What’d You Do Last Weekend?
Make your own bitters.
This recipe is part of Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies.
Moravian Spice Cookies
The last time I went to fancy food section of a department store, I swear I saw Moravian Spice Cookies in nice holiday gift tins. I didn’t eat them growing up, and I don’t have any other cookbooks that reference them, so I was intrigued by their inclusion in Alice Medrich’s Cookies and Brownies. I always wondered where Moravia was and what made these cookies Moravian, so this would be my chance to find out.
Moravia is a region of the Czech Republic, although it appears that the cookies are American-born, mainly from the East Coast, and related to German Lebkuchen. They were probably brought over by immigrants to the US, and according to Wikipedia, it is suggested that they were created in communities of the Moravian Church. These cookies have a long pedigree and are noted in cookbooks as far back as the 1700s, a rare time for cookbooks at all.
The article also suggests that these cookies are known to be the ‘world’s thinnest cookie,’ which would explain Medrich’s instructions for careful handling. While I wasn’t able to produce a paper-thin cookie, I was happy with the results I did get!
A few notes about this recipe:
- Assumed 1c AP flour = 5 oz. I used more flour in these than most of the other recipes in the book because I want them to maintain their shape when baked.
- Roll and cut will give you well0shaped cookies with a smooth top. .You can, however, roll them into balls and bake them that way. They will flatten out but will have cracked tops, like gingerbread.
- These cookies are chewy when cooled, but will take icing really well. The dough will last several weeks in the freezer.
- I used regular molasses because I didn’t have any light molasses. I’m not sure if this made the cookies more like gingersnaps, or if the light molasses would have changed the flavor of the cookie substantially. Conversely, I had only light brown sugar. I assumed the two might balance each other out.
Moravian Spice Cookies
2+1/4 c AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
8 T unsalted butter, softened
1+2/3 c (packed) dark brown sugar, lump free
1 large egg
1/2 c light molasses
Equipment
2 cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper or foil
2+1/2” cookie cutter, round or any favorite shape
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or a fork. Set aside.
- Using the back of a large spoon in a large mixing bowl, mash the butter with the brown sugar until well blended.
- Add the egg and mix until smooth.
- Mix in the dry ingredients, using your hands if necessary.
- Mix in the molasses.
- Divide the dough into quarters and wrap airtight. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375F with racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- Roll one quarter of the dough a scant 1/8-inch thick between two sheets of plastic from a plastic bag (not wax paper). Slide a cookie sheet under the plastic sheets and dough. Place in the freezer.
- Repeat with the remaining quarters.
- Remove the first piece after 15 minutes or when the top sheet of plastic can be peeled off easily.
- Cut cookies, leaving them on the bottom sheet of plastic.
- Return the dough to the freezer.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Working quickly, use a thin metal pancake turner to transfer cookies from the coldest piece of dough, 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.
- When the cookies become too soft to move, return the dough to the freezer and remove another piece.
- Continue to fill cookie sheets.
- Save scraps to be rerolled
- Bake 8 to 9 minutes, or until 1 minute after they rise and fall.
- Rotate the sheets from back to front and upper to lower halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.
- Slide the pan liners onto cooling racks
- Cool cookies completely before stacking or storing.
Yield
Makes 7 dozen 2+1/2-inch cookies
Storage
May be stored, airtight, for 3 to 4 weeks.
Source
This recipe comes from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies, and is available on Purple House Dirt with permission from the author.
