Happy Monday Everyone! Sometimes between Friday and Monday there is a lot happening. This was one of those weekends. Friday a commitment with our church group. Saturday: basketball, errands, my daughter went to a birthday party and we went out to dinner with some friends. Sunday, a boy scout banquet. But sometimes you just have to take a few minutes for yourself. Everyone deserves a home-made treat, right?
Our house favorite cookie is the chocolate chip blondie bars, they were one of my first posts just over a year ago, but I make them once a month or so. These are a good second for our family (my son won’t be swayed from chocolate chips). I found the recipe searching out options to use up a bottle of cardamom I had wasting away in my spice cabinet.
Cardamom is a middle eastern spice that has a lemony / smoky flavor, it’s used in lots of Indian foods. I first had it in a cardamom bread filled with a sweet almond filling (Scandinavian). Once ground, cardamom can lose its flavor pretty quickly. Since it’s the third most expensive spice in the world why let it go to waste?
I made these the first time for my girlfriend’s birthday, then again for a family party, now just for fun on a busy weekend because I took butter out of the fridge to soften. Next I’ll make them a part of my Easter dinner dessert buffet. Yup, try them, you will make them again… and again. Now I need to go get more cardamom. Enjoy~
- 2 Sticks Butter
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2½ cups flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup sugar
- In a large bowl cream butter and 1½ cups sugar.
- beat in the eggs and vanilla; until pale 2 minutes or so
- in a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, soda.
- mix dry with wet ingredients, slowly, until just mixed.
- refrigerate until ready to use
- mix together the cardamom, cinnamon, and ½ cup sugar
- Preheat oven to 350F
- roll teaspoonfuls of cookie dough into balls. roll in spice / sugar mixture and place on parchment lined pan (about 2″ apart – they spread a bit)
- bake for 10 – 12 minutes until just barely tan around the outer edge
- let rest 1 minute on pan; then cool completely on a wire rack
