As promised, the recipe that I've tested out. Making it gluten free required only two tweaks: dropping the malt, and substituting the flour. E.Z.

## Ingredients

- 1 Tbsp finely ground espresso (not instant espresso) or finely ground coffee
- ½ cup/115 grams cold unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour (gluten-free optional)
- 2 Tbsps malted milk powder (e.g. Carnation brand) or substitute for regular milk powder to make gluten free
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp finely ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup/165 grams light brown sugar
- 2 tsps vanilla extract or paste
- ¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar (for rolling)
- ½ cup/50 grams confectioners’ sugar, sifted (for rolling)

Bonus Notes:

- I suggest substituting some of the "light brown sugar" for shakkar if it's available to you. Jaggery will also work. I did about 40g.
- You can simply do the rest as dark brown sugar if you want. It holds more moisture than light brown sugar because of the increased molasses.
- I also like reducing overall sugar, and was able to remove 30g of sugar without any net moisture loss.

## Preparation

When I say "medium-high" it will vary by stove. I have a gas stove and I consider this to be a 3-5 if I'm using stainless steel, and 2-4 if using cast iron (depending on how long I've preheated it)

### Step 1

- Put **ground espresso/coffee** in a small metal/pyrex bowl.
- Put **butter** in a small saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, swirling and stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until nutty brown, 5ish minutes. The margin of error between browning butter and burning it is slim, so be careful.
- Add the **browned butter** to the bowl with the **espresso** and stir to combine.
- Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the cookie.

### Step 2

Combine the dry ingredients:

- flour
- malted milk powder
- baking powder
- ginger
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- cloves
- salt and pepper

These go into in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly and set aside.

### Step 3

- Combine **eggs** and **light brown sugar** (or equivalent) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Beat on medium speed until well combined and slightly paler, about 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.

### Step 4

- Add the **vanilla** and the **butter mixture**, then mix on low speed until combined.
- Add the **dry ingredients** (flour mixture), then mix again on low until combined.
- Transfer dough to a resealable glass or plastic container, and chill thoroughly, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

### Step 5

- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Put **granulated sugar** and **confectioners’ sugar** into two separate bowls.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into heaping tablespoons (about 25 grams each).
- Roll into smooth balls and drop a few at a time into the bowl of **granulated sugar**, rolling to coat.
- Transfer to the bowl with the **confectioners’ sugar**. Roll gently, coating well, then transfer to a parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between cookies.
- Place in freezer until firm, about 10 minutes.

### Step 6

- Bake until cookies are golden underneath but still quite tender (they will firm up as they cool), 12 to 15 minutes.
- Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets and transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

Original Recipe via Susan Spungen, with adjustments and tweaks.

Link to my previous post: https://lgbtqia.space/@h3mmy/116276127608634288

#Recipe #Baking #KatPics #KatInTheKitchen #Cookies #Chai #GlutenFree #Food