Christmas Cookie Baking Has Begun!

Yesterday, I made two kinds of cookies! I started with "Pepperkaker Spiced Sugar Cookies" from a recipe that turned out to be terrible. I mean, I think there was a serious error in the amount of pepper it required. So I changed it. I don't think these are a true pepperkaker but once I fixed the pepper, I thought they were good. Another time, I'll try a traditional recipe.

Pepperkaker Spiced Cookies

1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. baking powder
confectioners sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and egg.
3. Add molasses and vanilla.
4. Add dry ingredients except confectioners sugar.
5. Roll into 1" balls. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper.)
6. Bake about 10-12 minutes.
7. Allow to cool slightly and then roll in confectioners sugar.
8. Enjoy!

I got around 35-40 cookies. They are not unlike a gingersnap with the molasses and spices, but the pepper adds a spicy warmth to them. I mostly notice a peppery aftertaste. They're interesting!

The second cookie I made was Almond Thins. This is an amazing cookie with ground almonds in the dough, and flavored with almond extract. The dough was really delicious. This is a slice and bake cookie, which I think makes it really easy compared to rolling them out. The recipe is here at Real Simple.