Oat

Spicy Shorties

by:
January 12, 2010
5
1 Ratings
Spicy Shorties
  • Serves about 2 dozen
Author Notes

These were inspired by a recipe of Deborah Madison's but mine have a more rustic texture and an addictively intense, spicy taste thanks to whole wheat flour, fresh and candied ginger and plenty of cardamom. They are kind of a hippie cookie, but still rich with butter. - gluttonforlife —gluttonforlife

Test Kitchen Notes

Gluttonforlife's cookies have a terrific combination of spices. The use of fresh cardamom gives them a serious kick. It's well worth cracking open the pods and grinding the seeds. The fresh and candied ginger make the cookies come alive. My favorite part is that baking in one pan gives some chewier cookies in the middle and crispier ones around the edge -- something for everyone in one batch. —Stephanie Bourgeois

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 pound salted butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed (like Muscovado)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 cup candied ginger, chopped fine
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Process the oats briefly in a food processor, just to break them up slightly.
  3. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the salt, spices and oats. Work in all the flour well, and mix in the fresh and candied ginger.
  4. Press the dough into a 9x12 pan and score the surface in squares as you would with shortbread. (You can make any shape you like but these are rich, so smaller pieces are best.) Bake until surface is lightly browned, 30-35 minutes. Baking them longer will result in a drier, crisper cookie (which is also nice).
  5. Remove and cut through along the score lines, then set aside to cool. (These freeze well.)
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10 Reviews

designd
designd March 8, 2012
These are great--thanks! I subbed 2/3 of the butter with Greek yoghurt and 1/3 of the sugar with molasses, which added a really nice flavour. Wholesome but delicious. Am going to go make another batch!
 
FrancesRen
FrancesRen April 19, 2011
I made this this morning. They are to die for, chewy with a great cardamom spice flavor. I substitute the ginger candy with dates- delicious. thank you.
 
gluttonforlife
gluttonforlife April 19, 2011
Glad you liked them. Dates sound like a nice addition, although I personally am addicted to all that spicy ginger!
 
susan_johnson
susan_johnson December 9, 2010
These were really good. I did hand-grind the cardamom, which I suspect makes a big difference, and added a dusting of turbinado on top prior to baking. One word of advice– don't spend 20 minutes painstakingly scoring the dough into perfect, 1" squares *before* baking (as suggested in the recipe)– as one might suspect, the scores will vanish during the baking process. You'll want to cut these with a bench scraper after they've cooled for about 10 minutes.
 
sfchicken
sfchicken August 20, 2010
I admittedly made a bunch of changes to suit this to my young son's tastes but stuck with the overall framework of the recipe and found it delicious and so easy! I omitted the gingers and cardamom and added 1 teas vanilla and 1/2 teas of cinnamon, a handful of dark chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of toasted almonds. Fantastic! Texture was amazing- almost like toffee on the bottoms. I used a slightly smaller baking dish and tried to adjust the baking time but still overcooked a bit. Will definitely make again with different combinations of nuts and spices!
 
mtlabor
mtlabor January 18, 2010
this looks absolutely delicious!
 
amelinda
amelinda January 13, 2010
Yum! I am definitely going to give these a try as I am a total ginger addict. Thanks for the recipe.
 
gluttonforlife
gluttonforlife January 13, 2010
I hope you enjoy them!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames January 12, 2010
Just a question abou the freshly ground cardamom . . . . do you buy the seeds and grind them up, or do get the pods, then remove the seeds manually and grind those? This looks quite tasty . . hearty and rich.
 
gluttonforlife
gluttonforlife January 12, 2010
I crack the pods, remove the seeds and grind them in a spice grinder or mortar & pestle. Stored in a glass jar, this keeps for a few weeks and is much fresher and more pungent than most cardamom you buy already ground.