Embossed Spice Cookies with Butter Rum Glaze

Fall is officially here! That means holiday baking is just around the corner. Today I’m sharing with you a delicious recipe for Spice Cookies with Butter Rum Glaze that I know your friends and loved ones are going to devour! Not only because they taste amazing, but because they look so elegant…. and you don’t have to be a pastry chef to achieve these results. Let me show you how to make them.

A big Thank You to Jessica at Embossed for providing the paisley embossed rolling pin used in this post.

After making the cookie dough, roll it between two layers of wax paper (or parchment) to 1/4-inch thickness. I like to use rolling guides to ensure all the cookies are the exact same thickness.

Remove the top layer of wax paper…

And use an embossed rolling pin to imprint the cookie dough with the pattern. No need to dust the pin or cookie dough with extra flour.

Pretty!

Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough. I’m particularly fond of double-sided scalloped cutters.

Place the cookie cutouts on a silpat or parchment-lined half sheet pan. I tested both baking surfaces and both work well, but the silpat produced a slightly nicer finished appearance on the bottom of the cookies.

Now here’s the important part - chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. This is a good time to preheat the oven.

While the cookies are baking, make the glaze and keep it covered with a wet paper towel when not using (to keep it from crusting over).

Remove the baked cookies from the oven and brush on the glaze while the cookies are still warm.

Since the cookies are still warm, the marks left in the glaze by the pastry brush will melt into a smooth finish. Allow glaze to dry for an hour or two before serving. These cookies are best served within 24 hours.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• embossed rolling pin https://amzn.to/3sBLYYJ

• rolling guides https://amzn.to/300d6Db

• double sided scalloped cutter set https://amzn.to/3LuJqEr

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/35Z1GFA

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3uM9nt1

• parchment paper https://amzn.to/34D20cT

• silicone pastry brush https://amzn.to/3eNdNF8

• high quality dutch processed cocoa https://amzn.to/3uJFaLc

• pure vanilla extract (use the good stuff) https://amzn.to/3ovS9fE

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Embossed Spice Cookies with Butter Rum Glaze

makes 25 cookies (2.75-inch or 7cm round)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/3 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 1 large egg

• 1 3/4 cups PLUS 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 

• 1 tablespoon dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Glaze:

• 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• 1 tablespoon rum

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

To make the cookies:

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and molasses on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping bowl as needed; add egg yolk and mix until fully combined.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the remaining cookie ingredients (do not add the glaze ingredients).

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer set on low speed and mix until no traces of dry ingredients remain.

4. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness between two sheets of wax paper, then peel the top layer of waxed paper off and use embossed roller to imprint pattern.

5. Use desired cutter to cut shapes, then carefully remove scraps but don’t attempt to move the cutouts (place scraps into an airtight container or zip-top bag until you have enough to reroll).

6. Carefully place waxed paper with cutouts onto sheet pan and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

7. Preheat oven to 325F and place rack in center position.

8. Remove chilled cutouts from refrigerator place cutouts on prepared sheet pans; bake for 9-10 minutes, leaving at least 1-inch of space between cookies (12 cookies per sheet)..

9. Bake for 9-10 minutes; remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before glazing.

To make the glaze:

• While the cookies are baking, make the glaze by whisking confectioners sugar, melted butter, rum, and pure vanilla extract together in a small bowl; cover with wet towel to keep from drying.

• Brush an even layer of glaze on cookies while they’re still warm (about 5 minutes after the cookies are removed from the oven).

• Allow glaze to set before serving cookies, about 30 minutes.

Notes

• Instead of dusting your counter and rolling pin with flour (which can make the dough scraps too dry to reuse), roll the cookie dough between layers of wax paper (or parchment paper).

• Cookie dough can be made ahead and chilled in an airtight container for a day or two or frozen for up to a month. Allow the dough to come to room temperature (in its storage container) before rolling (don’t forget to chill cutouts for 15-20 minutes before baking).

• To bake cookies ahead, do not glaze. Store unglazed cookies in airtight container between layers of waxed paper and chill or freeze. Thaw overnight in container, then gently reheat cookies in warm oven before glazing.

• Cookies are best served within 24 hours of glazing (after that, the glaze will either turn gooey or it will crystalize and look chalky).

adapted from embossedco.com

David's Cranberry Anzac Cookies

I have long been a fan of David Lebovitz, famed pastry chef, best-selling author, and award-winning food blogger. These “Cranzac” cookies are his variation of Australia’s famous Anzac biscuits. The cookies (or biscuits as they’re traditionally called) are crunchy around the edges, chewy in the middle, and chock full of wonderful texture. They also contain one of my favorite baking ingredients - Lyle’s Golden Syrup. If you love golden syrup, but you’re not a fan of coconut, you might be interested in trying my Chewy Golden Syrup Cookies. Honestly though, my son-in-law isn’t a fan of coconut, but he gave these cookie two thumbs up!

This recipe comes together pretty fast by hand, but you can use a stand mixer as well.

To get 36 perfect cookies from this recipe, use level #50 scoop (my favorite size scoop for cookies).

Flatten the mounds of cookie dough a bit with your finger tips. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cool completely before storing in an airtight container (they freeze beautifully).

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• #50 cookie scoop https://amzn.to/3rJygUk

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/35Z1GFA

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3GM5ois

• dried cranberries https://amzn.to/2Wawj3D

• spoonula https://amzn.to/3fsxOSc

• unsweetened shredded coconut https://amzn.to/3dpQ6Sz

• old fashioned oats https://amzn.to/3dydbTd

• Lyle’s golden syrup https://amzn.to/2YCYPMP

• my favorite digital scale https://amzn.to/3LuBz9J

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David’s Cranberry Anzack Cookies

makes 36 cookies (#50 scoop)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200g packed dark brown sugar

• 1 cup (95g) old fashioned oats (not instant or quick-cooking)

• 1 1/4 cup (175g) all purpose flour (bleached or unbleached)

• 1 cup (90g) unsweetened shredded coconut or desiccated grated coconut (DO NOT use sweetened coconut)

• 1/2 cup (60g) dried cranberries (or raisins, currants, dried chopped cherries, dried blueberries)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 1/4 cup lyle’s golden syrup

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

• 3 tablespoons warm water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F, place rack in center position, and line 3 half sheet pans with silpat liners.

2. Place the dark brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and break up any clumps by hand.

3. Add the oats, flour, shredded coconut, dried cranberries, baking soda, and salt; mix well.

4. In a 1 cup heat-proof measure, combine lyle’s golden syrup, melted butter, and warm water; mix to combine and pour over oat mixture.

5. Use a silicone spoonula to combine everything together until no dry ingredients remain.

6. Use a #50 scoop to portion even mounds of batter, 12 per sheet pan; flatten each mound of cookie dough with your fingers until their height is reduced in half (as shown above).

7. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes until the cookies darken around the edges.

8. Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow cookies to cool on the sheet pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

• If the cookie dough is too dry to form, David says you can add a teaspoon of water at a time until it’s wet enough to hold together.

• If you can’t find Lyle’s golden syrup, you can use a lightly flavored honey or light corn syrup instead (although I highly recommend finding golden syrup - you will definitely thank me!).

• These cookies are sweet so I would NOT use sweetened shredded coconut. Look for UNsweetened coconut in the baking, health food, or international section of the grocery store. Also, try your local international grocery store. Desiccated coconut can be substituted.

• If you don’t have 3 sheet pans, reuse the one(s) you do have, but make sure each pan is completely cool before using it again.

adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz