These Chinese five-spice cookies are gonna make you say bye-bye-bye to boring plain sugar cookies and nǐ hǎo to these crisp and spiced lovelies. They’re sugar cookies and so, so much more. Depending upon your five spice blend, it may include ground star anise, cinnamon, ginger, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, and cloves. Perfect at the holidays or any time of year, actually. And perfect with tea thanks to the crisp texture that stands up to dunking.–Renee Schettler Rossi
Chinese Five-Spice Cookies
These Chinese five-spice cookies get their kick from the traditional components of five-spice powder, which may include ginger, cinnamon, star anise, fennel, Szechuan peppercorns, and cloves. (Yes, that’s six spices, not five. What can we say? We’re overachievers.) Say hello to your newest holiday tradition.
Equipment
- 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter or favorite holiday-shaped cutter
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar, (or just blitz granulated sugar in a blender until finely ground but not powdery)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Dump the flour, Chinese five-spice powder, and salt in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl until creamy and well combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fluffy, about 1 minute more.
- Stir in the flour mixture, combing just until everything is incorporated and a soft dough forms. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and adjust the rack to the center position.
- Unwrap the dough, place it on a fresh piece of plastic wrap, and roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Slide the wrap and the dough onto a baking sheet and place the whole shebang in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm it slightly.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and quickly cut out the spice cookies with a 2 1/2-inch round cookie biscuit cutter (or if it's the holidays, your favorite cookie cutter) spacing them 1/2-inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately transfer the spice cookies to a wire rack to cool. (The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week.) Find more information on storing and freezing your cookies here.
An LC Original
View More Original RecipesNutrition
Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 94 kcalCarbohydrates: 11 gProtein: 1 gFat: 5 gSaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 21 mgSodium: 34 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 5 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe © 2017 David Leite. Photos © 2017 The Picture Pantry. All rights reserved.
Was looking for something different to bring to a Halloween party, just need to keep the dough cold while shaping the cookies. Getting ready to make another batch, there mysteriously disappearing before the party!
Lynn, I absolutely love it!!! Happy Halloween.
Do you think these would taste good with a drizzling of anise flavored icing?
Kristy, I think if you like anise flavor, sure! For me: not at all. Not an anise fan!
I made this recipe a few days ago and it was a hit. It was not cloyingly sweet. It was crisp at the edges and tender in the middle. Everyone except one picky eater who preferred less spicy cookies loved these cookies. This is a holiday must-have.
Wonderful to her, Mide! We so appreciate you taking the time to let us know! Yes, they’re a slightly sophisticated cookie, forgive the term. Less sweet, more spice, a little something unusual. So glad you loved!