightly press and top with another sheet of wax paper. Using hands or rolling pin, gently pat into rectangle. Roll with rolling pin until dough is as thin as possible without breaking, no thicker than 1/16". This is key to cookies: they can't be too thin. Gently peel layer of waxed paper and replace it loosely. Transfer rolled batter to baking sheet and freeze until firm and can be peeled away from wax paper ~ 30 minutes. Repeat. Cut dough using a small (2- to 3-inch) fluted round cookie cutter and return to freezer for 15 min to set. Transfer frozen cookies to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until crisp and lightly, evenly colored (but not brown), about 10 minutes. Store baked cookies in airtight container for 10 days. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and frozen for 1 month. Cook's note: Don't be intimidated by how many cookies this recipe makes. dough freezes well, and you can roll out far in advance -- so when you need cookies, you can cut and bake as needed, which is a great holiday timesaver. Prep Time: 30 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: about 5 dozen wafers