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TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- What it is: A unique sugar cookie blended with Chinese five-spice powder with cinnamon, ginger, star anise + peppercorn for a fun twist.
- Why you’ll love it: A perfect holiday or everyday cookie that offers an aromatic, less-sweet flavor, making it a sassy alternative to standard biscuits.
- How to make it: Whisk flour, five-spice powder + salt. Cream the butter and sugar, beat in egg + vanilla. Stir in the dry mixture to form a soft dough, shape it into a disk + chill. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness, freeze for 5 minutes, cut into shapes + bake till the edges are golden brown.
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I came up with this recipe a good 30 years ago—one of the first recipes I developed—and it’s been a stalwart in my kitchen ever since. It’s dead simple—honestly, the kind of recipe you look at and think, Really? That’s it?—but it delivers some surprisingly highfalutin flavors. The One and I turn to it whenever we want to shake up our taste buds. And being a supertaster, I love when those ’buds get a good rattling.
These Chinese five-spice cookies will make you say bye-bye-bye to boring, plain sugar cookies and hello to these crisp, spiced lovelies. They’re sugar cookies, yes, but they’re also so, so much more. Depending on your five-spice blend, you might get star anise, cinnamon, ginger, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves—or some combination thereof. They’re perfect at the holidays, but honestly, they’re perfect any time of year. And thanks to their crisp snap, they stand up beautifully to dunking, especially in tea.
Chow,
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If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Featured Review
I made this recipe a few days ago, and it was a hit. It wasn’t 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!
Mide
Chinese Five-Spice Cookies
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.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing cookie! We added ~ 1 tablespoon candied ginger, diced, and ~ 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped. This will be one of our go-to henceforth! Thank you very much, David!
On behalf of David and everyone at Leite’s, Nuna, you’re welcome! Love that you added candied ginger!
Just made these for Christmas and they were a hit! I made a few alterations just for simplicity’s sake. After my dough was combined, I simply took a teaspoon and made small mounds on my pan, which I then pushed into small rounds with a fork. After baking, I placed a small amount of chocolate glaze on each one since they were destined to be stand alone Christmas cookies. End result: delicious. Even my little nieces loved them.
Mike, so glad to hear! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
David — I had to write and tell you that I tried something a little different when I made the cookies a second time. After I got the dough together, I placed it in wax paper and rolled it into a log shape. I wrapped the whole thing in plastic wrap and let it freeze overnight. This morning I just pulled the cookie log out of the freezer, peeled away the plastic wrap and wax paper and just sliced the frozen dough into 1/4″ rounds. I baked at same temperature and same amount of time. So easy and I couldn’t be happier to have my new favorite cookie! Thanks again for this great recipe.
Angie, I couldn’t be happier. I developed that recipe a million years ago. It’s so delightful to me that you’ve discovered it and that you added to it–making the preparation better. Thank you!