Cardamom Cookies

These are from the September 2011 Issue #85 of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine, page 99. Cardamom Cookies with Frozen Yogurt and Mango

I added some Penzeys Baking Spice to give it a more spicy-sweet taste. I give them a solid "B" - they were good, but thought they were a bit salty for some reason. Next time I will decrease the cardamom to 1/4 teaspoon and add a little bit more of Baking Spice (which has two kinds of cinnamon - Ceylon and Cassia, anise seed, allspice, mace and yes, cardamom). And by making smaller, marble-sized balls, I was able to get 23 2" cookies instead of 10. I also subtracted 2 tablespoons of butter from the called-for stick. I find that I can easily do that with most of their recipes, thereby reducing the fat and the calories while increasing the enjoyment knowing they are missing! Click the link in the first paragraph for the original recipe.

CARDAMOM COOKIES

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter -- minus 2 tablespoons, room temperature

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon Baking Spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all purpose flour

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add cardamom, and salt; beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour and mix until combined.
Form dough into 1" balls and place, 2 inches apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. With the bottom of a glass or measuring cup dipped in flour, gently flatten each ball. Bake until cookies are golden around edge, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely, then dust with confectioners' sugar.