garam. masala. cookies.

So, I have been getting better at taking pictures of things while I am cooking/eating/dining/having cheese & prosciutto picnics. But, I fail to write about them. I mean to improve this, and to that aim, I bring you.... Garam masala cookies!

I accidentally bought a ton of garam masala and every time I see it in my spice cabinet, I think "I need to find a way to use that! It's so tasty!" and then promptly forget about it. One day, I came across a photo of vegan garam masala cookies on flickr (is that nerdy? I don't care.) and thought the idea sounded amazing--but, I have difficulties with cookies and thought I better work on making a more traditional butter inclusive cookie before branching out into the vegan cookie territory. So, armed with patience, lots of garam masala, and google, I baked my little heart out just in time for a lovely potluck with friends. I looked at a few recipes and chose my favorite because it recommended browning one stick of butter in a pan before adding it to the mix. I figured you probably can't go wrong there, and I was right.

The dough was delicious. I am not afraid of salmonella--I delight in the childlike pleasure of eating cookie dough... It reminded me of how fun baking cookies can be.

The recipe I used didn't call for rolling the dough in sugar, but I thought it would work nicely. My first batch was made using cane sugar, the second, with turbinado sugar. The turbinado sugar looked prettier but didn't work as well. I'll have to give it another shot sometime soon.

These cookies were, to put it mildly, fantastic. I wasn't expecting them to be so great, but was quite pleased with the results. I'll be holding on to that recipe! As noted on the page where I found this recipe, they are reminiscent of gingersnaps, with a little something extra that you can't quite place.

The recipe can be found at the following link, but I have copied it here for future reference as well. You should probably think about baking these the next time you want something delicious. http://helenabakes.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/garam-masala-cookies/

Garam Masala Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, one softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt, garam masala, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat 1 stick of butter over medium high heat until completely melted. Keep cooking the butter until it turns a rich golden brown color and begins to take on a warm, nutty smell. This may take up to 6 or 7 minutes. Be careful not to burn your butter! Pour into a heat resistant bowl and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

In yet another bowl (sorry), mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, and softened stick of butter with an electric mixer, adding cooled browned butter gradually until completely combined. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, blend until creamy. Slowly add flour mixture and mix, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure even distribution throughout the dough.

Drop rounded teaspoons of dough on to an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart and bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges turn slightly brown. Don’t overbake these cookies – they should look almost underdone when you take them out of the oven. Set on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from cookie sheet to cool completely.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies.